Scooters And One Wheels

Council passes new tax, approves e-scooter season in glitch-free hybrid assembly

Evan Vega March 24, 2022

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It was the first time in two years that council members were invited into chambers for a meeting, now that many COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

Stittsville Ward Coun. Glenn Gower, left, chats with Mayor Jim Watson at the first in-person council meeting in two years on Wednesday. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

The City of Ottawa’s first hybrid council meeting was efficient and cordial on Wednesday, with no technical glitches holding up the agenda and zero tears shed during the two-hour reunion.

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“As my late mother used to say, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Mayor Jim Watson told colleagues in starting the meeting.

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Nineteen members of council were in chambers at city hall, sitting between transparent plastic dividers around the horseshoe. Councilors Rick Chiarelli, Matthew Luloff, Scott Moffatt and Jan Harder participated via Zoom. count Riley Brockington was absent because he was representing the library board at a conference.

It was the first time in two years that council members were invited into chambers for a meeting, now that many COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

Council plowed through several consequential decisions on the agenda.

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Cumberland Ward Coun. Catherine Kitts attended her first in-person council meeting since being elected in late 2020. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

New residential vacancy tax coming in 2023

There will be a new municipal tax next year.

The one-per-cent residential vacancy tax was approved by a large majority of council.

Property owners with up to six units on a lot would need to declare if any unit was vacant for more than 184 days in the previous year.

The tax won’t apply to principal residences.

The city believes the new tax will help protest rental housing stock and raise money for housing programs.

Starting in 2023, all residential property owners will need to declare their vacancy statuses for the previous year.

Concerned that taxpayers might miss ticking a box, the council tweaked the plan to waive the late declaration fee under several circumstances and gave authority to the chief financial officer to have discretion on issuing late fees.

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count Laura Dudas, Chiarelli and Harder voted against the new tax.

E-scooters will return to Ottawa streets in 2022

Another season of profitable e-scooters is a go.

The majority of council approved an extension of the pilot program in 2022 to allow up to 900 e-scooters deployed by two providers, who will be determined after a competitive procurement process.

count Catherine McKenney acknowledged concerns from accessibility advocates, saying they “cannot in good faith” agree with another season of e-scooters.

In each e-scooter season so far, the biggest concerns are people riding e-scooters on sidewalks and improperly parking the devices.

Siding with McKenney and voting in opposition to a 2022 e-scooter season were councillors Carol Anne Meehan, Rawlson King, Diane Deans, Theresa Kavanagh, Jeff Leiper and Keith Egli.

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University students with u-passes get an extra free month of transit

More no-charge transit fares have been ordered by council, but only university students have shots at the free rides.

Carleton University, Saint Paul University and University of Ottawa students with u-passes for the January-April 2022 period will get access to free fares in May, council decided.

count Mathieu Fleury brought the proposal to council as a “matter of fairness” for those students since they have their purchased u-passes during the current free-fare period on LRT and several downtown transit routes.

The current free-fare period, which ends Saturday, was put in place in recognition of residents’ hardships during the trucker occupation, which at times forced buses to be detoured and downtown LRT stations to be closed.

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The $730,000 cost of offering the free month to university students will be covered using money from the transit operating reserve. Council hopes to recover the costs through funding requests to the upper levels of government related to the occupation.

Deans withdraws motion to fund Bill 21 legal fight

The length of the council meeting was shorter than expected because Deans withdrew a proposal to have the city to help fund a legal fight against Quebec’s Bill 21.

The law prevents Quebec public servants in positions of authority from wearing visible religious symbols while at work.

Deans originally was asking for support to provide $100,000 to the legal fight, but she told council that communities “most adversely impacted by Bill 21” asked her to withdraw the motion so they had more time to organize.

Deans suggested she would bring the motion back at a later date.

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