2026 Ottawa Municipal Election

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I agree that ‘Let it Slide’ Sutcliffe has been a disaster as a Mayor. If he had taken even a quarter of the energy that he devoted to complaining that ‘The World Is Not Fair To Ottawa’, and put it into actually developing an improved vision for the city, and begun working toward that, we would be far better off. You are right, J.OT13, that ‘Think Smaller’ Sutcliffe actually squandered virtually every project that was left in the planning stage by ‘Approve It – But Spend No Money On It’ Watson.

You dismiss Lawson as a fringe candidate, but I’m not sure that he will be ignored by many people. I think that people are (rightly) fed up with watching the city and the services that the municipal government provides degrade toward the point of uselessness. People are getting fed up with the state of the roads, and the public transit system. They are feeling less safe when they are out and about in the city – that is, if their SUV has not been stolen out of their driveway.

People are looking for someone who has a plan to ‘fix’ the problems. By claiming that the Express Buses will be brought back, Lawson is tapping into the ‘It used to be MUCH better; so we should just return to the past’ sentiment. It doesn’t matter if it would actually be possible to bring back Express Buses – which it isn’t. People don’t necessarily want to hear the truth; they want to hear that someone is going to make changes. They want to hear of things that sound as if they might be an improvement over the dysfunctional status quo.

This is what Rob Ford did. This is what Trump did. This is what Poilievre tried to do. They accentuate the current negatives and declare that they have a solution that is fundamentally different from what is happening. They claim that they are different and will, therefore, do things differently. What they claim that they will do doesn’t have to be realistic. It needs to be different, and, on the surface – without scratching beneath that surface – appear to be a solution. (And, as Saravanamuttoo has evidently noticed, it helps if the idea fits into a short, catchy-sounding, slogan; like ‘Buck a Ride’.)

All that said, I think that Ottawa’s voters are upset by what they are experiencing, but to conservative to want radical change. There will be votes for bigger change, but probably not more than 17%, split between Saravanamuttoo and Lawson. Leiper has name recognition, and is somewhat more progressive than Sutcliffe, but is still a politician, so he will get more urban votes. However, the ‘bike-hating’ suburbanites, who don’t drive ‘into the city’, and those wanting to buy a cheap McMansion in the suburbs, will vote for ‘Status Quo’ Sutcliffe.

I expect that the outcome of the election will be something like Sutcliffe 42%; Leiper 38%; Saravanamuttoo 10%; Lawson 7%; Other 3%. And the voter turnout will be quite low, at about 40%. (For reference, 2022 election results: Sutcliffe 51.37%; McKenney 37.88%; Chiarelli 5.08%; Kadri 2.38%. With a voter turnout of 43.79%.)

I fear that we can count on continued erosion of the city for the next term of Council. If the consumer price index flags inflation as 3%, then we will get a tax increase of 2%-2.5% - under the banner of ‘Keeping Things Affordable’. It won’t matter that the City’s inflation rate is well above the consumer’s rate. And, of course, ‘Silver Bullet’ Sutcliffe will promise to find a bunch more ‘efficiencies’ (that somehow got missed during his first term) and be counting on upper levels of government to gladly swoop in and cover any operating deficit.

Excellent analysis.

[qprcanada]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Excellent analysis.

The city has had three right of centre mayors in succession who have kept taxes rate increases below the rate of inflation and the city has suffered as a result. The city is in worse shape than it was previously.

Infrastructure is decaying especially in the old City of Ottawa where older infrastructure needs renewing or replacement.

Transportation infrastructure planning has suffered the most, Line 1 has been built and Stage 2 will eventually open but definitive plans for Stage 3, Carling, Baseline, a ring road, Bank St have not materialized.

In order for the city to grow these issues need to be addressed.

A mayor and council with some vision and ambition are required.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by qprcanada

The city has had three right of centre mayors in succession who have kept taxes rate increases below the rate of inflation and the city has suffered as a result. The city is in worse shape than it was previously.

Infrastructure is decaying especially in the old City of Ottawa where older infrastructure needs renewing or replacement.

Transportation infrastructure planning has suffered the most, Line 1 has been built and Stage 2 will eventually open but definitive plans for Stage 3, Carling, Baseline, a ring road, Bank St have not materialized.

In order for the city to grow these issues need to be addressed.

A mayor and council with some vision and ambition are required.

Yeah the voters pretty definitevely want lower taxes rather than throw some money at a few more bus routes and more complete streets. I wonder do Toronto rate payers feel like the 9% increase changed their lives for the better? Certainly we are accumulating some issues from underfunding but you can't run on I will increase taxes 5% instead of 2.5% and you won't see any benefits but in 10 years we won't be in such a big hole.

There is no appetite at all for a 20% transit increase to actually improve service. Despite the claims that will make traffic better most of us know it gets hardly any cars off the road and thus benefits the small minority who commute by transit most of whom don't pay taxes. (Well a huge increase in taxes could see it passed on in a rent increase)

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

There is no appetite at all for a 20% transit increase to actually improve service. Despite the claims that will make traffic better most of us know it gets hardly any cars off the road and thus benefits the small minority who commute by transit most of whom don't pay taxes. (Well a huge increase in taxes could see it passed on in a rent increase)

Who doesn't pay taxes? Even if you don't own a house, you still pay taxes. Landlords charge the taxes to their tenants through rent. They don't just charge tenants enough to cover the mortgage and maintenance while keeping taxes off the price out of the goodness of their hearts.

And I wouldn't call transit riders a "small minority". Prior to the pandemic, about 15% of commuters took transit, and about 50% of downtown commuters. A good chunk of that has been lost due to, yes, issues with the O-Train, but also Sutcliffe's bus and train service cuts.

Better transit and cycling is absolutely the better way to decrease congestion. Wider roads only makes things worse.

[golfguy9]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Who doesn't pay taxes? Even if you don't own a house, you still pay taxes. Landlords charge the taxes to their tenants through rent. They don't just charge tenants enough to cover the mortgage and maintenance while keeping taxes off the price out of the goodness of their hearts.

And I wouldn't call transit riders a "small minority". Prior to the pandemic, about 15% of commuters took transit, and about 50% of downtown commuters. A good chunk of that has been lost due to, yes, issues with the O-Train, but also Sutcliffe's bus and train service cuts.

Better transit and cycling is absolutely the better way to decrease congestion. Wider roads only makes things worse.

I disagree. My hypothesis is that most commuters in this city have gotten used to the luxury of commuting by car post covid and would never return to taking transit even if service was better. I could be wrong but I think it's too far gone to recover.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by golfguy9

I disagree. My hypothesis is that most commuters in this city have gotten used to the luxury of commuting by car post covid and would never return to taking transit even if service was better. I could be wrong but I think it's too far gone to recover.

People are constantly complaining about congestion and the cost/lack of parking Downtown (and DND Nortel Campus). Good transit is the solution to all these problems.

[rocketphish]

Is the ballot question: 'Do we need a new mayor?'
The challengers must persuade the public that Ottawa needs a different mayor and that they'll do a better job than Mark Sutcliffe.

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jul 06, 2026 | Last updated 9 hours ago

Somewhat against expectations, Ottawa could be looking at an interesting mayoral race this fall.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe will be tough to beat, but he has three serious challengers. Veteran councillor Jeff Leiper, homebuilder Alex Lawson and economist Neil Saravanamuttoo all have substantive policies and pointed critiques of how things have gone at City Hall during Sutcliffe’s tenure.

Each of the three faces twin challenges, persuading the public that Ottawa needs a different mayor and that they are likely to do a better job than Sutcliffe.

The mayor is certainly starting from a position of strength. He took just over 51 per cent of the vote in the 2022 election and he has largely delivered what he promised. Tax increases have been reasonable, the police have increased in numbers, road repair spending has doubled, and OC Transpo seems finally to be moving in a better direction, if ever so slowly. Sutcliffe has also shown leadership, turning a rancorous council into one that works together more collegially.

These are not small accomplishments and politicians who deliver on their promises are generally worthy of re-election.

Despite that, an early poll indicates a tight race. A June 19 poll by Liaison Strategies showed Sutcliffe in front with 38 per cent support from decided and leaning voters, Leiper not far behind at 31 per cent, newcomer Lawson at a surprising 21 per cent and Saravanamuttoo at eight per cent.

It’s not surprising to see that Leiper has significant support. The affable three-term councillor is the standard bearer for the city’s NDP-left Liberal voters. Councillor Catherine McKenney played the same role four years ago, taking just under 38 per cent of the vote.

The dynamic could be different this time. In 2022, it was essentially a two-person race with only Sutcliffe and McKenney getting double-digit support. The campaign is in its early stages, but if Saravanamuttoo stays in the race and gains support, he will certainly hurt Leiper’s chances.

It’s a bit difficult to know what to make of Lawson’s early poll numbers. He’s an outspoken and likable guy, but he started with no public profile. To his credit, Lawson has worked hard to get on top of the issues, but he’s more likely to be a spoiler than a winner.

If Lawson can attract a significant number of small-c conservative voters on election day, it will make things difficult for Sutcliffe.

It’s hard to predict the outcome of this fall’s vote if the race becomes something other than a referendum on Sutcliffe’s generally strong performance. Taxes are the wild card.

Sutcliffe is sure to promise four more years of modest taxes increases. It’s a formula that has worked for Ottawa mayors for a very long time. Unfortunately, politically acceptable tax increases have left much city infrastructure in poor shape. Over the next 10 years, there is a $3.8 billion gap between infrastructure needs and planned spending.

Like much of what Sutcliffe has had to contend with, this is an inherited problem. Previous councils turned a blind eye, but under Sutcliffe tax-spending on capital needs increased by 44 per cent. It’s still not enough.

Council recently adopted a two-year plan to nibble away at the capital gap, but a long-term solution is required. A tax levy strictly for infrastructure is one possibility. Some argue that a levy is supportable because it will go only to infrastructure, but it’s still a charge on top of property taxes.

Leiper has spoken positively about the idea of a levy but hasn’t committed to it yet. It would be a bold move and one that could be portrayed as the responsible way to handle a significant problem.

The Liaison Strategy poll also indicates underlying voter dissatisfaction with Sutcliffe. His approval rating is 41 per cent but 56 per cent disapprove and only 26 per cent of those polled say the city is moving in the right direction.

If one of the three challengers can tap into that dissatisfaction, the mayor could have a problem.


Randall Denley is an Ottawa journalist and author. Contact him at [email protected]

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/do-we-need-a-new-mayor

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Who doesn't pay taxes? Even if you don't own a house, you still pay taxes. Landlords charge the taxes to their tenants through rent. They don't just charge tenants enough to cover the mortgage and maintenance while keeping taxes off the price out of the goodness of their hearts.

And I wouldn't call transit riders a "small minority". Prior to the pandemic, about 15% of commuters took transit, and about 50% of downtown commuters. A good chunk of that has been lost due to, yes, issues with the O-Train, but also Sutcliffe's bus and train service cuts.

Better transit and cycling is absolutely the better way to decrease congestion. Wider roads only makes things worse.

15% isn't a small minority? Indirect taxes sure but rent is controlled for most renters and the clearing price is going to change very little for rent based on tax rates. Regardless the 15% can all agree to a big tax increase to improve transit service and it isn't going to win elections.

The idea cylcling infrastructure is going to decrease congestion is laughable. Yes rapid transit can get people out of cars but increasing bus frequency or any other realistic options we are looking at are very marginal at best. LRT got support when people imagined all their neighbours taking it to improve their driving commute. The loss of one seat busses certainly caused some to flee transit but it was as much about being in the office less and being willing to pay for a few days of massive increase in convenience. The time savings to driving and paying $20 a day for parking is easy math from almost anywhere outside (and a lot of places inside) the greenbelt.

Originally Posted by golfguy9

I disagree. My hypothesis is that most commuters in this city have gotten used to the luxury of commuting by car post covid and would never return to taking transit even if service was better. I could be wrong but I think it's too far gone to recover.

I mean it's not really too far gone we are talking about like less than 10% of commuters who abandoned transit. But 100% you are right barring a fast efficient one seat journey near both origin and workplace. (impossible with our development pattern)

Originally Posted by J.OT13

People are constantly complaining about congestion and the cost/lack of parking Downtown (and DND Nortel Campus). Good transit is the solution to all these problems.

For DND it's really not. It's building a parking garage.

We could have shuttles from the LRT every 2 minutes. Or even have moved Moodie Station to be under the Campus and it's still a hour minimum from the most convenient to a bus locations in Orleans. Closer to 90 minutes for many.

Downtown should have good commuting for many but you can increase the transit budget by 20% and not make a noticeable difference for most. Those of us who actually pay a property tax bill will notice it though.

[J.OT13]

These Ottawa councillors are running unopposed in the upcoming election

With a month to go until the filing deadline, six councillors have no one running against them in the 2026 municipal election.

Author of the article:Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun
Published Jul 23, 2026

==SNIP==

Six incumbent city councillors are — so far — running unopposed. Those include Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas, Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry, College Coun. Laine Johnson, River Coun. Riley Brockington, Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown and Osgoode Coun. Isabelle Skalski.

==SNIP==

Candidate nomination forms are certified by the city clerk by August 24. Voting day is Oct. 26.

https://ottawasun.com/news/ottawa-municpal-election-unopposed-candidates?tbref=hp

[J.OT13]

Cross-post. Lawson promising the Province will build a ring road. Not sure that's yours to promise dude.

Mayoral candidates divided on whether a ring road can solve gridlock in Ottawa

Critics say it would cost billions, but candidate promises to get it done with provincial money

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News · Posted: Jul 21, 2026 4:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 23

Whether Ottawa should have a ring road to bypass the city has become an issue in the race for mayor, as candidates split over whether a project likely to cost billions is the right solution to rural truck routes and traffic gridlock on the Queensway.

The idea of a new southern highway route has been mentioned for decades as a way to divert traffic from central Ottawa. In an email to supporters on Tuesday, candidate Alex Lawson promised to get it built if he's elected mayor.

"We're promising to take the ring road seriously, to actually find a connection that's going to get the trucks out of Manotick. It's going to take them off of Bridge Street. It's going to make a lot of communities a lot safer," he told CBC in an interview.

"It's going to remove a ton of congestion on [Highway] 417."

But his promise relies on provincial money that isn't guaranteed to come. Lawson said the province will build and maintain the new route as part of the 400-series highway system.

Asked how he can commit to a project while asking someone else to pay for it, he said it's the mayor's job to advocate for that investment.

"We can't just sit back and say hopefully, eventually they're going to offer to write us a cheque for a ring road," he said. "We need to come to them with a real plan. We need to get started. We need to say, 'This is where a ring road is going to go.'"

He noted that the province has already signalled openness to that idea. A 2022 transportation plan says the province will "explore the potential of an Ottawa ring road to reduce congestion in the city core."

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria appeared to go further this April.

"I think there's a good case for that and something that I'll be looking at very closely," Sarkaria said at the time.

But two other candidates running for mayor said the the idea shouldn't be a priority for Ottawa. Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper called a ring road an expensive distraction from better transportation solutions.

"A ring road is likely to cost taxpayers billions of dollars, and ultimately not actually solve the problem of congestion," he said, adding that he prefers transit investments to make OC Transpo a sustainable long-term alternative.

"It is a provincial decision but it is not something for which I'd advocate," Leiper said.

Another challenger, Neil Saravanamuttoo, said a ring road could eventually be part of Ottawa's transportation network, but isn't a top priority today.

"Anyone can make a promise to have a provincially funded multibillion-dollar highway come in, but it's another thing to make it happen," he said.

"Let's be honest. A ring road would take decades to come to fruition if it ever sees the light of day, so it's a very big promise without a lot behind it."

Sutcliffe, Lawson campaigns trade barbs over ring road

Lawson said a ring road hasn't been built because of a lack of political will, telling supporters that Ottawa needs a mayor who will "stop stalling and get it done."

He went after incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe for a vote last year which, in Lawson's view, amounted to shutting the door on the idea.

"Mark Sutcliffe voted to take it off the table," he said in his email.

CBC asked Sutcliffe's campaign for comment. Spokesperson Liam Roche said in a statement that Lawson "clearly has no idea how to get Ottawa moving," and said the way Lawson is characterizing the 2025 council vote is wrong.

Here's what happened: At a committee meeting in June of last year, Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney successfully amended a set of recommendations about the city's transportation master plan. It asked higher levels of government for a "full and fair evaluation of a southern ring road" as a priority.

When those recommendations came to a vote at council on July 23, there was a motion to remove any mention of a ring road from the main clauses, though the province's commitment to explore it did show up in the "whereas" clauses that explain the purpose of the motion.

Sutcliffe was one of 16 members of council who voted for that motion.

Lawson said it showed a lack of commitment to commuters, though Roche said council simply "disagreed on the best way to advance a ring road in Ottawa."

"The Mayor has worked closely with Councillor Tierney and the province to push the idea forward," he said, something Tierney, a longstanding supporter of the ring road, confirmed.

Roche pointed to Sarkaria's statement as an example of Sutcliffe's advocacy, noting that it happened at a mayor's breakfast event after Sutcliffe asked the minister if a ring road is "something we can work on together."

But Saravanamuttoo said a ring road would compete with other investments the province could make in Ottawa, and he prefers to focus on things that would bring relief sooner.

"We need to focus on the congestion on streets that we have, and what we can do to alleviate that for the residents and commuters that have to deal with this very real problem today," he said.

Leiper doubts that getting such an expensive project done is a simple matter of political will.

"I find it difficult to believe that Ottawa city council can sway that kind of investment from the province," he said.

Voting day for the municipal election is Oct. 26.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ma...d-can-solve-gridlock-in-ottawa-9.7278324

[J.OT13]

Mayoral race turns negative as Sutcliffe campaign launches attacks that rivals call smears

Fundraising emails go after 'radical' Alex Lawson and Jeff Leiper, who calls attack 'American-style politics'

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News · Posted: Jul 30, 2026

Mark Sutcliffe's campaign surrogates have gone on the attack against two of his leading challengers by framing them as "radical activists," but the opponents are hitting back against charges they view as smears.

On Wednesday, a campaign fundraising email attributed to former Liberal MPP and provincial cabinet minister Madeleine Meilleur said Jeff Leiper and Alex Lawson represent the "ideological extremes of the political spectrum."

It came after a similar email on Sunday signed by former Conservative MP, MPP and cabinet minister John Baird. It singled out Leiper in particular, calling him a "hard left, ideological and out of touch candidate."

The emails were sent by the Sutcliffe campaign on Baird and Meilleur's behalf as endorsements.

Leiper and Lawson both quickly put up videos on social media countering those narratives.

"This week Sutcliffe sent another email attacking and smearing my campaign," said Leiper in a video posted to Instagram and X. "Instead of making the case for another four years, he chose to misrepresent my platform."

Lawson said he isn't what Sutcliffe's campaign is calling him.

"I didn't think we were going to be resorting to this kind of petty name calling. Mark, I thought we were going to take the high road here," Lawson said in an Instagram video, before turning to an apparent joke.

"But if you want to play that game, all right, I'm in. I think the people of Ottawa have a right to know that Mark Sutcliffe has never had a shawarma."

The Sutcliffe campaign stood by the emails and rejected any notion that they amount to dirty tactics or smears, saying they merely highlight the past positions and statements of his rivals.

What the emails said

Meilleur's email called Lawson "a developer lobbyist who supported the convoy," pointing to his admission that he brought portable toilets to the convoy protest site, and a January 2022 Facebook post he made regarding the trucker vaccine requirements that triggered the convoy protest itself.

Lawson liked a comment on that post advocating for revolution, calling it "a start."

The Meilleur email said the portable toilets made "the occupation of the capital even more comfortable" for protesters, though Lawson has insisted he was simply trying to help ordinary residents dealing with defecation in the streets.

When CBC asked him about his Facebook post, he said emotions were running high at the time but he now believes the convoy protest went too far.

Baird's email reserved all his attacks for Leiper, framing the election as a two-horse race between him and Sutcliffe.

He said Leiper wants to "control every aspect of your life" and "doesn't believe in any restraint on taxes." Meilleur's attack on Leiper repeated the same tax line, and alleged that the three-term city councillor and chair of planning committee has "virtually no record to speak of."

She said Ottawa needs a proven leader, not "radical activists like Alex Lawson or Jeff Leiper."

Rivals spar over records

But Leiper countered that the ideas in his platform — investing in transit, opening up city hall and fixing infrastructure — are hardly radical.

As for his record, he said he's spent 12 years helping get new parks, recreation centres, winter trails and affordable housing built in the ward, while helping his community through emergencies like the derecho, an ice storm and a tornado.

In an interview with CBC, he said the emails leave him "profoundly disappointed."

"Voters deserve a good debate about policies and the ideas that the candidates are bringing to the table," he said. "But this kind of malicious American-style politics has no place in our municipal politics."

On taxes, Leiper has previously questioned the city's practice of setting tax ceilings early in the budget process, something Sutcliffe has championed as a way of reining in proposed hikes. Leiper has also frequently voted against budgets that Sutcliffe supported, including last year when he said "very low tax increases haven't kept up with inflation" and left city services starved.

On Thursday, he told CBC he's as concerned as anyone about taxes, and that he's under "no illusions that as mayor I will be able to raise taxes beyond what the residents of Ottawa are prepared to accept."

Lawson's campaign said he was not available for an interview on Thursday, but it shared a statement attributed to the candidate calling the attacks in the emails "ridiculous accusations." It also repeated the shawarma line but provided no evidence.

The Lawson campaign argued that there is also no evidence that he is a "developer lobbyist," stating that the company he represented, Cavanagh Concrete, cannot properly be called a "developer," but rather a "builder."

The Sutcliffe campaign responded to CBC in an unattributed statement, saying that his rivals "can either run on their record or run from it."

"Mark Sutcliffe is proud to run on his record: keeping taxes low, investing in the services and infrastructure residents rely on and securing good value for Ottawa taxpayers," the campaign said.

The statement said the fundraising emails match the campaign's view that both Leiper and Lawson have, in fact, taken radical positions. It provided several examples, including Leiper's budget votes and Lawson's Facebook post.

It said all candidates highlight the record of their opponents, and the Sutcliffe campaign will continue to do so.

"Voters deserve to know where candidates have stood and what priorities they would bring to city hall," it said.

Neither of the emails from Sutcliffe's campaign attacked or even mentioned Neil Saravanamuttoo, Peter Westaway or Zed Chebib, the three other candidates registered to run for mayor.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ma...iffe-campaign-launches-attacks-9.7291102

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Mayoral race turns negative as Sutcliffe campaign launches attacks that rivals call smears

Fundraising emails go after 'radical' Alex Lawson and Jeff Leiper, who calls attack 'American-style politics'

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News · Posted: Jul 30, 2026

Mark Sutcliffe's campaign surrogates have gone on the attack against two of his leading challengers by framing them as "radical activists," but the opponents are hitting back against charges they view as smears.

On Wednesday, a campaign fundraising email attributed to former Liberal MPP and provincial cabinet minister Madeleine Meilleur said Jeff Leiper and Alex Lawson represent the "ideological extremes of the political spectrum."

It came after a similar email on Sunday signed by former Conservative MP, MPP and cabinet minister John Baird. It singled out Leiper in particular, calling him a "hard left, ideological and out of touch candidate."

The emails were sent by the Sutcliffe campaign on Baird and Meilleur's behalf as endorsements.

Leiper and Lawson both quickly put up videos on social media countering those narratives.

"This week Sutcliffe sent another email attacking and smearing my campaign," said Leiper in a video posted to Instagram and X. "Instead of making the case for another four years, he chose to misrepresent my platform."

Lawson said he isn't what Sutcliffe's campaign is calling him.

"I didn't think we were going to be resorting to this kind of petty name calling. Mark, I thought we were going to take the high road here," Lawson said in an Instagram video, before turning to an apparent joke.

"But if you want to play that game, all right, I'm in. I think the people of Ottawa have a right to know that Mark Sutcliffe has never had a shawarma."

The Sutcliffe campaign stood by the emails and rejected any notion that they amount to dirty tactics or smears, saying they merely highlight the past positions and statements of his rivals.

What the emails said

Meilleur's email called Lawson "a developer lobbyist who supported the convoy," pointing to his admission that he brought portable toilets to the convoy protest site, and a January 2022 Facebook post he made regarding the trucker vaccine requirements that triggered the convoy protest itself.

Lawson liked a comment on that post advocating for revolution, calling it "a start."

The Meilleur email said the portable toilets made "the occupation of the capital even more comfortable" for protesters, though Lawson has insisted he was simply trying to help ordinary residents dealing with defecation in the streets.

When CBC asked him about his Facebook post, he said emotions were running high at the time but he now believes the convoy protest went too far.

Baird's email reserved all his attacks for Leiper, framing the election as a two-horse race between him and Sutcliffe.

He said Leiper wants to "control every aspect of your life" and "doesn't believe in any restraint on taxes." Meilleur's attack on Leiper repeated the same tax line, and alleged that the three-term city councillor and chair of planning committee has "virtually no record to speak of."

She said Ottawa needs a proven leader, not "radical activists like Alex Lawson or Jeff Leiper."

Rivals spar over records

But Leiper countered that the ideas in his platform — investing in transit, opening up city hall and fixing infrastructure — are hardly radical.

As for his record, he said he's spent 12 years helping get new parks, recreation centres, winter trails and affordable housing built in the ward, while helping his community through emergencies like the derecho, an ice storm and a tornado.

In an interview with CBC, he said the emails leave him "profoundly disappointed."

"Voters deserve a good debate about policies and the ideas that the candidates are bringing to the table," he said. "But this kind of malicious American-style politics has no place in our municipal politics."

On taxes, Leiper has previously questioned the city's practice of setting tax ceilings early in the budget process, something Sutcliffe has championed as a way of reining in proposed hikes. Leiper has also frequently voted against budgets that Sutcliffe supported, including last year when he said "very low tax increases haven't kept up with inflation" and left city services starved.

On Thursday, he told CBC he's as concerned as anyone about taxes, and that he's under "no illusions that as mayor I will be able to raise taxes beyond what the residents of Ottawa are prepared to accept."

Lawson's campaign said he was not available for an interview on Thursday, but it shared a statement attributed to the candidate calling the attacks in the emails "ridiculous accusations." It also repeated the shawarma line but provided no evidence.

The Lawson campaign argued that there is also no evidence that he is a "developer lobbyist," stating that the company he represented, Cavanagh Concrete, cannot properly be called a "developer," but rather a "builder."

The Sutcliffe campaign responded to CBC in an unattributed statement, saying that his rivals "can either run on their record or run from it."

"Mark Sutcliffe is proud to run on his record: keeping taxes low, investing in the services and infrastructure residents rely on and securing good value for Ottawa taxpayers," the campaign said.

The statement said the fundraising emails match the campaign's view that both Leiper and Lawson have, in fact, taken radical positions. It provided several examples, including Leiper's budget votes and Lawson's Facebook post.

It said all candidates highlight the record of their opponents, and the Sutcliffe campaign will continue to do so.

"Voters deserve to know where candidates have stood and what priorities they would bring to city hall," it said.

Neither of the emails from Sutcliffe's campaign attacked or even mentioned Neil Saravanamuttoo, Peter Westaway or Zed Chebib, the three other candidates registered to run for mayor.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ma...iffe-campaign-launches-attacks-9.7291102

Leiper is such a hypocritical asshole, his allies have been outright calling Sutcliffe corrupt for years, and Leiper himself has implied it multiple times throughout the campaign including just 7 days ago....After Sutcliffe reiterated his success in lowering development charges a good deal made with the federal government.

[J.OT13]

Mayoral rivals spar: Does solving Ottawa's transit woes require experience or fresh eyes?

Fixes suggested so far range from more fare enforcement to 'Buck a Ride'

Elyse Skura, Cassandra Bellefeuille · CBC News
Posted: Aug 04, 2026 7:09 PM EDT

Transit is fast becoming one of the fiercest battlefields in the Ottawa mayoral election, with candidates asking a basic question: is direct experience a help or a hindrance?

Problems plaguing the pandemic-stricken system have dogged councillors for the past two terms, with a stubborn slump in ridership and recurring infrastructure issues leading to repeated budget overruns.

From months of single-car train service due to wheel bearing issues, to the deteriorating state of St. Laurent’s O-Train station, to proposed changes to accommodate Ottawa’s latest return to office mandate, the city's transit woes continue to haunt daily news cycles.

Lead contenders in the mayoral race have been quick to lay out their visions for improving OC Transpo, with the latest coming from veteran councillor Jeff Leiper.

He's the candidate with the longest history at City Hall, but has been quick to say he hasn't always supported council's plans.

"There is only so much that one councillor can do from a seat. I certainly understand that from a resident's perspective, there is a lot of blame to go around," Leiper told CBC on Tuesday morning.

"I have voted against bad budget after bad budget from both Watson and Sutcliffe. I have advocated for better transit," he added. "I have advocated for better investment in transit and I'm running for Mayor because I believe I can be more effective in that seat."

Still, Leiper's rivals wonder if new blood may be what this ailing system needs.

Here's a look at what's been proposed so far.

Jeff Leiper

Leiper put forward his transit plan during a Tuesday morning press conference at Tunney’s Pasture station.

He shared five targets for improving transit:

• Restoring the citizen seat on the transit committee to give riders a direct voice in decisions.
• Introducing a transit service guarantee by setting clear standards for frequent and reliable transit performance.
• Reversing recent route cuts and prioritizing funding and resources for core bus routes.
• Delivering dedicated bus lanes throughout the city and advancing the Baseline BRT as a priority project.
• Establishing a long-term fleet and maintenance plan to secure enough buses to deliver reliable service and avoid vehicle shortages.
• “We can’t put the burden of improving our bus service on the backs of fare payers who have been suffering such poor bus service and such poor LRT service for so long,” Leiper said.

However, he did not make any pledges about fare prices, saying increases may be necessary.

“We do need revenue in the system," Leiper said. "I’m not promising a fare freeze. I’m not promising to reduce fares, but a regular series of fare increases that are as absolutely low as possible is critical."

Neil Saravanamuttoo

One major point is a pitch he's calling “ Buck a Ride, Citywide." It would see transit fares reduced to one dollar. Another point advocates for a "long overdue" redesign of OC Transpo’s bus network.

"We need bold measures, not the timid moves that we've seen in the proposal put forward by Councillor Leiper," Saravanamuttoo told CBC on Tuesday, adding many of Leiper's points have been tried in the past.

Saravanamuttoo’s plan for finding new transit funding includes creating a real estate development agency that would monetize land around stations and along corridors.

He also took aim at Leiper and Sutcliffe who have served on the city's transit committee, stating they should have addressed OC Transpo's problems long ago.

"I would make sure that the public are heavily involved in redesigning the system," said Saravanamuttoo. "I have little faith, and I think most people would share this little faith, that City Hall or OC Transpo can fix the system on their own."

Alex Lawson

Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson has been waiting to see Leiper's full transit plan since the councillor teased it in May — and said he's unimpressed.

According to Lawson, Leiper's five points fail to provide the depth of his own multipage platform.

"I don't think there's any real deliverables there," he said. "To be completely honest, it's a lot of fluff."

Lawson freely acknowledged he doesn't have experience in running a transit system, but argues that isn't what's most important to voters.

"Sometimes it's about looking for the experts and it's about where policy meets reality and figuring out where the friction points are and what went wrong."

Lawson's plan includes bringing back rush-hour bus rapid transit, boosting transit fare enforcement, introducing a ride code of conduct, installing cameras on every bus and initiating a 90-day review to hold management accountable.

He's also proposed a heavy mechanic stream at Algonquin College focused specifically on buses to provide more employees for OC Transpo.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

Mark Sutcliffe is the only major mayoral candidate who has yet to release a transit strategy.

Sutcliffe declined an interview on Tuesday, but his campaign shared a statement with CBC/Radio-Canada which said he "looks forward to releasing a transit plan that delivers improvements for all riders while keeping life affordable."

He also targeted Leiper's announcement.

“Leiper has had plenty of time to deliver on transit,” read the statement, arguing his council colleague is offering a plan that contradicts Leiper's own record and would leave Ottawa taxpayers to foot the bill.

Among Leiper's promises is a push to bring riders back to the table where decisions are made, but Sutcliffe pointed out Leiper was one of many councillors to vote against saving the citizen commissioners in 2022.

Leiper told CBC, the "loss of trust" since then prompted him to call for their return.

Sutcliffe challenged that response.

“Ottawa residents deserve a reliable transit system and a mayor with a credible plan to deliver it," the statement went on to say. "Jeff Leiper has spent 12 years building a record on transit, and now he’s trying to run from it.”

Union reacts to plans so far

Noah Vineberg, president of ATU Local 279, which represents OC Transpo staff, was on hand for Leiper's announcement Tuesday.

The union hasn't endorsed any candidate — but Vineberg said he isn't ruling that out.

"It's always a possibility. I would be ... more likely to endorse a transit platform or endorse ideas that were offered in a transit platform then a candidate overall," he said.

Vineberg added he wants to weigh every platform and share his views with the full slate of candidates.

He did applaud Leiper's pledge to bring a citizen member back to the transit committee, a commitment Saravanamuttoo said he'd be willing to make too.

But Vineberg said ATU's members also need a seat at the table for decisions that affect them. Lawson says he's promising exactly that.

There is one promise Vineberg is skeptical of: Saravanamuttoo's plan to introduce buck-a-ride fares.

"I don't know if it's necessarily going to work," he said. "I don't think that we're going to attract new fares that way regardless."

Instead, the union head said he'd like to see improvements to the system and a commitment from higher levels of government to pay for operational costs.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ot...t-plans-ahead-of-fall-election-9.7296254

[2posting2ottawa]

Putting aside the obnoxiousness of the cheeky allusion to Ford, Buck A Ride is genuinely terrible policy.

It takes on for all intents and purposes the same funding gap of free transit which sunk McKenney but adds back in the same overhead for maintenance and enforcement as regular fares.

Neil is not a serious candidate and seems dead set on running as a spoiler.

[dougvdh]

It kind of drives me nuts that Leiper's reluctance to promise enough unicorns is probably going to cost him votes.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by 2posting2ottawa

Putting aside the obnoxiousness of the cheeky allusion to Ford, Buck A Ride is genuinely terrible policy.

It takes on for all intents and purposes the same funding gap of free transit which sunk McKenney but adds back in the same overhead for maintenance and enforcement as regular fares.

Neil is not a serious candidate and seems dead set on running as a spoiler.

Yeah, Neil doesn't know what the heck he's talking about.

FWIW, McKenney never promised free transit. She promised free transit for under 18, which ended up partially happening anyway. Sutcliffe made up the McKenney's free transit promise to scare people.

Originally Posted by dougvdh

It kind of drives me nuts that Leiper's reluctance to promise enough unicorns is probably going to cost him votes.

Leiper is obviously the only serious candidate with a realistic plan, but voters insist on electing the idiots who promise the world (what voters want to hear) but could never deliver.

[2posting2ottawa]

Maybe I am completely out of touch with this by virtue of being a broke millennial who has never lived outside of the core but I feel like Bank street revitalization is the silver bullet for changing the attitude around downtown renewal.
Why are we signing on to pay some developer millions to redo the market hall as a knock-off time out market when Bank is in dire need of investment?

If Leiper promised to buy Barrymore's and bring back 90s nights he would probably get more votes per dollar than any of the crucial bus infrastructure projects which also aren't getting enough attention.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yeah, Neil doesn't know what the heck he's talking about.

FWIW, McKenney never promised free transit. She promised free transit for under 18, which ended up partially happening anyway. Sutcliffe made up the McKenney's free transit promise to scare people.

True but Mckenney's supporters, especially Neil and Horizon Ottawa's exec, helped the smear stick by defending the caricatured version as, even if it wasn't their policy, as a good idea that has worked elsewhere.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by 2posting2ottawa

Maybe I am completely out of touch with this by virtue of being a broke millennial who has never lived outside of the core but I feel like Bank street revitalization is the silver bullet for changing the attitude around downtown renewal.
Why are we signing on to pay some developer millions to redo the market hall as a knock-off time out market when Bank is in dire need of investment?

If Leiper promised to buy Barrymore's and bring back 90s nights he would probably get more votes per dollar than any of the crucial bus infrastructure projects which also aren't getting enough attention.



True but Mckenney's supporters, especially Neil and Horizon Ottawa's exec, helped the smear stick by defending the caricatured version as, even if it wasn't their policy, as a good idea that has worked elsewhere.

Although horrendously expensive, a Bank Street subway is the project that will rejuvenate the corridor. We will never see it. Shuffling transit, traffic and cyclists on an increasingly congested street, has limits.

[golfguy9]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Although horrendously expensive, a Bank Street subway is the project that will rejuvenate the corridor. We will never see it. Shuffling transit, traffic and cyclists on an increasingly congested street, has limits.

A subway under Bank st should have been a priority instead of sending the train to the farthest reaches of the urban boundary, but hey, that's a discussion for another thread.

[2posting2ottawa]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Although horrendously expensive, a Bank Street subway is the project that will rejuvenate the corridor. We will never see it. Shuffling transit, traffic and cyclists on an increasingly congested street, has limits.

Originally Posted by golfguy9

A subway under Bank st should have been a priority instead of sending the train to the farthest reaches of the urban boundary, but hey, that's a discussion for another thread.

A bank street subway is a red herring for people who want to believe there's a shortcut to making Ottawa a major city. Where's it going to run, to billings? Bank street ideally would copy the MTA SBS with timed bus lanes, no street parking and 10 min on peak/ 15 min off peak service for 6 and the 7. Cycling and highway traffic can go on O'Connor, Kent and Lyon

There's a much stronger case for a Carling mixed tunnel and median LRT or branching line 1 or 3 up Rideau to Vanier as there is for a Bank street subway