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Good morning!

Ottawa is heading into a municipal election year — and for journalists, it’s a bit like Christmas morning.

On Friday, reporters lined up outside the local election office to watch the first wave of candidates officially file their nomination papers. There were no major surprises — at least not yet — as many of the names were already expected. But with nominations open until mid-to-late August, there’s still plenty of time for the race to take shape.

Municipal elections don’t always generate the same buzz as their provincial or federal counterparts. Turnout is lower, campaigns are quieter, and the results can sometimes feel predictable. But the decisions made at city hall often have the most immediate impact on daily life — from transit and housing to parks, roads and local services.

That’s why voting matters. It’s easy to tune out or assume your vote won’t make a difference, but municipal races are often decided by slim margins. If you care about how your city is run, casting a ballot is the bare minimum. And if you don’t vote, it becomes a lot harder to justify complaining about the outcome later.

This year, there will be at least a couple of new faces around the council table — a reminder that change, even incremental, does happen.

Let’s get to it.

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor

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WEATHER

Monday: 18 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 16 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

Wednesday: 12 🌡️ 5 | 🌧️

By Charlie Senack

On Friday, candidate hopefuls for mayor, city councillor and school trustee began filling into the elections office on Cyrville Road to put their name forward for this fall's municipal election. While many incumbents have indicated they plan to seek re-election, there will be some new faces. 

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who won by a narrow majority in the 2022 race, has announced he plans to seek a second term but has not yet filed papers. But three names are looking to challenge him. 

One of the first names to come forward was three-term Kitchissippi Coun—Jeff Leiper, who will be the more left-leaning candidate on the ballot. Leiper has said previously he intended to run after hearing from residents who said they felt access to city services was on the decline. 

Leiper officially launched his campaign in Westboro on Saturday. As part of it, he also made some campaign promises, including reversing the transit cuts which came with ‘New Ways to Bus’ last April and creating more dedicated bus-only lanes. 

“I’ve been a city councillor for 10 years now, and there’s been no diminishment in the number of emails and notes that come into me with respect to things like sidewalks that are not being maintained, garbage cans in parks that are overflowing, slow bylaw response when people have concerns,” Leiper said previously. “I think most residents consider that we’re in a worse place today than we were a decade ago.”

Economist Neil Saravanamuttoo has also entered the race. He was active in opposition to the Lansdowne 2.0 file and told the Lookout in an earlier interview that much of his platform will also focus on transit. 

“One thing I a.m. surprised the city has not adopted already is the idea of a transit development agency,” said Saravanamuttoo. “We are seeing this in Vancouver, and they realize that as they build new transit lines, the value of land around those stations goes up — including the actual transit station itself.” 

Saravanamuttoo will launch his campaign at John Murphy Park in Alta Vista at 5:00 p.m.

A more centre-leaning Conservative voice in the race will be home builder Alex Lawson. While he doesn’t have much political background, Lawson does have many well-known advisors on his campaign team. 

Lawson told the Lookout he cares deeply about safety and delivering basic services effectively. 

“Taxes keep increasing and the services we are getting keep going down,” he told the Ottawa Lookout. “People can’t get around. People are not safe in certain areas. Everything is more expensive.”

Sutcliffe has not yet launched his campaign, but is expected to centre much of it around the accomplishments of the last four years. On X, he has been posting about hiring “the largest group of new officers in the history of the Ottawa Police Service” and increasing the roads budget by 40 per cent. 

Ottawa has 24 municipal wards, and in most of them, the incumbent councillor is running. Only two are certain to have a new face around the council table: Stittsville and Kitchissippi. 

Leiper is vacating his Kitchissippi seat to run for mayor, and Glen Gower is leaving city hall after two terms serving Stittsville residents. 

In Kitchissippi, two names have already filed to run, with a third expected soon. 

Former Ottawa Citizen and CBC journalist Joanne Chianello was the first person to declare that she will seek the seat there publicly. Early parts of her campaign focus on ensuring intensification aligns with the character of the Westboro and Hintonburg communities and on building affordable housing. 

Her main challenger to date is former Westboro BIA executive director Michelle Groulx, who currently serves as chief advocate with the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (ACOBIA). A longtime resident of the area, she said, supporting local businesses will be a large part of her campaign. 

Real estate entrepreneur and community builder Subhir Uppal has also filed to run. His platform will be announced later. 

Three names have already come forward in Stittsville.

Chelsea Walton is no stranger to municipal politics — having worked for the city for 12 years, including in the Stittsville ward office. She wants to ensure roads are well-maintained and that neighbourhoods feel safe. 

Nagmani Sharma and Narwal Sheetal will also be on the ballot. 

A competitive race could also be coming to Kanata South, where Allan Hubley, one of Ottawa’s longest-serving councillors, is seeking a fourth term. 

He will be up against Erin Coffin, who came in second place with about a 10 per cent difference in 2022. If voting splitting doesn’t occur, it could be a challenging race for Hubley. 

Despite taking 84 per cent of the vote in 2014, his popularity went down to 45 per cent in 2018 and 33 per cent in 2022. 

All eyes will also be on Orléans-East Cumberland, where Matthew Luloff is hoping to get a third term. His popularity has been on the incline in recent elections, climbing from a narrow second place with 23 per cent in a 17-candidate race in 2022 to 74.1 per cent in 2024. 

Luloff was found guilty of impaired driving charges after blowing twice the legal limit. He is unable to drive for a year and was fined a $3,500 fee plus a 30 per cent victim surcharge. Last week on Facebook, the former Canadian Armed Forces Veteran said he made the decision to stop drinking alcohol and is making health a priority. 

Barbara Daniela Gandolfo has said she intends to challenge Luloff in the race. She has ties to Liberal circles and said the ward deserves more funding for basic services, such as roads, sidewalks, parks, community centres, and transit.  

In Beacon Hill-Cyrville, Tim Tierney is eyeing a fourth term. He won the 22nd race with 81 per cent of the vote, the same margin he took in 2018. This time around, local school board trustee Cathryne Milburn will also have her name on the ballot. 

In Rideau-Vanier, no candidates have officially come forward yet, but OCDSB trustee Lyra Evans has said she intends to run against the current council member. Stephanie Plante, who has confirmed she will seek a second term.  

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$2.2 million

That’s how much money was raised during the yearly CN Cycle for CHEO. Read more. [CTV]

🚄 The CEO of Alto has shut down the idea of a station for the Toronto-Quebec City high-speed rail line in downtown Ottawa. Despite community suggestions of anchoring the station in Ottawa’s downtown core, Alto has said a downtown location isn’t feasible. Read more. [CTV]

🚔 The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared an Ottawa Police Service officer who was under investigation after officers were ordered to use tasers and pepper spray against a man in mental distress who had not committed a crime. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 A motorcyclist is in serious condition after he collided with a car in the city’s west end near Carling Avenue on Sunday morning. Read more. [CBC]

💧 Carillon Park in Vanier will be converted to Ottawa’s first “sponge park”. The makeover will allow the park to naturally manage rainfall and lighten the load on storm drains and other storm infrastructure. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

⚾ The Ottawa Titans have set records for attendance at their home opener, selling 10,278 tickets to the game on May 8 and marking the first time the Ottawa Stadium has sold out in 24 years. Read more. [Ottawa Business Journal]

🛩️ Porter Airlines is connecting the nation’s capital with two Ontario cities by opening non-stop flights to both Windsor and Sudbury from the Ottawa International Airport. Read more. [CityNews]

🏒 The Ottawa Charge defeated the Boston Fleet in Game 2 of the PWHL semifinal on Saturday. A few days earlier, the Fleet beat Ottawa 2-1 in Game 1. Read more. [CBC]

Mandala Monday Majik | Mint & Honey, 329 March Rd. | May 4 at 7 p.m. | Join a 6-week workshop to build three of your own mandalas | $335 for full session, materials included

Cinco de Mayo GLOW Sip & Paint | Margarita’s Latin Fusion Restaurant | May 5 at 7 p.m. | Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a black light experience, featuring margaritas, food, a live DJ and an opportunity to create a glowing masterpiece | Tickets $45

Mother’s Day Painting | Ek Bar Indian Restaurant | May 7 at 6 p.m. | A paint night experience, including complimentary snack and drink | Tickets $65

Monthly Book Exchange | Green Door Vegetarian Restaurant & Bakery | May 7 at 6 p.m. | An in-person book exchange to find new reads and meet other book lovers | $5

Carleton Place Poutine Feast | Riverside Park Carleton Place | May 7-10 | A festival featuring poutine vendors, music and entertainment, tent vendors and artisans, games and activities | Free admission

Tulip Festival Photo Walk | Commissioners Park | May 8 at 6 p.m. | Explore the Tulip Festival with Ottawa Tourism Digital Content Producer, Mark and a model as you photograph the tulip gardens | Free

Learn to Swing Dance | 174 Wilbrod St. | May 8 at 7:45 p.m. | Join a swing dance lesson and social to try something new and meet new people | Tickets $15

Best Fest | Aberdeen Pavilion | May 8-9 | A new food and drink event showcasing the best Ottawa has to offer | Tickets $10

Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar.

Discover your new dream job in Ottawa:

For years, Ottawa’s transit debate has been dominated by discussing what went wrong.

There were train derailments on the light rail line, axle issues, shutdowns, replacement buses, route cuts and missed trips. Even as the city poured hundreds of millions of dollars into OC Transpo, many riders saw longer commutes and fewer direct routes — and gradually stopped seeing transit as their first choice.

Now, a promised provincial upload of Ottawa’s light-rail system is once again raising a bigger question: if the city gets financial breathing room, what should it do differently this time?

Read the story