Better Ottawa 2025 in Review
11 snips
Dec 20, 2025 As 2025 wraps up, the panel reflects on key themes like transparency at City Hall and the implications of increased in-camera meetings. They debate the challenges of returning to the office, weighing productivity against transit capacity issues. The discussion also highlights the controversial Taywin expansion as a poor decision, while celebrating the beneficial change of free transit for youth. Additionally, they commend Ottawa's housing action plan and a new leadership hire, marking significant advancements for the city.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Increased Use Of In-Camera Meetings
- Joanne Cianello found this council went in camera far more often than previous years, mostly for substantive LRT and legal updates.
- That pattern signals declining transparency and growing secrecy at City Hall, risking public trust.
Lack Of Public Explanation For Secret Sessions
- John Willing and Joanne argued citizens deserve at least broad strokes about in-camera topics like lawsuits or collective agreements.
- Councillors often defer to staff and legal advice rather than challenge secrecy, reinforcing the closed culture.
Use Procedures To Force Public Reporting
- Joanne urged councillors to push back and use procedural tools to report facts from in-camera sessions.
- She advised crafting motions in camera to require reporting out and voting on directions in open session.