With the advent of the new year, there are several changes and new initiatives Orléans residents should be aware of. First of all, the cost of everything from taking the bus to taking a swim in a municipal pool has gone up as of January 1.

A single-ride fare for riders 13 and over on OC Transpo and the O-Train is now $4.10 if you pay using your Presto card and $4.15 if you pay cash. The single-ride fare for pre-teens age 11and 12 is now $2.05 with a Presto card and $4.10 if you pay cash.

The adult monthly pass was already in-creased to $138.50 on Dec. 15, while the senior monthly pass was increased to $59.75.

Senior Para Transpo users did get one break this year. As of Jan. 1, Para Transpo users age 65 and up are eligible for four free trips a month when they use a registered Presto card to pay per trip.

The free monthly trips will be issued as a refund in the form of a Presto credit at the beginning of the following month. However, the credit for the first part of the year won’t be issued until later this spring and will move to monthly credits after that point.

Park & Ride rates are now $31 for a regular parking permit and $70 for a gold permit.
The average water and sewer bill for urban ratepayers will increase by 4.5 per cent starting this month costing the average single-family home an extra $47.30.

The solid waste services fee will increase $2 a month on the tax bill, for a total of $24 extra on the bill in 2026. The average property taxpayer will pay $267 for solid waste services in 2026.

User fees for the city’s recreation facilities have gone up by 2.9 per cent across the board, along with the admission fees for the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum. Museum memberships have gone up as well from $39.51 last year to $40.68.

On-street parking permits have also increased between 2.8 and three per cent. Winter residential parking permits have increased from $167 to $172 a month, while winter permits for a week or less have increased by $1.25 to $43.

Staff have the authority to increase the maximum hourly rate for municipal parking lots in the City of Ottawa. According to the 2026 budget, the maximum hourly off-street rate in all lots for a maximum of 30 minutes will be $8 ($6.50 in 2025), while the maximum daily rate will jump $1 to $26.

Fees for police and criminal record checks have also increased, as has the fee for a false alarm, which has increased $6 to $182.

The cost of saying “I do” has also gone up. The cost of a marriage license has in-creased from $186.55 to $192.14. The cost of a death registration has also gone up from $52.28 to $54.

Although Hydro Ottawa rates have re-mained unchanged for 2026, the utility has filed an application to increase distribution rates $6.08 a month in 2026. If approved, the increase will come into effect on Nov. 1.

Another big change this year is that the City of Ottawa will no longer responsible for the collection of recyclables. Blue and black bins will now be collected by Miller Waste Services. As part of this new recycling system, Ottawa residents will be able to recycle more, including plastic bags, toothpaste tubes and deodorant. A full list of items can be found at circularmaterials.ca/resident-provinces/ontario/.

Although the date for collecting recy-clables will remain the same – blue and black bins will still be collected on alternating weeks – the time of day they are collected will vary..