Kanata's hockey moms will have to dig a little deeper into their wallets to pay for ice time next year if the city passes its draft budget. City staff is recommending the municipality increase arena rental rates for minor hockey teams from $122 per hour to $185 per hour during prime time, a 51 per cent hike.

Staff also proposes the municipality eliminate all funding for community groups to maintain the city’s 230 outdoor rinks.

Ottawa council got its first look at the draft budget on Monday, Nov. 4, a document calling for $35 million in cuts to programs and services, increased user fees and bus fares and job cuts to hold next year’s tax hike at five per cent.

The projected five per cent increase includes two per cent for infrastructure renewal, one per cent for police and two per cent to maintain existing programs and services, amounting to an extra $125 on the average urban homeowner’s property tax bill.

The draft budget calls for:

• A 7.5 per cent increase in bus fares.

• Eliminating 13 bus routes and reducing service at 42 other routes.

• Increasing hall and gym rentals by 35 per cent and pool rentals by 152 per cent for adults and 143 per cent for children.

• A hike in sports field rentals for children: going from $5.45 per hour to $24.30 per hour.

• 230 job cuts.

• Increasing sports field rentals for children and adults.

• Cutting $4.1 million from arts, culture and heritage funding.

• Deferring the Kanata North Complex project.

• No longer buying ice time from the Bell Sensplex and an east-end P3 facility and selling the time to residents at city rates.

• Cutting funding for recreation programs by 25 per cent.

• Deferral of new bus service for Stittsville.

• Cuts to city portion of child care programs, resulting in a loss of 700 subsidized child care spaces.

• Cuts to city portion of provincially mandated public health programs.

POLITICAL SUICIDE

Some of the councillors said they found the suggested cuts hard to stomach.

“Everyone’s being hit,” said Bay Coun. Alex Cullen. “The hockey mom family that wants to use the neighbourhood rink, they’re being hit. The ordinary bus rider that’s going to work, they’re being hit. The people that need child care to get a job or go to school, they’re being hit.

He said council should consider raising taxes before it slashes vital services.

Council must approve at least some of the cuts, said Kanata South Coun. Peggy Feltmate.

“I don’t believe there’s an appetite to (vote for an 8.5 per cent tax hike), which is what it will be if we don’t make some cuts,” she said. “There’s going to be some tough choices.

“It’s going to be a Grinch Christmas,” she said.

Orleans Coun. Bob Monette said if council approved the budget cuts it would be political suicide.
“Residents of Ottawa won’t tolerate this and there’s no way I’ll support this,” he said.

Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes said, “It looks to me like we’re taking this budget out on the backs of the poorest people in the community.

Stittsville-Kanata West Coun. Shad Qadri said he was unhappy with the suggested deferral of new bus service in his community.

The city is looking at including Stittsville in the urban transit area, which will demand additional tax money.

"The community is not happily accepting that UTA position, but with increased service, they were willing to look at it and move forward with it," said Qadri.

He said including Stittsville in the urban transit area and not delivering additional bus service doesn't make sense.

City manager Kent Kirkpatrick said fiscal restraint is necessary during uncertain economic times.

He said the city’s long-term financial plan calls for shifting away user fee costs for optional programs and services from the taxpayer to the user.

“That’s some of the rationale for the proposed increases in the ice rental rates and sports fields’ rates and halls and recreational facilities,” he said.

NOT FAR ENOUGH

The $35 million in cuts don’t go far enough, said Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien.

He promised to work with other like-minded councillors to lower the suggested five per cent tax hike.

“I think that’s too high,” he said. “I think we have to listen very carefully to what the citizens say in terms of how far we’re going to go.”

O’Brien said city council would have to find $50 million in further cuts to eliminate the need for a tax increase.

“I won’t make the commitment we’re going to find it, but I’m certainly going to look for it.”

O’Brien also suggested council should consider eliminating this year’s two per cent budget increase to pay for infrastructure renewal.

“Times are changing we are now in a new economic reality,” he added. “And with that economic reality we have to make some tough choices – the more money in the taxpayers’ hands the better off the city is. I think the citizens are going to look for us to move forward in an even more aggressive way.”

The city will hold public consultation on the budget in Kanata on Nov. 7, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Mlacak Centre and on Nov. 10, starting at 7:15 p.m. at the Mlacak Centre.

Council will approve a final budget on Dec. 5.