Council approved the City entering into non-binding negotiations with Carleton University to partner on a new aquatics centre for Ottawa(link is external).
The centre would feature a 50-metre competitive pool, a 25-metre warm-up and community pool, and the amenities to host aquatic special events. It would enable the City to host competitive swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming events, and to improve access to aquatic facilities and programs. The new pool would be located on campus, close to Bronson Avenue, with access via public transit. The City and university will negotiate project scope, facility ownership, operations and management, as well as day-to-day maintenance and governance and financing models. Staff will report back to City Council on the outcome of negotiations and next steps in the first half of next year.
Council approved two new policies to guide official commemorations(link is external), including an overarching Municipal Commemoration Policy and a Commemorative Naming Policy for naming municipal assets. The Commemoration policy outlines a process that will prioritize local Ottawa legacies for recognition of historically under-represented communities, including the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation and other equity-denied groups. This overarching policy supports the Commemorative Naming Policy, which will guide an inclusive and sustainable naming program that reflects Ottawa's culture. To increase representation of the entire community equitably, Indigenous names and names from under-represented groups will be prioritized for review by a working group before the City seeks public input.
Council received an update on the Integrated Transition to Housing Strategy(link is external), which helps single adult shelter clients transition to housing. Achievements over the past year include:
- 360 clients of the City's Physical Distancing-Emergency Overflow Centres were housed
- 161 of those clients received the City's new piloted housing allowance benefit
- 177 new supportive housing units were opened or are being built
- 423 new shelter and transitional housing beds have been added or are in development
- 365 temporary shelter spaces were added over the winter to keep people out of the cold
Demand for shelter space has increased and the single adult shelter system is serving 55 per cent more clients than in May 2023. Newcomers make up 64 per cent of clients, up from 21 per cent last year. To help address this pressure, the City provides support for newcomer clients to help them settle in Ottawa.
Council received the Office of the Auditor General's (OAG) agile audit on the City's plan to redevelop Lansdowne(link is external). The audit focused on the project's financial aspects including due diligence and cost estimates. The report notes the City has made a "significant effort" to engage internal and external experts in determining the project's financial projections and assumptions. The audit highlighted, however, that the City's $419.1-million estimate could be understated. The audit also highlighted risks associated with assumptions in the City's projections under its "waterfall" financial agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. City staff agree with the OAG's recommendations. A review of cost estimates and updates to waterfall distribution projections are planned by the end of next year.
Also at Lansdowne, Council approved an application to alter the Aberdeen Pavilion(link is external) to address long-term deterioration since the building was last rehabilitated in the early 1990s. The proposed work includes replacing the roofs, repairing metal work, undertaking structural strengthening on the truss system and bracing, replacing roof planking, rehabilitating windows, installing new replica wood doors, rehabilitating the concrete floor slab, and installing a new heat trace system and removable panels for portable air conditioning units. Rehabilitation work will start in January 2025 and is expected to finish in the fall of 2026.
