Ottawa taxpayers spent thousands of dollars on Instagram support for OC Transpo staff, education campaigns for free transit and using the green bin, the restoration of a 1920s caboose, and new garbage and recycling bins during the first six months of the year. A report for the finance and corporate services committee meeting on Nov. 10 shows the City of Ottawa issued $1.28 billion worth of contracts under delegation of authority between Jan 1 and June 30. The contracts include the purchase of vehicles and equipment for city departments, construction at city facilities, pool repairs, snow clearing and winter operations, and planning for road construction. Here are some of the other contracts awarded by the City of Ottawa in the first six months of the year. Transit Services spent $26,875 for professional services to assist with the production of Instagram reels for the OC Transpo Instagram account. The OC Transpo account has reels showing the new electric buses, new signs and markings along the Baseline Road and Heron Road bus-only lanes, the new mural in the Rideau Station and advertising the free transit weekend in September. A contract worth $29,200 was awarded during the first six months of the year for an advertising campaign to promote the free youth fares on OC Transpo buses and the O-Train over the summer and fall. OC Transpo spent $130,4000 for security services to support crowd control during Canada Day and Bluesfest and awarded a $99,500 contract to help define and refine crowd management plans for O-Train stations during Canada Day and Bluesfest in August. The city issued a $2.3 million contract for the supply and delivery of SmartBug wireless condition monitoring systems that are being installed on the axle bearing assemblies of LRT vehicles to monitor for early detection of faults. OC Transpo had ordered all trains on O-Train Line 1 to be equipped with the devices to lift a kilometre limit on the trains. The Strategic Initiatives department spent $99,890 for a nighttime economic impact study in Ottawa. A $139,000 contract was awarded for professional advertising for the 2026 Downtown Ottawa Marketing Campaign. Another contract worth $91,749 was awarded for professional advertising services for a Downtown Ottawa marketing campaign. The restoration, fabrication and installation of furniture in the 1920s caboose at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum cost $37,320. The Finance and Corporate Services Department spent $40,000 on professional training services to provide media courses to city employees. The Public Works department spent $90,655 for market research to help develop a green bin public education campaign. The purchase of 145 three-stream metal recycling receptacles for parks and roads cost $453,515. Public Works awarded a contract worth $1.5 million to produce, supply and install three-stream waste diversion signs for Solid Waste Services. The lawn bowling turf and lighting replacement at the Nepean Sportsplex cost $799,920, according to the report. The City also awarded a $93.4 million contract to MacEwen Petroleum for the supply and delivery of bulk diesel and gasoline fuels on an “as and when requested basis” for a three-year period and one three-year optional period.
