BERNARD COUCHMAN CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR OF OTTAWA — 2026 THE COUCHMAN MUNICIPAL RE-ENGINEERING PLAN KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE. PUT IT TO WORK. MEASURE THE RESULT. BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT.
CIVIC COMMITMENT • FISCAL DISCIPLINE • ECONOMIC RESILIENCE • ASSET-TO-ENTERPRISE • A GREENER CITY OF OTTAWA
A NOTE TO OTTAWA
This is a policy vision and working framework, not a claim that every proposal can be implemented exactly as written.
Every initiative must be tested against Ottawa's actual financial position, existing contracts, statutory obligations, capital requirements, provincial and federal law, procurement rules, engineering requirements, staffing capacity and public-service responsibilities.
Where the numbers are estimates, they will be identified as estimates.
Where the City already has verified numbers, they will be identified as evidence.
And where an idea does not survive the financial test:
we change it, improve it or don't do it.
A projected saving is not a saving until it is verified.
1. WHY I'M RUNNING
My civic involvement did not begin in 2026.
It began with community service in 2008 and continued through Ottawa Public Health volunteer work, community health involvement and my service with the African Canadian Health Network of Ottawa.
It continued through small-business ownership and international business experience with H2OBoy, my 20 years plus Debts Free Business, environmental and social enterprise.
And it continued through municipal politics:
2014
2018
2022
2026
Four campaigns.
One city Vision.
Ottawa.
My experience has taught me that government and business face different responsibilities — but both need to understand their resources, their obligations, their risks and their opportunities.
That is where this plan begins. Now that my ideas are gone public, the other campaigns and the News media will be coming here to steal wording and language and ideas to add to their campaign, and stories, that is a copy right infringement, pay attention to what they say because they have already spoken and they can't go back on their word.
2. KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE
Ottawa owns and manages more than $90 billion in infrastructure assets. The City's asset-management system already tracks assets, condition, service levels, risk and investment requirements. (Ottawa)
The question I want Ottawa to ask is:
Are we getting the greatest responsible public value from the assets we already own?
That does not mean selling everything.
It does not mean commercializing everything.
It means knowing:
what we own;
what it costs;
how much it is used;
what capacity is unused;
what obligations attach to it;
what alternatives exist;
and whether additional public value can be created.
THAT IS ASSET-TO-ENTERPRISE.
3. FROM CIVIC SERVICE TO ECONOMIC THINKING
Money does not grow on trees in Ottawa, we have to use creative means to unearth revenues, they don't know what they don't know until I tell them.
My experience with community organizations showed me the importance of people.
My experience as a small-business owner showed me the importance of resources.
My international business experience showed me how quickly external economic conditions can affect local businesses.
That leads to a simple municipal principle:
Ottawa cannot control every economic shock. But Ottawa can improve how prepared it is to respond. And we can create insulation policy to protect our economic interests. We must prepare a quadangular sky monitoring anti air strike dome, monitoring prepairng us for future conditions, environmental and or national security. That is why we plan on working creatively with our private sector to invest in our economic security as a city, moving to spend what we have only policy, preventing lag in our economic cycle, Creating high paying jobs for Canadians will help protect our economic future here in Ottawa and the Valley.
That means helping create an environment where:
SMALL BUSINESS + INDIGENOUS BUSINESS + HIGH-TECH + RESEARCH + TRADES + PROFESSIONAL SERVICES & MEGA BUSINESS
can thrive and reinforce one another.
4. FIRST TO A BILLION
My book, First to a Billion, provides part of the intellectual foundation for this approach. 41 years of public service from stage performing at 5 years old to speaking on Parliament Hill and City halls and the human rights monuments.
The municipal application is not that Ottawa should operate like a private company.
It is that Ottawa should understand its assets and opportunities with the same discipline that a responsible enterprise applies to its resources.
KNOW THE ASSET. KNOW THE COST. KNOW THE CAPACITY. KNOW THE MARKET. KNOW THE RISK. KNOW THE OPPORTUNITY. KNOW THE PUBLIC BENEFIT. MEASURE THE RESULT.
That becomes the:
KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE PRINCIPLE.
5. THE 2026 FINANCIAL REALITY
Ottawa's adopted 2026 budget is approximately:
$5.2 BILLION OPERATING
$1.9 BILLION CAPITAL
3.75% OVERALL NET PROPERTY-TAX INCREASE. (Ottawa)
Ottawa also faces significant long-term infrastructure funding pressures. The City's 2025 asset-management work identified a $10.8 billion 10-year funding gap, with a prioritized figure of approximately $1.23 billion in 2026 dollars after prioritization for tax-supported services. (Ottawa)
That reality matters.
Therefore this campaign will not pretend that Ottawa can simply promise lower taxes without identifying how the difference will be managed.
6. THE 3.57% FOUR-YEAR TAX-GROWTH CEILING
The proposal:
3.57% ANNUAL PROPERTY-TAX GROWTH CEILINGFOR FOUR YEARS
Will keep our City functioning as it should with no financial harship, “The difference between 2.5% and Ottawa’s 3.75% 2026 tax requirement is approximately $29 million in annual property-tax capacity; the question is whether that gap is closed through service reductions, efficiencies and new revenues—or by maintaining a higher tax ceiling while pursuing those savings.” our 3.57% proposal materially different from 2.5%: it is much closer to the City's current fiscal requirement while still leaving a 0.18-point reduction from 2026's adopted increase.
while meeting required:
capital obligations;
contractual obligations;
statutory obligations;
essential service requirements.
A clarification:
3.57% is not a literal tax freeze.
A literal freeze would be 0% growth.
This proposal is a tax-growth ceiling.
The current 2026 baseline is 3.75%, creating a difference of 0.18 percentage points.
Using the City's 2026 revenue-impact benchmark as a rough proportional planning calculation produces an initial benchmark of approximately $5.6 million.
That is not a guaranteed saving.
It is a financial test.
7. THE "IN THE BLACK" PRINCIPLE
Every major City department should know four numbers:
1. COST REDUCTION
What did we actually save?
2. REVENUE IMPROVEMENT
What additional revenue did we generate?
3. COST AVOIDANCE
What future cost did we prevent or reduce?
4. PRODUCTIVITY
What service did we deliver more efficiently?
The objective is not to blindly cut departmental budgets.
The objective is to make every department part of Ottawa's long-term financial solution.
The working model in our current analysis uses 0.5% of the $5.2B operating base as a scenario, or approximately $26M annually. That is a modelling target — not a claim that $26M is guaranteed.
The money could potentially come from:
procurement;
energy;
technology;
better scheduling;
facility utilization;
reduced duplication;
grants;
partnerships;
fee collection;
productivity;
asset utilization.
The actual result must be verified.
8. ASSET-TO-ENTERPRISE
This is one of the central economic ideas of the campaign.
If an appropriate municipal building or space is underused, Ottawa should determine whether it can support productive activity without compromising its public purpose.
Potential users include:
small businesses;
Indigenous businesses;
technology companies;
clean-tech companies;
professional services;
advanced manufacturing;
creative industries;
research commercialization;
training organizations;
incubators;
community enterprises.
The City doesn't have to own the businesses.
It can potentially provide economic infrastructure as a hyphen, utilizing both access to business contacts already on record and industry and combining it with the purpose driven objective know what what we have, and match those business with our assets for reallocation and redistribution and reassignment for effective efficiency and economic securities.
9. MAKE OTTAWA A MAGNET FOR SMEs
Ottawa's high-tech economy is a major strength.
But high-tech doesn't exist by itself.
A technology company needs:
engineers
accountants
lawyers
manufacturers
construction
cybersecurity
design
logistics
marketing
maintenance
professional services
That creates an ecosystem.
HIGH-TECH + SMALL BUSINESS = A STRONGER KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
The goal is to make Ottawa a place where those businesses can grow together.
10. INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC ZONES
The proposal:
24 INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC ZONES
One in each ward.
The concept would use appropriate existing underused municipal space and incorporate Indigenous economic participation into qualifying new developments.
Potential uses:
Indigenous-owned businesses;
professional services;
technology;
culture;
food;
retail;
trades;
training;
innovation;
business incubation.
11. THE 15% INCLUSIONARY CONCEPT
For qualifying new municipal buildings and major redevelopment projects, the campaign proposes examining a:
15% INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC ALLOCATION
where legally, financially and operationally feasible.
This means eligible project space or development capacity.
It does not mean 15% of Ottawa's entire capital budget.
For example:
$100M project → $15M allocation
$250M project → $37.5M
$500M project → $75M
$1B project → $150M
These are illustrations of the 15% concept, not promised expenditures.
12. 100% VALUE-ADDED UTILIZATION
The campaign's 24-hour concept has a simple meaning:
Use 100% of economically useful municipal capacity when feasible.
Not every building needs to operate 24 hours.
Not every asset should be commercialized.
But if an asset sits unused during periods when it could safely and economically create public value, we should ask:
Why?
Potential opportunities could include:
leasing;
event use;
advertising;
telecommunications;
appropriate commercial space;
parking;
energy infrastructure;
community use;
business space.
Every opportunity must pass:
VALUE
minus
OPERATING COST
minus
LIFECYCLE COST
minus
RISK
=
NET PUBLIC VALUE
13. NEW REVENUE CHANNELS
The City already demonstrates that new revenue mechanisms can exist.
For example, Ottawa's participation in the federal Clean Fuel Regulations program is expected to generate approximately:
$1.3M — 2026
$3.9M — 2027
$4.3M annually at 350 buses
according to City estimates. (Ottawa)
The lesson isn't that every asset will produce similar revenue.
The lesson is:
Look for legitimate value channels that already exist — and investigate whether more are available.
14. A GREENER OTTAWA TODAY NOT LATER
Ottawa already reports substantial results from LED streetlighting:
76,000+ streetlights
58,000 standard fixtures converted
64% average energy savings
21.7 million kWh cumulative energy reduction
50% maintenance reduction for converted fixtures.
The next question is optimization:
adaptive dimming;
shielding;
scheduling;
reduced light trespass;
dark-sky principles;
appropriate roadway lighting.
MEASURE FIRST. OPTIMIZE SECOND. VERIFY THIRD.
15. UNDERUSED ASSETS + HOUSING
Some municipal properties may be suitable for:
housing;
affordable housing;
community services;
business space;
mixed-use redevelopment.
Emergency Response Pre Ready-made
But every property is different.
So the process should be:
IDENTIFY
→ ASSESS
→ CHECK ZONING
→ PRICE
→ FINANCE
→ TEST THE BUSINESS CASE
→ BUILD OR REPURPOSE
→ MEASURE THE RESULT
No universal construction-cost promise will be made without property-level evidence.
16. A SMARTER APPROACH TO INFRASTRUCTURE
Before Ottawa builds something new, ask:
Can we use something we already own?
Before Ottawa buys more capacity:
Can existing capacity be utilized better?
Before Ottawa spends more:
Can technology change the cost structure?
Before Ottawa abandons an asset:
Can it serve another public purpose?
This is not about avoiding necessary infrastructure.
It is about making every infrastructure dollar work harder, smarter and longer through its life cycle. Energy matters.
17. THE 100-DAY MUNICIPAL ASSET REVIEW FIRST 30 DAYS
Identify:
major underused assets;
major contracts and Bad contracts;
capital obligations;
operating pressures;
existing revenue channels.
DAYS 31–60
Evaluate:
Asset-to-Enterprise opportunities;
Indigenous Economic Zone opportunities;
facility utilization;
energy opportunities;
revenue opportunities.
DAYS 61–100
Publish:
an Asset Opportunity Register;
verified savings opportunities;
pilot projects;
financial assumptions;
risks;
expected outcomes.
18. THE PUBLIC SCORECARD
Every major initiative should eventually answer:
Question Publicly reported?
What did it cost? Yes
What was the baseline? Yes
What was expected? Yes
What revenue was generated? Yes
What was actually saved? Yes
What did it cost to operate? Yes
What risks existed? Yes
What obligations applied? Yes
What happened to service levels? Yes
What was independently verified? Yes
This is how we separate:
ideas
from
assumptions
from
results.
19. THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE PLAN CIVIC EXPERIENCE
Ottawa Public Health
↓
Community involvement
↓
ACHNO
↓
Understanding communities
↓
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
H2OBoy
↓
Canada
↓
United States
↓
Mexico
↓
Guyana
↓
Understanding external economic shocks
↓
INTELLECTUAL FRAMEWORK
First to a Billion
↓
Know What You Have
↓
Understand the asset
↓
Create value
↓
Measure the result
↓
MUNICIPAL APPLICATION
$90B+ infrastructure base
↓
Asset-to-Enterprise
↓
SMEs
↓
Indigenous Economic Zones
↓
High-tech ecosystem
↓
Economic resilience
↓
A greener Ottawa
20. MY COMMITMENT
I have been involved in Ottawa's civic life for years in to decade out of love for my environment the place I call home as a Child to Now.
I have deep roots, in every ward of the city over years of personal involvement.
I have built a business.
I have worked internationally.
I have participated in community organizations.
I have run for Mayor before.
And I am still here.
2014.
2018.
2022.
2026.
Four elections cycles. 5 Marathons though me never give up.
One continuing commitment to Ottawa.
The past does not guarantee the future.
But it demonstrates something simple:
I HAVE CONTINUED TO SHOW UP. I NEVER GIVE UP, AND I CAN NOT BE STOPPED. I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU. I CAN ONLY GIVE WHAT I HAVE.
21. THE BOTTOM LINE
This campaign is not promising that Ottawa can magically create billions of dollars.
It is proposing that we look harder at the billions of dollars of assets, expenditures, capacity and economic activity Ottawa already has.
The City itself has a sophisticated asset-management system and more than $90B of infrastructure. (Ottawa)
Ottawa has already identified hundreds of millions in internal efficiencies, while also facing significant long-term capital pressures. (Ottawa)
That is why the approach is:
KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE. KNOW WHAT IT COSTS. KNOW WHAT IS UNUSED. PUT APPROPRIATE CAPACITY TO WORK. MEASURE THE RESULT. PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST. BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT.
POLICY STATUS
The Couchman Municipal Re-Engineering Plan is a proposed policy framework.
The financial figures presented from City sources describe the City's existing financial and asset-management environment.
Campaign estimates, targets, scenarios and proposed allocations are not guarantees of savings, revenue or expenditure levels.
Any proposal advanced by a future administration would remain subject to:
City Council approval • municipal law • provincial/federal law • procurement rules • existing contracts • collective agreements • engineering requirements • planning/zoning • environmental requirements • available financing • service requirements • independent financial review.
The objective is to identify opportunities, test them against Ottawa's real financial conditions, implement what is viable, and publicly measure the results.
Contact:
Bcouchman@h2oboy.ca