The only two sureties in life…

Taxes stink. However, as I have tried to teach my children, taxes help pay for many of the things we enjoy everyday; we just don’t really think about that when we get our tax bills. That said, COVID19 changed the game for governments all over the world. In Ottawa, we are not alone in our efforts to try to balance rising costs with reduced revenue. The promises made regarding 3% may be difficult to achieve. However, with the tremendous growth in Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, Barrhaven, Nepean South, Riverside and intensification projects all over the city, revenue generation is not as challenging here compared to many other cities across Ontario, Canada and the world, for that matter. I attended two community budget consultations and heard what residents had to say as did the City of Ottawa staff. I look forward to hearing the rationale for holding to a 3% tax increase and will do my best to balance the needs of the community with our rising costs.