Who should decide what's best for Ottawa—the people who live and govern here, or Premier Doug Ford's government in Toronto? For columnist Randall Denley, the answer is clear, but the current trend in Ontario politics suggests Queen's Park disagrees.
Provincial Overreach on Local Issues
Denley contends that the government of Premier Doug Ford is engaged in a widespread reduction of local decision-making, which directly diminishes the control Ottawans have over their own city. This shift, he argues, weakens political accountability when decisions on purely local matters are made at the provincial legislature instead of Ottawa City Hall.
The pattern is evident across several key files, from bicycle lanes and automated speed enforcement to the structure of conservation authorities and even the governance of the city's major public school board. The provincial stance appears to be that it knows better than municipal councils, regardless of local context or preference.
Concrete Impacts on Ottawa Projects
The most recent example involves bicycle lanes. Ford, fixated on a handful of lanes in downtown Toronto he believes impede traffic, has introduced new rules that affect every municipality. A City of Ottawa report indicates these provincial regulations will halt three planned bike lane projects: two in the urban core and one on St. Joseph Boulevard. This sudden change is set to waste approximately $1.7 million already spent on design work.
Similarly, the premier's decision to end municipally controlled speed camera programs has cut off a significant local revenue stream for road safety. Between 2020 and 2024, these cameras generated $28.3 million for Ottawa. While Ford promised a $210 million provincial fund for traffic calming, municipalities must now apply for grants, leaving the province to decide who gets funding and for what.
The underlying message, Denley writes, is that the province views city councillors as incapable of making basic choices about road safety or active transportation, imposing a one-size-fits-all approach across Ontario that ignores local needs.
Consolidation of Conservation Authorities
The Ford government's centralizing drive extends to environmental management. A plan is in motion to consolidate Ontario's 36 conservation authorities into just seven. The three authorities that serve Ottawa would be merged into a single entity.
This move replaces a system where municipal politicians, providing local representation, typically controlled the boards. The new, larger boards will either be unwieldy or will leave some municipalities without a direct voice. This restructuring is happening despite the fact that municipalities provide the majority of conservation authority funding, with the province's contribution in the low single digits. Ottawa property taxpayers alone contribute about $15.5 million annually to these authorities.
For Denley, managing a watershed is a quintessentially local issue, yet the province is opting for centralization and creating a new provincial oversight agency.
The cumulative effect of these policies, according to the opinion piece, is a steady erosion of local autonomy. Decisions that directly affect Ottawa's streets, environment, and finances are increasingly being made by a provincial government in Toronto, challenging the fundamental principle of community-based governance.
