Downtown Transformation - Championing the Future, Tackling Today’s Challenges

Downtown Ottawa is the economic, civic, and cultural anchor of the National Capital Region. As the seat of federal power and a hub for business, tourism, and hospitality, its vitality is essential to the prosperity of the entire city.

But downtown is also at a crossroads. On one hand, shifting workforce patterns, rising vacancies, and social challenges are creating pressure on businesses and threatening municipal revenues. On the other, there is a bold opportunity to transform the core into a more dynamic, inclusive, and economically diverse district.

OBOT’s work reflects both realities through two distinct advocacy streams:

1. The Downtown Vibrancy Office

The Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, launched in 2023, guides action to create a city core that is desirable, resilient, robust, and inclusive through ~60 clearly defined steps to implementation.

This transformative plan reimagines the city’s core by:

• Adding 40,000 new residents to the core.
• Creating 50,000 new jobs.
• Attracting $500 million in private investment, unlocking $1.3 billion in new annual economic activity.

As the lead of the Downtown Vibrancy Office, OBOT helps shepherd progress on this Action Agenda forward alongside a broad coalition of public, private, institutional, and civic leaders.

We work tirelessly to build confidence in Ottawa’s future: the downtown is not dead or dying - it is the heart of a renewed, thriving capital city.

2. OBOT’s Downtown Transformation Policy Council

At the same time, we know that downtown businesses face urgent, day-to-day challenges that must be addressed to unlock that future. Issues of safety, access, cleanliness, and mobility directly affect employees, customers, and operations. For businesses, these are not abstract concerns - they shape whether downtown is a place where people want to be.

The OBOT Policy Downtown Transformation Council is focused on:

• Advocating for coordinated interventions on safety and public realm management.
• Ensuring reliable access and mobility for employees, customers, and deliveries.
• Championing business voices in the dialogue about downtown’s transformation.

Why Both Matter

Revitalizing Ottawa requires a two-track approach: confidence and growth to inspire investment, and practical interventions to support today’s downtown businesses. Safety, access, and day-to-day conditions are the foundation; growth and transformation are the vision.

By holding space for both of these tracks, OBOT is ensuring that businesses are supported today while the city builds toward a stronger tomorrow.

Join our Downtown Transformation Policy Council today and help shape both the present and the future of downtown Ottawa. Contact Kara Higdon, Director of Business and Community Partnerships, at kara.higdon@ottawabot.ca.