Better Ottawa

It was a surprisingly busy week in Ottawa city politics.

The Panel covers:

* Orleans-East Cumberland Councillor Matt Luloff’s trail on charges of driving under the influence (1:10)

* a new candidate, Barbara Daniela Gandolfo, has come forward to contest the Orleans-East Cumberland Council seat. Meet Barbara at the Better Ottawa Town Hall on Wednesday, 28 January — see poster below (6:05)

* a new candidate, Alex Lawson, is running for Mayor with some high profile conservatives behind him (11:00)

* Public consultations in Ottawa on high speed rail (17:54)

* More LRT woes ( 26:34)

On a programming note, we’ve stopped adding captions to the video footage as some platforms insert those captions automatically.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

The Municipal Panel is back to talk about the year ahead. RogersTV hosted us in their studios for this special episode.

2026 is a municipal election year, and we talked about:

* Who on Council is planning to run again, and who else has put their name forward,

* What we see as the main issues for the election, and what could be the surprise sleeper issues that get attention,

* How candidates will manage the multi-billion dollar infrastructure deficit facing the City.

Links to some of what we mention in the show:

* Gio Petti’s documentaries Train to Nowhere and Dude, Where’s My Bus?

* Alto’s 21-22 January Open House on High Speed Rail

* Theresa Kavanaugh’s questioning at City Council regarding the absence of funding to deal with end-of-life assets

* Better Ottawa’s community town hall on 28 January on Getting Ottawa Moving Again

Finally, there is one minor correction to the pod discussion. We refer to a survey presented at OREB — which is the Ottawa Real Estate Board, not Ontario.

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch this podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

I sat down with Gio Petti, the local filmmaker behind the recent YouTube documentary on OC Transpo, Train to Nowhere — Gio’s follow up to the 2024 release Dude, Where’s My Bus?

Gio and I talk about the history that brought us to the current Line 2, and the original O-Train that preceded it. We also talk about what motivated Gio to make these films, the experience of south Ottawa residents since its opening, and what this train says about the fixes we need for OC Transpo.

Watch the films online:

* Dude, Where’s My Bus?

* Train to Nowhere

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

* You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

* Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

As 2025 comes to an end, the Municipal Panel did a special year in review episode. RogersTV hosted up in their studios for this special episode.

We each picked:

* One big theme for Ottawa City Hall in 2025, and discussed what those themes mean for 2026.

* The worst decision at City Hall in 2025.

* The best decision at City Hall in 2025.

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

With the approval of the 2026 city budget, we are unofficially into campaign mode for the 2026 municipal elections.

This week the Municipal Panel covers:

* Council approves the 2026 budget

* Tim Tierney’s Ottawa Citizen op-ed criticizing other councillors

* The Mayor’s public safety message

* The Mayor’s breakfast with Prime Minister Mark Carney

* The election messaging that is starting to emerge

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

Budget season continues at the City of Ottawa.

This week the Municipal Panel covers the Finance and Corporate Services Committee:

* $156 million more for new (and old) LRT construction (1:00)

* The City’s overdue long-term financial plan is coming in early 2026 (22:15)

* Are delays to the Adisoke library a sign of deeper problems? (28:15)

* The Mayor’s public safety press event (32:30)

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

It’s budget season at the City of Ottawa.

In this episode, we cover:

* whether City Council agreed to have staff buy us a new landfill

* how every year the transit budget is pumped up with phantom money

* how the City should push back against the province on where we can build bike lanes, and the impact on next year’s budget for roads and sewers

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

We’re coming to you a few days later than usual, as there was an important discussion at Ottawa City Hall this past Friday.

In this episode, we cover:

* how much the police budget is actually increasing

* whether the city should take up an opportunity to bid on a landfill site

* new movers and shakers in the municipal landscape

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

The City released its draft 2026 budget this week.

We cover:

* Headlines from the Budget

* What strong mayor powers mean for budgeting

* The Mayor’s explanation for why Ottawa tax increases are lower than other cities

* The City’s new window to make voluntary contributions

* The City rejects urban boundary expansion

We reference some documents in the show:

* City’s draft Budget Magazine

* My assessment of the New Deals for Toronto and Ottawa, here and here,

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com

Late last week, City Council approved Lansdowne 2.0.

The panel talks about that decision, as well as the related Audit Committee meeting and Lansdowne 2.0 Public Forum earlier in the week.

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com