Evidence of meeting #26 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was quebec.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Maybe you can provide it back to the committee. I assume it's a significant amount.
City Manager, City of Ottawa
It is a significant amount. It's in the tens of millions of dollars, for sure.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
With respect to that, with the proposed changes being talked about with the parliamentary precinct, do you know how much is attributable to federal buildings in the Queen Street area lying between the Rideau Canal and Kent Street?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
No, I'm sorry, Madam Chair. I don't have that specific information, but I can get it.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay.
If the city transfers ownership responsibility of parts of downtown, would they be giving up that revenue from the government?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
They would not necessarily because the buildings are still owned by the federal government. We receive payments in lieu of taxes. There has been a change recently because of provincial legislation, which is actually reducing the amount of money that the federal government will be providing. I know that number. It's about $13 million a year less that we would be receiving from the federal government because of a tax class change that the provincial government has made, which inadvertently has affected us.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thanks. I'm going to move on to a couple of last, quick questions.
A previous witness from the business improvement area on Bank Street had commented that they're not keen on, and oppose the idea of, further shutting down streets to traffic.
Has the city done a study on the financial implications for those businesses or other businesses in the area if these changes are made?
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Is it being planned? Is this going to happen soon or...?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
I don't have any plans to do that at this point. That was a point raised by the executive director of the BIA. We have not looked at that.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay.
We heard this week that the Treasury Board and the government have no plans set for public service workers to return to work in the buildings in the core.
Has the city done a financial implications study on what happens to businesses, taxes and tax base if these workers do not return to the buildings in the downtown core?
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Is it a concern to the city or to the businesses that you've spoken with?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
It's our downtown and the number of people downtown supporting businesses is a significant concern to the city.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
How much time do I have, Madam Chair?
Quickly, I'm wondering if you've been wandering around downtown at all. Unfortunately, Ottawa, much like Edmonton and a lot of the major cities, is seeing a huge uptick in violent crime, petty crime, homelessness and drug use.
Is that a concern to the city that we're not getting the people back into work in the offices downtown?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is very concerned about not having people coming back to downtown to what it was prepandemic because it has an impact on, as you say, a number of things like businesses, etc.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Has the city reached out or written to the government at all expressing these concerns officially?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
I believe we have. Our mayor has written to the Prime Minister and to Treasury Board asking for a quicker return and a larger return of employees back to the public service.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bardish Chagger
Thank you for that exchange.
I will confirm that bells have just started.
Mr. Naqvi, you have five minutes.
Liberal
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Through you, I will start with Mr. Kanellakos.
First, just very quickly, during the occupation, is my understanding correct that the city and the Ottawa police were seeking support and resources from the federal government and were able to effectively use the invocation of the Emergencies Act to put an end to the occupation?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
We were seeking resources, and we did use the act to put an end to the occupation.
Liberal
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
The orders under the Emergencies Act provided the kinds of powers that the Ottawa police and the city needed to effectively manage the occupation and put an end to it. Am I correct?
City Manager, City of Ottawa
You are correct. At that point of the occupation, those powers were very beneficial.
Liberal
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Great. Thank you very much.
With regard to the future of Wellington Street, Mr. Kanellakos, you mentioned in your remarks that conversations have started with the federal government. Can you provide a little more detail in terms of the nature of those conversations at this moment?
If the NCC was involved in the conversations, perhaps Mr. Nussbaum can add something to that as well.