The
City of Ottawa
paid out more than $6 million in personal-injury and property-damage claims in the first six months of 2025, according to a report from its legal department.
The report for the
Finance and Corporate Services
committee divided the cost of the claims between claims of less than $100,000 and those of more than $100,000.
While few details were released about individual cases, more than $4.65 million went to settlements or awards of over $100,000 for 10 personal-injury claims, the report said.
The claims included more than $1.8 million for a claim of third-party personal injury against the public works department involving “traffic signs, markings.”
Another claim for more than $1.2 million was filed against transit services for a “city vehicle hitting pedestrian/cyclist.” Another claim involving a city vehicle and a pedestrian or cyclist resulted in an award of over $172,000.
More than $460,000 was awarded for bodily or personal injury to a third party in a motor vehicle accident involving a transit services vehicle and a third-party vehicle.
There were also three slip-and-fall awards in the $120,000 to $152,000 range against the public works department, as well as a claim of over $105,000 against the recreation, cultural and facility services for a third-person injury.
There was also an award of over $161,000 against infrastructure and water services for third-party “damage/injury from construction work.”
The costs associated with settling the 10 claims of more than $100,000 “reflects the prevailing growth in court awards in personal injury matters for general damages, future loss of income/competitive advantage and future care costs,” the report said.
In the category of claims under $100,000, the legal department’s claims unit handled 781 claims in the first half of 2025, including 615 property-damage claims and 166 personal-injury claims.
The claims were either closed-settled or closed-denied. The 264 claims that were closed-settled — paid in whole or in part — included 71 personal-injury claims and 193 property-damage claims totaling more than $1.43 million.
In this category, personal-injury claims represented about 80 per cent of the awards, adding up to over $1.14 million.
Meanwhile, the claims unit received 808 new property-damage and personal-injury claims in the first six months of 2025, including 661 property-damage claims and 147 personal-injury claims.
Of those 808 new claims received in the first half of the year,
40 per cent involved potholes
, “which tend to be the most common type of claim received by the unit and are heavily influenced by seasonal weather patterns,” the report said.
When it comes to all forms of litigation undertaken by legal services, including civil, labour, Ontario Land Tribunal and human rights litigation, the outcomes are consistent with previous reports and “highlight the city’s preference for resolving matters without the expense of full proceedings,” the report said.
“The litigation outcomes also reflect the fact that, where the city does not resolve a case through a mutually-agreeable settlement, its rate of success is very high, with favourable decisions or orders in 26 of 30 cases concluded in the first two quarters of 2025.”
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