By Brynn Lecours, YCLer in Ottawa (Donalda Charron Club)
Ottawa City Council recently passed a decision through the Finance and Economic Development Committee to subsidize a luxury Porsche dealership in the community of Vanier. This property was previously an Audi dealership, and the Mark family — owners of Mark Motors, the company that is taking over — are millionaires that could easily afford property costs without additional government subsidies. The committee’s reasoning for the subsidy is that the dealership could bring “economic development and value” to the area. Clearly, this is a poor attempt to justify an extravagance, when in reality the $2.9 million dollars could be better spent invested directly in the community of Vanier. Mayor Jim Watson says investing $2.9 million in a private corporation will translate into $1 million for “social needs” in Vanier. It appears the mayor is incapable of the mathematics required for a Finance Committee.
Horizon Ottawa, a municipal-focused grassroots organization, stated that, “the $2.9 million the City of Ottawa is looking to spend on Porsches would be larger than what the 2021 Budget set out to spend on real community initiatives like improving greenspace, partnering with community groups to expand parks and recreation facilities, and improving road safety.”
“There’s lots of businesses on this street that have been hurt by the pandemic … I would want to see them grow and thrive before a place that I will never go [to],” said Lauren Seward-Monday, a member of Ottawa ACORN, a community advocacy non-profit organization.
In addition to these grassroots organizations, both community associations in the surrounding area — the Vanier Community Association and the Lowertown Community Association — publicly raised concerns around the subsidy.
Vanier is a community in Ottawa that is often left behind by the leadership of the city of Ottawa. It is a lower income neighbourhood that struggles with poverty, transportation issues, affordable housing, and underfunded services such as addiction and mental health.
Vanier is a unique development. A Franco-Ontarian community that has lost the industry that once drove its economic growth, it is also home to one of the highest concentrations of Indigenous people in Ottawa. Until the Harris government forced amalgamation onto the city, Vanier was separate from Ottawa, hence why its communities don’t look like the adjacent Lowertown or other modern suburban areas. In addition, it has always been represented by the Liberal government at the federal level.
The City’s own reporting shows that more than half the population lives in unaffordable housing. Average rents in Vanier have reportedly grown from a median price of $863 in 2016 to approximately $1300 in 2021. This is a working class neighbourhood with a median income of less than $40,000, and the unemployment rate in Vanier can be as high as 11.5% in the tougher areas.
Nearby Gil-O-Julien Park is often the site of encampments for the homeless. In the summer of 2020 these encampments grew substantially, and residents were forced out by Ottawa Police and by-law officials.
The City of Ottawa, against the wishes of residents and those who are experiencing houselessness, pushed through a 350-person mega-shelter in Vanier’s ByWard Market. Requests for transparency and consultation were denied. Alternate plans to spread these services across multiple sites was denied. This is one example of the lack of concern from the Ottawa City Council for Vanier. Vanier residents also often note the insufficient public transportation to the downtown core, and the new LRT line does not service the area.
Housing prices are rising, a facelift of Montreal Road is moving ahead supported by the Vanier BIA, and now the Ottawa City Council is subsidizing a Porsche dealership in the area. Gentrification of the area is a very real concern. Once again, working class people and those in need will be ignored for the purpose of profit. These people will be pushed farther and farther to the edges of the city, losing access to good jobs and educational opportunities. They will be stuck with long, unpaid commutes that take from their time with family and friends. A Porsche dealership does not provide jobs or resources for the actual residents of Vanier. This is a toy shop for the rich paid for by the taxpayers of Ottawa.
The following people allowed this to happen:
- Mayor Jim Watson
- Councillor Matthew Luloff
- Councillor Laura Dudas
- Councillor Jan Harder
- Councillor Jena Sudds
- Councillor Eli El-Chantiry
- Councillor Glen Gower
- Councillor Tim Tierney
- Councillor Mathieu Fleury
- Councillor Rawlson King
- Councillor Jean Cloutier
- Councillor Catherine Kitts
- Councillor George Darouze
- Councillor Scott Moffatt
- Councillor Allan Hubley
These are the “leaders” who put corporate interests before the needs of the people and their community. Once again, those in the Ottawa Council prove where their loyalties lie.
The YCL-LJC recognizes and struggles for housing as a human right. A real solution to issues in the community would be to increase social housing in Vanier. A living wage, access to increased benefits, and expanded, accessible public services will help the community. Services to the city, such as transit, should not be run or shared by private businesses looking for profit. Overall, Vanier needs proposals to help the community and needs a guaranteed standard of living, not car dealerships.
Sources
Rising Vanier house prices spark gentrification fears | CBC News
Vanier residents protest $2.9M tax break for Porsche dealership | CBC News
Residents turn out to protest planned tax break for Montreal Road Porsche dealership | CTV News
Emails from Horizon Ottawa
Illustration: City of Ottawa/Q9 Planning and Design