Newsletter - 23 January 2025
From the desk of Councillor David Brown
Understanding the Levels of Government
Lately, a number of residents have reached out to our office asking for assistance with a wide range of files that are outside the municipal remit. My team is always happy to help how we can, though often, your best option for quick help might be to reach out to a different office.
To that end, I wanted to provide a quick guide on the “who’s who” of government.
In Canada, there are three levels of government: federal, provincial, and municipal.
The Government of Canada (Federal)
The Government of Canada, often referred to as the federal government, is what most people across the country associate with Ottawa. Its role and responsibilities are all the authorities listed in Canada’s constitution, including the power to make laws for the “Peace, Order, and good Government of Canada.”
Generally, this means that the federal government is responsible for making decisions that have an effect on the whole country. This includes immigration and citizenship, criminal law, defence, foreign policy, money and banking, and more.
In addition to these responsibilities, the federal government has by far the most resources of any level of government. Due to having more resources, the government of Canada often provides transfers to lower levels of government to fund important priorities such as health care or infrastructure that lower levels of government might not be able to fund on their own.
The federal government can help with the following kinds of issues:
- Immigration, refugee, and citizenship issues
- Employment Insurance support
- Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), or Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) authorization forms
- Support for Veterans
- Concerns with respect to Canadian laws
To get assistance from the federal government, you can reach out to your local Member of Parliament’s office.
The Government of Ontario (Provincial)
Just as is the case in other provinces, the Government of Ontario (often called the provincial government) has authority over important areas such as healthcare, education, highways, prisons, and more. Municipalities also fall under provincial authority.
Additionally, the province has, under the constitution, legislative power over matters that are specific to the province, even if they are not expressly listed in the constitution. This makes the province very broad in its powers and authorities.
The provincial government can help with the following kinds of issues:
- Assistance with family and social supports
- Mental health and addictions support
- Child protection services
- Landlord-tenant disputes
- Education policy issues, including childcare policy
- Healthcare policy
- Regulations respecting roads and highways
To get assistance from the provincial government, you can reach out to your local Member of Provincial Parliament’s office.
The City of Ottawa (Municipal)
Whether they are cities, towns, or regions, municipal governments are generally the most local level of government. Municipalities are not an established level of government in the constitution; rather, they are under the purview of the provinces. This means that municipal governments only have the powers that are granted to them by the province and that municipalities can look very different from one another across the country.
This also means that the province generally can override the City through legislation, regulation, policy, approval authority, and orders.
Generally speaking, municipalities like the City of Ottawa are responsible for local infrastructure, land use planning, shelters, social housing, issuance of building permits, water and wastewater, transit, local by-laws, waste management, policing, property taxes, recreation, and much more.
Moreover, in Ontario, the province has the ability to delegate to municipal governments certain responsibilities. For instance, the province provides the City with money to administer programs like the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System on its behalf. The City administers this program and manages it at the local level, but is not generally responsible for how the program functions or how it is funded.
Municipalities are also constrained in their authority matters based on the legislation set by the province. For instance, though the City of Ottawa administers local policing, Councillors have no authority to direct the operations of police or by-law officers as their authority comes from the province. Indeed, political offices are legally prohibited with directing or interfering with police or by-law officers in their activities. Similar kinds of legal and regulatory constraints apply to almost everything that the City does; municipal councils and politicians operate within the legal and regulatory environment that the province sets.
With all this in mind, my office can assist with the following kinds of files:
- Questions about zoning, developments, and land use
- Issues with garbage, green bins, or recycling
- By-law questions
- Housing and homelessness
- Parks, libraries, and recreation
- Winter road maintenance
- Assistance with transit issues
- Infrastructure concerns, such as road or sidewalk maintenance
- Traffic calming requests
Contacting the Right Office
What’s important to keep in mind is that at the City level, my office and I can be most helpful on files that are within the City’s authority to address. Even so, if ever you are unsure about where to go, my team and I are here to help steer you in the right direction. Please reach out any time to my office at ward21@ottawa.ca.
Ward Updates
Kindergarten Registration is now open
Registration at the Ottawa Catholic School Board
Registration at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
The Rural Ottawa Youth Mental Health Collective Seeking Board Members
The ROYMH Collective is a team of 13 partners committed to the mental well-being of rural Ottawa youth. The mission of the ROYMH Collective is to ensure that youth aged 12-24 in rural Ottawa receive the mental health support they need.
If interested in joining, you must reside in rural Ottawa, be a minimum of 24 years of age, be passionate about improving youth mental health and be available for 2-4 hours per month for meetings and events.
For more information, please email info@ruralyouthmhcollective.org
Mitch Owens/River Roads Upgrade
Ottawa Traffic Services staff have finished upgrading the intersection of Mitch Owens Road and River Road which now has all-way protected-permissive (advance left-turn) installations.
Previous updates
The City of Ottawa is looking for a volunteer community member to help maintain the outdoor boarded skating rink at Richmond Lions Park (3302 Huntley Road).
Interested volunteers can contact seasonalrecreation@ottawa.ca.
Construction Updates
Road Resurfacing & Construction Impacts
Below is a updated list of roads that will be resurfaced or are being impacted by infrastructure work. There may be nighttime construction noise associated with some of these projects from the hours of 10:00pm to 7:00am.
Further updates will be provided as necessary about these projects and other planned road work.
Prince of Wales Drive from Longfield Drive to Barnsdale Road (ongoing)
Other Construction
Below are other ongoing construction projects and activities that may have local impacts, including closures and lane reductions:
-Multiple Roads on Long Island - Manotick Watermain Link (Phase 2)
-Richmond Road Closures on Sunday, January 26th
The Richmond Road Races will take place on Sunday, January 26th, starting and finishing at South Carleton High School. Several streets in the south end of the village will be closed from approximately 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
-Brophy Drive between Moodie Drive and William McEwen Drive - one lane closure (until the end of the year) for two culvert renewal projects.
-Joy's Road between Franktown Road and Garvin Road - intermittent closures (until Spring 2025) for Hydro Ottawa pole line work.
-Ottawa Street West - Storm sewer and utility work.
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A list of current and future construction project plans are listed on the Ward 21 website here. Any immediate or significant construction notices and/or development plans will be included in future newsletters.
**For more information about planned construction projects and road resurfacing plans across the city, please visit the online interactive map here.**
Community Events
You can check out the Ward 21 website at any time to see an up-to-date list of upcoming events.
In case you missed this week’s event newsletter, click here: Upcoming Community Events in Ward 21!
Stay in touch
I want to hear from you! Connect with the team and stay informed by:
Following us on social media by clicking the icons below
Visiting our website at www.ward21.ca
Emailing your concerns to ward21@ottawa.ca
Calling the office at 613-580-2491
Want to meet with Councillor Brown at his North Gower office? Email ward21@ottawa.ca to book an appointment.