As residents were examining the 2026 Draft Budget on Wednesday, a crowd of people noticed a curious-looking information box on the city’s website. It’s called the City of Ottawa Contribution Program, which can be found on the draft budget’s Information page. It allows residents to make a personal or corporate contribution – anywhere between $5 and $25,000 – to support city programs and services. This follows a December 2024 motion from Alta Vista councillor Marty Carr, which was unanimously carried. However, her original intention was to raise funds for ‘irregular things’, such as neutering clinics or charity work for hurricane relief. Carr joins Kristy Cameron to explain further on today’s Ottawa Now.