Meet the Ottawa candidates running in the provincial election

Good morning! 

The clock is officially ticking down. On Wednesday Ontario Premier Doug Ford officially announced an election would be called, one that is controversial for a variety of reasons. 

Today in the Lookout we are exploring Ford’s complicated legacy in Ottawa, and how that could impact election results this time around. We also have a rundown of who your local candidates will be. 

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, managing editor

[email protected] 

X: @Charlie_Senack

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign up for free.

WEATHER

Wednesday: -9 🌡️ -22| ❄️

Thursday: -13 🌡️ -13 | ❄️ (wind chill -27 overnight)

Friday: -1 🌡️ -19 | ☁️

NUMBERS

🎓 40%: The percentage of programs St. Lawrence College is cutting in the spring due to an “unspecified series of federal government policy decisions.” [CBC] 

💉 4: The number of new homelessness and addictions (HART) hubs announced in Eastern Ontario. That includes a new facility at the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre. [CBC]

🚘 431,461: The number of drivers the automated speed enforcement camera program caught between January and October 2024. The city says 17 per cent were rejected due to unreadable plates, including 50,796 tickets due to damaged, obstructed or missing plates on the vehicle. [CTV]

🏥 21: The number of patients admitted to the Queensway Carleton Hospital without beds on Monday. The hospital said it was at 100 per cent capacity and that over 100 patients were in the emergency room waiting to be seen. That led to 12+ hour wait times. [X]

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

Doug Ford has a complicated legacy in Ottawa. Will it hurt him or help him this election?

The race is on: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has officially declared a provincial election, and that means voters will head to the polls in less than a month. But because of its abruptness, candidates will have a very short time to introduce themselves. 

Ford said he’s calling an election to help fight the 25 per cent tariffs US President Donald Trump plans to impose on Canada. But skeptics say it’s all a ploy to get more power and another mandate, especially while the federal Liberals remain unpopular. That would make sense, as Ford is leading, with some polls having him winning with 46 per cent of the vote — perhaps a few more seats than he has already. 

• What may be more interesting to watch is if the Liberals can regain official party status after going through a historic defeat in 2018. Polls show the Liberals doing better than the NDP, though speculation is their leader, Bonnie Crombie, might not even win her own riding of Mississauga East. 

Lowering support: When Doug Ford was first elected, he had strong support in Ottawa; in fact, three of his caucus members were from here: Lisa MacLeod in Nepean, Goldie Ghamari in Carleton, and Dr. Merilee Fullerton in Kanata-Carleton. 

But those sunny days soon began to fade away. MacLeod faced a variety of scandals, including yelling at parents of children with autism, verbally attacking former Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, and receiving a $44,000 housing subsidy from her local riding association. During most of this, MacLeod held various positions in cabinet, but left in 2022 due to a mental health crisis. 

Fullerton was quick to climb the ranks in Ford’s cabinet and was the Minister of Colleges and Universities, Minister of Long-term Care, and then Minister of Children, Community and Social Services (MacLeod’s old post). Fullerton announced she was resigning effective immediately in March 2023 and later went on to write a book which critiques the government's handling of health matters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the very Conservative riding of Carleton, Ghamari never did get a cabinet position. She always said she didn’t want one; but they never came calling either. Unlike other PC politicians, Ghamari was a bit of an outcast; she played by her own rules. She gave interviews to the media when party heads instructed their members not to. She was also always vocal with her comments on social media — particularly when it came to the Israel-Hamas war. In 2024 she met with British far-right figure Tommy Robinson. While it wasn’t her first “error in judgement,” as Ford said, it would be her last as a PC caucus member. 

Forgetting Ottawa: For his part, Ford knew where Ottawa was when he first ran for Premier in 2018. He made multiple campaign stops here, and was back that fall when multiple tornadoes touched down in the Nepean and Dunrobin areas. He flipped burgers with community members at Larkin Park and held an outdoor press conference to announce support. But after that, it all started to change.

There were a few funding announcements during his first few years in office, including for new schools, construction projects, and some highway developments. During an election stop in the Capital in 2022, Ford was criticized for not touring the damage of a deadly Derecho, which left tens of thousands in the dark. 

• “I’m not here to do a photo op, like maybe other politicians were,” said Ford at the time. The Premier added he was “on the phone around the clock” requesting aid from other provinces and U.S. states. 

Some signs of progress: The next real announcement came in March when Ford announced a “New deal” for Ottawa. The $543 million in operating and capital funds included some support for homelessness, revitalizing the downtown core, improving roads, building the new Barnsdale/Highway 416 interchange, and offloading Highway 174 to the province. It was good, but nothing in comparison to what Toronto was receiving. There was also zero funding for transit. 

• During a press conference at city hall, an Ottawa Citizen reporter asked the Premier why he hadn’t travelled here in a while. He responded defensively by saying, “I’ve been here countless times.” The reporter was then cut off. 

A little over a week later, Ford was back — this time with a box of Mavericks donuts in hand — to give Ottawa a $37.5M cheque for 'substantial progress' on its home-building pledge. Then a few weeks later, he was back for a rather bizarre announcement which included “a new regional office to support better services for the people of Ottawa and the surrounding region.” It was widely criticized for just being another piece of bureaucracy. Nepean’s MacLeod spoke out against its creation and said she thought it was “a bad idea.”

Some additional funding was announced in November at the Economic Club of Canada held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. There, Ford said Queen’s Park would send $48 million over three years to the city for security, including an increased police presence in the ByWard Market, more OC Transpo special constables and “community-based initiatives including outreach and alternative mental health supports.”

Still no transit funding: Alas, that brings us to now. For most of 2024, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe pleaded with the provincial government for more transit operating funding. He released his "Fairness for Ottawa” campaign and Sutcliffe has said many times that he felt "optimistic" the money would flow, but any progress in the background will be delayed by the provincial election. 

On Jan. 27, the federal government announced it would be giving the city $180 million in funding to help maintain and upgrade OC Transpo’s fleet and infrastructure. The money would be spread out over a decade starting in 2026, reported CTV. 

At that announcement, Sutcliffe said he felt it was a good sign that additional funds could come from the province. He said Ford committed to stepping up if the feds did as well. 

What it all means: Politicians focus their time and energy on regions and ridings they believe that they need to win to form a majority government. It’s one reason why the Toronto suburbs get so much attention. It’s fair to say, unfortunately, that the city has fallen in importance as the years have gone on. Unlike the attention lavished on Toronto, Ottawa has recently not warranted that level of attention. With such a short election, and one that seems to be a forgone conclusion (though things can change), it remains to be seen if the region will get much attention from Premier Ford and the PCs.

SPONSORED BY MĀDAHÒKÌ FARM

Celebrate Indigenous Culture and Cuisine This Winterlude with Taste of Nature

Taste of Nature, an immersive six-course Indigenous dining experience, will take place at the Museum of Nature on Thursday, February 6 from 6 PM to 8 PM. Mādahòkì Farm’s Chef Billy Alexander is joined by renowned Indigenous chefs, Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, and Joseph Shawana who together will showcase dishes made with foraged ingredients, sharing the cultural significance of each. Limited tickets are available now. 

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

Meet the candidates running in your riding 

Because an election wasn’t supposed to be called for over a year, many ridings across the province had to scramble last-minute to find a candidate. If one wasn’t already elected yet, they were acclaimed by party officials. 

The Ottawa Lookout has compiled a list of candidates known to be running in each riding to date.

Ridings with no incumbent running

Nepean 

Outgoing: Lisa MacLeod served as the PC MPP for the riding of Nepean-Carleton from 2006 until 2018 when the riding boundaries changed. She then ran in the riding of Nepean for two terms until announcing last year that she would retire from provincial politics. 

On Tuesday MacLeod announced on X that she will be joining the team at the Royal Ottawa Hospital  “to share my lived expertise as part of a research team on sleep and bipolar.” MacLeod has previously been very open about her mental health struggles. In a podcast last year, she announced the situation became too much, and she tried to take her own life in May 2022. 

• Green: Sheilagh McLean

• Liberal: Tyler Watt (Ran in 2022 and came in second place with 34 per cent of the vote)

• NDP: Max Blair

• NOTA: Anthony Sevigny

• PC: Alex Lewis (current Ottawa Police officer and backed by MacLeod) 

Ottawa Centre

Outgoing: Joel Harden has been representing Ottawa Centre for two terms since he beat Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi in 2018. Last year Harden decided to leave Queen’s Park and run federally for the riding instead. He will again go up against Naqvi in the future federal election, who is the Liberal federal representative for the riding. In his last newsletter to constituents, Harden shared his “heartfelt thanks.”

“I’m not the same person I was when I started this job in the summer of 2018. The people of Ottawa Centre have encouraged me, informed me, inspired me, and made me a better neighbour. I now value and appreciate others I had not known before,” Harden wrote. “I’ve met countless people here who are making a difference, and deserve our support. We must find a way to champion their solutions, and that is my focus in whatever I do going forward.”

• Green: Simon Beckett

• Liberal: Thomas Simpson

• NDP: Catherine McKenney (former Somerset ward councillor who ran for Mayor unsuccessfully in 2022)

• PC: Scott Healey

Carleton

Outgoing: Goldie Ghamari took over this riding from MacLeod in 2018 when its boundaries changed. It has almost always been Conservative, but Ghamari was ousted from Ford’s PC caucus last year after meeting with an Islamophobic demonstrator. She will not be seeking re-election as an independent.

• Liberal: Brandon Bay

• PC: George Darouze (current city councillor for Osgoode Ward)

Ridings with an incumbent

(Incumbents are marked with the * symbol) 

Orleans

• Green: Michelle Petersen

• Liberal: Stephen Blais*

• PC: Steve Plourde

Ottawa South

• Liberal: John Fraser*

• NDP: Morgan Gay

• PC: Jan Gao

Ottawa-Vanier

• Green: Christian Proulx

• Liberal: Lucille Collard*

• Libertarian: Coreen Corcoran

• PC: Marilissa Gosselin

Ottawa West-Nepean

• Green: Sophia Andrew-Joiner

• NDP: Chandra Pasma*

• PC: Husein Abu-Rayash

Kanata-Carleton

• Liberal: Karen McCrimmon*

• PC: Scott Phelan

THE AGENDA

💧 Water samples from periods of road salt use show that it’s highly toxic to wildlife, according to a new report by the Ottawa Riverkeeper organization and is having a devastating impact on aquatic ecosystems. The report recommended changes, including following provincial road salting guidelines and identifying and protecting vulnerable ecosystems. Other cities like Vancouver are also dealing with similar issues. [CBC] 

🩸 If you visited Gorgeous Brows and Lashes at 3900 Innes Rd. or 2210 Bank St. and got a facial with a comedone extractor and lancet before Dec. 6, you should check in with your healthcare provider about the potential risk of bloodborne illnesses, due to improper sterilization. The company has since improved its practices, and OPH is not aware of any infections stemming from the business. [CBC]

👮‍♂️ Ottawa Police Services are working to address the coroner’s list of recommendations related to the death of Abdirahman Abdi in 2016. They’ve appointed Staff Sgt. Devon Archer, who will work on these recommendations, including police wearing body cameras, creating a mental health advisory board and more officer training. A progress update will be delivered at the organization’s April meeting. [Ottawa Citizen]

🦺 If you live in the eastern part of Ottawa, you may be seeing less funding from development charges. The region is seeing far less money than other areas, even though it’s growing very quickly. For example, between 2018 and 2022, no development charge money was spent on roads. [CityNews]

🏫 The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is dealing with another potential deficit for the fourth year in a row. School boards are not allowed to run a deficit. The board says it’s been shifting money around to meet that goal. The board chair says the level of funding is not sustainable given the rising cost of everything. [CBC]

🧑‍⚖️ Ottawa lawyer James Bowie is facing new allegations from the Law Society of Ontario. The organization alleges he sexually harassed two clients and two other unnamed people. He is already set to stand trial for charges of harassment, uttering threats and exhortation against another former client. [Ottawa Citizen]

Sports news

🥅 Ottawa Sens President Cyril Leeder is apologizing to fans after Spartacat, the team's mascot, wore Nordiques colours in a split jersey. The anger came after Sens owner Michael Andlauer announced that the Senators would play two preseason games in Quebec City, while also stating that he would like the team to play regular season games there in the future. [TSN]

🏒 The Quebec City announcement also worried fans that Andlauer might have been thinking about moving the team out of Ottawa — a rumour he said was not true during a press conference. So why look at another province then? “It's a move on our part designed to help us expand our broadcast footprint, especially with francophone fans," Leeder said. [Hockey News]

⛸️ In provincial women’s hockey, the Ottawa Charge has slipped down to fourth place out of six teams. “We’re staying the course,” assistant captain Jincy Roese said after Monday’s 3-0 loss to the New York Sirens and their backup goalie, Barrhaven’s Kayle Osborne, at TD Place. “It’s one game. We’re fine.” [Ottawa Citizen]

HOME OF THE WEEK

A palace? Maybe! Today’s home of the week is a 4,200sf home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s on a truly massive lot, and has 24-foot cielings, a beautiful modern kitchen and hardwood floors to die for.

A place the size of a palace also comes with a hefty price tag…

POLL RESPONSES

A quick clarification on the Lansdowne 2.0 finances: On Friday we wrote the entire project costs $493 million, around $74 million more than initially anticipated. That was incorrect and we regret the error. The original staff estimate for the redevelopment project was $419 million. But Ottawa's auditor general found in a report that it could be understated by more than $74 million. That’s an 18 per cent increase and could bring the true cost to $493.4 million. CBC compiled a report which explains more.

Out of the 708 of you who responded to our poll, 489 of you said the Lansdowne 2.0 plans should be axed. Eighty-four people said it would be a good investment and 135 said they want a new vision, but not this one. Thanks to all of you who voted.

Lets see what Lookout readers think about the project…

GEOGUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Need to get away this summer? Porter now has direct flights to Victoria from Ottawa. [Financial Post]

• This breakfast spot has something that has mostly disappeared — affordable breakfast.

• An Ottawa firefighter is looking for a living donor with blood type 0+, 0-, A+ or A- to save his life. More info here. [Ottawan Citizen]

• Tom Green has a new music video all about being Canadian. 

• While the Szechuan food at this Chinese restaurant is excellent, it’s the tea that has our food editor swooning.