STATE OF EMERGENCY
Speaking to a nearly empty council chamber at Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday, Mayor Jim Watson declares a municipal state of emergency to allow more nimble response to the coronavirus pandemic and the threat of spring floods.
Mayor Jim Watson kicked off an extraordinary special meeting of city council Wednesday by declaring a state of emergency in the City of Ottawa as officials respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic and prepare for the threat of spring floods.
While the provincial government has also called a state of emergency, the municipal declaration allows city staff to buy whatever they need in the coronavirus response without having to go through a political approval process. Council will still receive reports on the use of the new emergency authority.
Declaring a state of emergency will allow the city to deploy resources in a “quicker and more nimble fashion,” Watson said.
The historic council meeting was conducted largely by teleconference, thanks to new provincial legislation that allows municipal councils to meet electronically during an emergency.
Watson and River Coun. Riley Brockington were the only members in council chambers for the meeting. Everyone else, except for Coun. Diane Deans, who is on approved leave, participated by phone.
Some top-level managers, including city manager Steve Kanellakos and medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches, were also in council chambers for the meeting, which focused on the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the city had intended to keep municipal facilities closed until April 5, Kanellakos said the city is now realistically planning for a three-month impact.
DON’T PLAY IN PARKS
City parks aren’t to be used during the pandemic, Kanellakos
said. The parks remain open for people to walk through, but the city doesn’t want to see anyone gathering or playing on playgrounds.
Kanellakos said in one case bylaw officers responded to a report of people playing soccer in a park.
During the pandemic, people are supposed to keep two metres from each other to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
Kanellakos predicted city sports fields, such as soccer fields and softball diamonds, will be closed until at least the end of June.
PROPERTY TAX PROGRAMS EXTEND PAYMENT DEADLINES
Council approved an extended deadline for people to pay 2020 property taxes, with the mayor asking landlords help their tenants during a major economic downturn.
A grace period for people to pay their interim tax bills is extended to April 15. The interim payment typically covers half of the total property tax owing for the year.
There’s also a “tax hardship deferral program” available for qualifying residential landowners and also people who own commercial property with an assessed value of up to $7.5 million. The program extends both the interim and final tax deadlines to Oct. 30.
Watson encouraged landlords to pass the tax-deadline relief to tenants. He suggested residential landlords use the last-month payments from tenants to pay for April rents as a temporary measure.
For water and sewer bills, the city is adding a 30-day grace period to all unpaid water bills issued before April 1.
Water bills issued between April 1 and Oct. 30 will have a 30day extension to the due date.
Coun. Carol Anne Meehan asked if the city could reduce water rates, considering people are consuming more water at home during the pandemic shutdowns, but that’s not going to happen. The city needs the revenue to maintain water and sewer infrastructure.
STRUGGLING TO PLAN FOR AN UNKNOWN FUTURE
The city is struggling to budget and plan operations since there’s no off-the-shelf playbook to guide this kind of pandemic response.
“The difference in this emergency is the whole social distancing and the isolation between people makes it very difficult to draw upon resources to manage the emergency,” Kanellakos said in a teleconference with reporters after the council meeting.
The city budget is taking a massive hit, with revenues from parks, recreation and transit plummeting.
City treasurer Wendy Stephanson has been tasked with reviewing all city expenses as it tries to mitigate a deficit.
At the same time, Kanellakos said the city doesn’t want to delay any planned infrastructure work.
City management is also concerned about absenteeism in the municipal public service if workers become sick or need to self-isolate.
FLOOD PREPARATION RAMPS UP
The prognosis is good when it comes to the risk of spring flooding along the Ottawa River as the city prepares to ramp up emergency preparedness on Monday, Kanellakos said.
The snowpack is normal or low and reservoirs have capacity, he said.
The weather forecast for the coming weeks is favourable, but Kanellakos reminded council that there was also a rosy outlook around this time a year ago and the city ended up calling a state of emergency because of severe flooding.
BYELECTION FOR VACANT COUNCIL SEAT SEEMS REMOTE
City staff acknowledged that it would be virtually impossible to plan and hold a byelection for Cumberland ward during the coronavirus pandemic.
Council officially declared the seat vacant without knowing how it will find a new councillor. The former Cumberland councillor, Stephen Blais, is now the MPP for Orléans.
The city has two options under provincial law to fill the seat: appointing someone to the seat or holding a byelection.
The city would rather hold a byelection to fill the seat, but it wouldn’t be possible under the current physical distancing protocols, which have an unknown end date.
City clerk Rick O’Connor said staff have been talking to the municipal affairs and housing ministry about the situation, but he said the ministry has indicated it’s “confident” the city can make its own decisions about filling the seat.
O’Connor is returning to council with a report on options within 60 days.
CELEBRATE ESSENTIAL WORKERS EACH WEDNESDAY
Coun. Theresa Kavanagh wants Ottawa residents to applaud health care and other essential workers one day a week for 15 minutes. It’s an idea that received the full endorsement from council as Kavanagh attempts to emulate acts of gratitude shown around the world to workers responding to the pandemic.
The motion calls for people to “step outdoors from their place of social distancing and self isolation on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. commencing March 25 until April 8 with their voices, their hands (or) an instrument to express a raucous cheer in support.” jwilling@postmedia.com twitter.com/JonathanWilling