Here’s what the City of Ottawa spent taxpayers’ money on in 2025

La Ville d'Ottawa a présenté une ébauche de budget chiffrée à 4,5 milliards $.

Ottawa taxpayers spent tens of thousands of dollars on new playground equipment, benches, a swing replacement, signs to notify drivers of snow removal operations, and a campaign to encourage residents to use public transit.

Those were among the 917 contracts awarded by the City of Ottawa last year as part of day-to-day business at Ottawa City Hall and its departments.

A report for the finance and corporate services committee shows Ottawa’s supply services department awarded $2.1 billion in contracts last year, including all purchases over $25,000.

The contracts include $73,000 by OC Transpo to conduct a return to work and school advertising campaign to encourage people to use public transit. The transit service also spent $68,237 for professional services as part of the search for a new OC Transpo general manager.

Millions of dollars in contracts were also awarded last year for Lansdowne 2.0, including $344 million to build the new 6,500-person capacity event centre and new north side stands at TD Place.

The contacts also included tens of millions of dollars for the rental of graders, loaders, tractors, axle trucks and sidewalk units for snow clearing operations over the next three winters.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at some of the things the City of Ottawa purchased in 2025.

Transit

• $148,599 for electrical work to install new and replace old signage at nine transit stations
• $85,305 for the supply and delivery of permanent signage across 13 Line O-Train stations to show the East Extension route
• $73,000 for professional services to conduct a return to work and school advertising campaign for Transit Services
• $68,237 for professional services to recruit the new general manager of Transit Services
• $62,900 for labour, equipment and materials to install 10 Bell payphones in O-Train East Extension stations
• $26,982 for the supply and delivery of 1,800 OC Transpo bus shelter maps
• $341,808 to retrofit 11 used Nova transit buses with the Next Stop Announcement System
• $40,645 to install OC Transpo wrap on 11-used 40-foot diesel transit buses purchased from the Region of Waterloo

Parks

• $310,453 for the replacement of playground equipment at Grassy Plains Park
• $291,627 for the supply and installation of trees at various locations
• $230,835 for construction of Cedarlakes Park on Cedarlakes Way
• $177,493 for a new fitness project at St. Paul’s Park on Donald Street
• $153,625 for the Iona Park playground replacement
• $110,796 for professional engineering services to design and contract administration for the relocation and redevelopment of the Strandherd Ultimate Fields.
• $107,711 for the replacement of the Ralph Street Park swing
• $75,857 to supply and deliver 40 benches for the Integrated Street Furniture Program
• $37,000 to buy and install 10 picnic tables at Mooney’s Bay Park

Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services

• $375,572 for materials, equipment, labour and staff training for new ice rink dasher boards with a lighting system for the Rink of Dreams at Ottawa City Hall
• $66,650 for the installation of the Kinetic Clock sculpture at Britannia Park
• $39,579 for the restoration of the Switch Hitter sculpture at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium
• $29,408 for height adjustable desks at 100 Constellation

Winter operations

• $724,490 for supply and delivery of wooden snow pickets for winter operations for two years
• $87,900 for the supply and delivery of printed snow removal signs for the 2025/26 winter

Infrastructure and Water Services

• $380,607 for labour, materials and equipment for City Hall Plaza pavers installation
• $36,640 for the labour, equipment and material to install a ladder and landing platform for a manhole on Hunt Club Road
• $25,195 for labour, equipment and material to install a ladder and landing platform for a manhole on Woodroffe Avenue

Lansdowne Park

• $344,133,900 for construction of the new event centre, north side stands and underground parking for Lansdowne 2.0
• $170,500 for the removal of artificial sports turf along the north sideline and east endzone for the Lansdowne 2.0 project