Councillor Kelly's Preliminary Thoughts After Nov. 12 Tabling Of Draft Budget 2026
- Ward 5 Staff
- Nov 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Statement from Councillor Kelly:
Yesterday at Council the 2026 budget was tabled. Over the next week or two, I will be doing a lot of reading and digesting to determine what this budget will mean for our ward. I will also be having meetings with our City Manager and delegations at committees such as Public Works and Infrastructure, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Emergency and Protective Services.
Once I have had an opportunity to fully review the Ward 5 highlights and discuss details or desired changes with staff, I will provide a comprehensive list of capital investments that are specific for our ward from the 2026 budget.
The devil will be in the details, but on a high level I am very pleased to see additional investments in our paramedic and ambulance service, rural ditching, road infrastructure, and a large increase in the Ottawa Police Services budget. All of these are areas that I hear about every week from residents who would like to see improvements or additional investments. Stay tuned for updates.
Following Up
Draft Budget 2026 was shaped by your priorities and there are more opportunities to continue to have your say. The budget will be reviewed by all Standing Committees in the coming weeks, then considered by Council on Wednesday, December 10. Residents are encouraged to share their views throughout this process:
By submitting ideas to my office at Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca
Visit the Draft Budget 2026 Engage Ottawa page to submit questions.
Registering as a public delegate to present at a budget review meeting of any standing committee, board or commission. Visit the Draft Budget 2026 webpage for meeting dates.
Here is the Ward-5 specific budget meeting we held in Kinburn on Oct. 29. Here is a City staff-prepared summary of the budget that was tabled at Council on Wednesday
