Three new faces have just entered provincial politics in Ottawa

Good morning! 

Getting a cold and then the norovirus a few days before the Ontario election is not what I had on my bingo card. I don’t think I was ever so sick in my life. But I can't say I was surprised: I knew it was bound to happen having been around so many people lately. It unfortunately meant we were unable to finish covering all of the Ottawa ridings we were hoping to, and meant I spent election night on my couch instead of in the field; a reporter's worst nightmare! 

But, it didn’t take long for it to be clear that PC leader Doug Ford was heading back to Queen’s Park with a strong mandate. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some surprises throughout the night. A number of Ottawa ridings which many thought could change stayed the same with comfortable margins. And Nepean — a riding held by the PCs for three decades — switched to the Liberals.  

With three new MPPs elected in the Ottawa area, the way politics is done in this government town will change. How exactly still needs to be written. 

I also want to take a quick moment to wish reporter Blair Crawford a very happy and well-earned retirement as he leaves the Ottawa Citizen newsroom. Blair is a great guy, an amazing dad, and one of the best in the business. Chances are you’ve read hundreds, if not thousands of his articles over the years, including ones referenced in this newsletter. 

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor

[email protected]

X: @Charlie_Senack

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WEATHER

Monday: -4 🌡️ -6 | ☁️

Tuesday: 1 🌡️ 0 | 🌨️

Wednesday: 2 🌡️ 0 | 🌨️🌧️

NUMBERS

🥘 100,000: The number of meals an Ottawa tech company has donated to community organizations. [CTV]

🥶 $70,000: The amount of money raised during a polar plunge in support of Special Olympics Ontario. [Ottawa Citizen]

🔥 3: The number of fires crews responded to in four hours on Tuesday night. [CTV]

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

A look at Ontario election results by riding in Ottawa

Nepean

The strong blue wall that has surrounded Nepean since 1995 has been broken. Liberal candidate Tyler Watt won the PC stronghold with 22,683 votes — 48.5 per cent. That is 4,721 more votes received than that of PC candidate Alex Lewis who took 17,962 — 38.4 per cent. The NDP’s Max Blair, who doesn’t live in the riding, came in third with 4,116 votes — 8.8 per cent. 

Watt said he was surprised about the election results and went into the night expecting to lose like he did in 2022. During that race, the registered nurse from the Queensway Carleton Hospital came in second place with about 2,000 fewer votes than PC incumbent Lisa MacLeod. 

“The last election helped me go into the results being at peace with whatever happened to be proud of the campaign we ran,” Watt told the Lookout. “It hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m just so proud. Nepean has sent a clear message to the Ford government. Whether you voted for me or not, my door is always open.” 

It was a particularly special night for Watt whose dad died from ALS just before Christmas. He said his spirit is what carried him through the cold days of the winter election campaign. 

“I know my dad is looking down and smiling at me,” said Watt. 

It was a big loss for the PCs: Early prediction polls had Lewis and the PCs in the lead. Speaking to the Ottawa Citizen after his defeat, the once political hopeful said he was excited to get back to policing, but noted the results “were not reflective of what we were seeing” at the doors. 

MacLeod, who backed Lewis, said she still considers her replacement “to be the future of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.” 

On March 2, MacLeod blamed Toronto for Lewis’ loss saying he was their best candidate in Ottawa. 

“This election loss hurts. What really breaks me is that a few days before the campaign our local organizer stopped his Voter ID efforts and on the day of the writ the party organizer, Melanie Calandra, called and told him to distance himself from me as the former MPP for six terms,” wrote MacLeod. “Our local campaign did not lose this election. Toronto Tories did it for us.“

This is the first time Nepean has gone Liberal since 1995 when the PCs John Baird took it from Hans Daigeler who held the riding since its creation in 1987. Baird held onto Nepean (and Nepean-Carleton after that) until 2006 when he ran federally and gave it to MacLeod instead. 

Carleton 

It was no surprise when it was declared fairly early that Osgoode Coun. George Darouze would win the riding of Carleton for the PCs. The rural community doesn’t vote any other way. 

Darouze took 26,158 votes — totalling 49.6 per cent of all votes cast. It was an impressive race for the Liberals whose Brandon Bay came in second place with 20,335 votes — 38.6 per cent of the total results. The NDP which has never done well in Carleton came in third with candidate Sherin Faili taking 3,715 votes or seven per cent. 

While still a strong PC area, the Liberals only took 26.8 per cent in 2022 with the NDP taking 15 per cent. Ghamari in the previous race received 22,295 votes, totalling 48 per cent. 

There is a large belief that Darouze could be in line for a cabinet position. After all, Ottawa hasn’t had a voice at the cabinet table since Merilee Fullerton from Kanata-Carleton resigned in 2023. She served previously as the Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, Minister of Long-Term Care, and Minister of Colleges and Universities. Given Darouze’s background, a spot relating to rural issues or agriculture is probable. 

But his departure from city hall will mean his council seat needs to be filled. And with two years left in the current mandate, it’s likely any election will be called over someone getting acclaimed. 

Ottawa Centre 

Catherine McKenney has made a return to politics. The former Somerset Ward Councillor won Ottawa Centre for the NDP with 32,483 votes — 55.7 per cent of all votes cast. 

Liberal candidate Thomas Simpson came in second place with 13,591 votes, at 23.3 per cent. Scott Healey from the Progressive Conservatives — which have never won Ottawa Centre — came in third with 9,573 votes, or 16.4 per cent.

“I am humbled and pretty proud of the fact that voters in Ottawa Centre put their trust in me,” McKenney told the Lookout. “I look forward to working for them and working on their behalf. Not very many people get the opportunity in their lifetime to knock on thousands and thousands of doors and talk to people on their front step and get a real deep understanding of what people are thinking, what their concerns are. I got to do that.”

Kanata-Carleton 

There was lots of speculation that Kanata-Carleton would go back to the PCs, but it stayed Liberal red. 

Incumbent Liberal candidate Karen McCrimmon won with 21,946 votes, totalling 47.6 per cent. PC candidate and Ottawa Catholic School Board Trustee Scott Phelan came in second with 18,750 votes, or 40.7 per cent. It was not a great night for NDP candidate Dave Belcher who received 3,361 votes, which totalled 7.3 per cent. 

Speaking to the Lookout after her win, McCrimmon said it was an example that Kanata-Carleton voters are not impressed with the Doug Ford PC government. 

“They (the Progressive Conservatives) wanted it back. We heard from so many people that they had received multiple calls from the Conservatives looking for their voters. They must have spent a lot big money in Kanata. But we knew that they were up there doing that and then we just had to be smarter,” said McCrimmon. 

“Then on top of that, there's some NDP supporters, who came across because they knew how critical this election was,” she added. “I'm grateful to all those people who did that strategic vote, who made the sacrifice in order to defeat Ford. I don't take that for granted.”

When asked if there were any surprises to come out of the election, McCrimmon said it was the fact PC candidate Phelan did so well. 

“The Conservative candidate has no connection to the riding or very little connection. He doesn’t even live in the riding and still managed to garner over 40 per cent of the vote,” said McCrimmon. ”Nobody knows him and still he gets 40 per cent of the vote? That's a little bit surprising.”

Ottawa West-Nepean 

Chandra Pasma is returning to Ottawa West-Nepean (OWN) for a second mandate. The NDP representative first won the riding in 2022 by about 1,000 votes. But this time around she took almost a majority. 

Pasma won OWN with 20,088 votes, totalling 49.3 per cent. PC candidate Husien Abu-Rayash came in second place with 11,697 votes at 28.7 per cent. Liberal candidate Brett Szmul, a late entry, took 7,229 votes at 17.8 per cent. 

“I am so grateful to the people of Ottawa West for putting their trust in me once again. Together, our community has rejected Doug Ford’s bad deals and his wasteful scandals and they have instead opted for a hopeful, positive vision of our province,” Pasma said in her victory speech, according to the Ottawa Citizen. “A province where everyone has a family doctor and gets the healthcare that they need, a province where everyone has a home they can afford and can put groceries on the table. A home where all of our children have a safe, healthy school and the supports that they need to learn. Where we stand together and build a more resilient province.”

Abu-Rayash didn’t respond to the Lookout’s multiple requests for comment during the campaign, and only spoke to a handful of reporters on the campaign trail. He also didn’t participate in any debates and had a limited social media presence. A campaign manager for the Ottawa West-Nepean PC campaign told the Ottawa Citizen that any questions asked had to be about the campaign, not specific issues. 

Ottawa South 

No surprise here, but Liberal John Fraser is returning to represent Ottawa South. 

Fraser took 22,326 votes, totalling 53.2 per cent. It was the first time since first running in 2013 he got a majority. PC candidate Jan Gao, who did no media during the campaign, took second with 10,315 votes, 24.5 per cent. And NDP candidate Morgan Gay, who finished second in 2022, came in third at 17.7 per cent with 7,447 votes. 

The Liberal incumbent said it was tough running in a winter election and was disappointed with voter turnout that was 42.4 per cent in Ottawa South. 

“The turnout was low and disappointing (in Ontario), but we certainly delivered a great victory here in Ottawa South, and I want to thank all of you for that,” Fraser told his campaign supporters. 

Ottawa-Vanier 

The strong Liberal riding of Ottawa-Vanier stayed red with Lucille Collard taking 21,164 votes, totalling 51.5 per cent. PC candidate Marilissa Gosselin came in second with 9,263 votes at 22.5 per cent. And NDP candidate Myriam Djilane came in third with 7,476 votes at 18.2 per cent. 

“This re-election means that we can continue to build, and I know that there’s so much more that needs to be done,” said Collard at her victory party, according to the Ottawa Citizen. 

Orléans 

Another riding where there was no surprise was Orléans. 

Incumbent Liberal candidate and former city councillor Stephen Blais took 30,482 votes, which totaled 54.18 per cent. PC candidate Stéphan Plourde came in second with 19,868 votes at 35.3 per cent. The NDP had a very low voter turnout in this east end riding with candidate Matthew Sévigny. 

Results in Orléans had to be delayed by two hours due to a power outage, but had a 47.7 per cent voter turnout. 

One of the most contentious issues to come out of the campaign was previous comments Blais made about wanting to put a toll on Highway 174. Plourde had put up signs along the highway which read “Honk to oppose Liberal Blais’ 174 toll plan!”

But Blais called that a blatant lie. 

In 2013 as a city councillor he called on the Ontario Liberal government to upload Highway 174 and its costs. If that didn’t happen, he said it should allow the city to collect funds for drivers using Highway 174 to pass through the city from communities east of Ottawa, reported CTV. 

“Stephen has introduced Bills to re-upload the 174 twice, both times they were killed by the Conservative Government. For seven years Doug Ford’s Conservatives have done nothing to improve Hwy. 174 or reduce commute times for Orléans residents,” the Blais campaign said in a statement. 

Last spring the province announced it would upload Highway 174 and take its responsibility away from the city. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the time called it a “real game changer.” 

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PROVINCIAL ELECTION

What the election results will mean for Ottawa

Ottawa has elected three new local MPPs to Queen’s Park, but only one is from the party in power. That is a far cry from 2018 when there were three PC MPPs in the Capital: Lisa MacLeod in Nepean, Goldie Ghamari in Carleton, and Dr. Merilee Fullerton in Kanata-Carleton. 

Fullerton was the first to go when she abruptly decided to leave politics about nine months after being elected to her second term. She later wrote a book and criticized the Doug Ford-led PC party's handling of elections and its plan to hire more family doctors. The riding went to the Liberals by less than 1,000 votes during a 2023 Ontario by-election. 

Ghamari was a diehard deep blue Conservative but also refused to always tow the party lines. After meeting with far-right activist Tommy Robinson — who was arrested a few days prior for misrepresenting himself to border officials in Calgary — Ford removed Ghamari citing multiple lapses in judgment. She remained steadfast she had no clue who Robinson was during the brief virtual meet. 

Then comes MacLeod who was able to survive many scandals and said last spring she would run again. But by the fall she was out citing it was time for a change. 

The PCs thought it was very possible they could win Kanata-Carleton again, but they came in an impressive second place with 3,196 fewer votes. Nepean’s switch to red occurred with 4,721 additional votes. Carleton was the only riding the PCs were able to keep with a margin of 5,823 votes. 

So what happens next?

Ottawa residents have long said the Ontario government is Toronto-focused and often forgets about the residents of the Capital. 

With no provincial cabinet minister based here, a new ‘regional office’ was opened last April to better support the residents of Ottawa and “support greater engagement” between the city and province. We’ve heard nothing about it since. 

Speaking to reporters the day after voters headed to the polls, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he felt optimistic about the results. 

“I think it’s good news for Ottawa in the sense that we have strong local representatives, and, in addition to that, Premier (Doug) Ford promised during the election campaign to upload our light rail system to the provincial government, which I think is a game changer for the City of Ottawa,” Sutcliffe told CTV. “It’s a huge opportunity for us to really make progress in public transit in this city. It will be a game changer financially, it will have a huge impact on our budget, and it will also mean that we’ll be able to deliver better and more reliable transit going forward.”

The Mayor added he felt Darouze would champion city-wide issues in the Ontario legislature, and encouraged Ford to put the outgoing Osgoode Ward councillor in a cabinet position. 

Darouze will be one of three former Ottawa city councillors at Queens Park. The two others are Ottawa Centre’s NDP Catherine McKenney who was also recently elected and the incumbent from Orléans Liberal Stephen Blais.  

What the PCs have planned for Ottawa

One of the biggest announcements made during the campaign trail by the PCs was the uploading of Ottawa’s light rail transit system to the province. It would operate under Metrolinx, which has a complicated legacy in the Greater Toronto Area. It’s expected such a move would save Ottawa $4 billion over the next 30 years. 

But a deal will take time and many details still need to be ironed out. Sutcliffe said he wants to see the province own and maintain the infrastructure, but would allow OC Transpo to make decisions over routes and hiring. A timeline could be announced next week. 

“This is a huge opportunity for our city.… I can't think of anything bigger, anything more significant that would have an impact on our residents," Sutcliffe said at a press conference Friday. "We have to negotiate the right deal for Ottawa residents and taxpayers, but this has the potential to be a real game changer for Ottawa."

The PCs have also committed to funding Phase 3 light rail out to Kanata, Barrhaven, and Stittsville, even though the city didn’t make such a compelling argument for the plans in 2023. 

Lots of work will also be ongoing. In March 2024 a $550 million ‘New Deal for Ottawa’ was announced that would see many investments. Those included: 

• $56 million to repair and upgrade Highway 174, as well as the eventual uploading of the highway to the province.

• $181 million for highways and transit, including the construction of a phased interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road; up to $80 million for the Kanata North Transitway; and up to $50 million to repair and upgrade rural roads in Ottawa.

• $48 million to support public safety, with a particular focus on safety in the Byward Market and on transit.

A month later, the province announced a $5-million interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road would be built. 

“The new interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road will help local residents and other drivers get where they need to go faster and more conveniently,” said then Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in April. 

What could still come: While investments have been made in Ottawa over the last year, there are still many areas local politicians would like to see a greater investment in from the province. 

A number of urban councillors are asking for funding to help with the future Baseline Road bus rapid transit project which would have dedicated bus lanes all the way from Bayshore to Heron. Some councillors would like to see it dedicated even further west to Kanata and Stittsville via Robertson Road. 

In January College Ward Coun. Laine Johnson wrote such an investment should be made before we look at LRT Stage 3. 

“With a price tag at around $400 million in 2022 dollars, the BRT is wildly affordable compared to the cost of rail extensions. Through this project, the City can show the Provincial and Federal governments that we have a practical, reliable, and economical plan to move people through our city, right now,” said Johnson. “Better yet, it’s a good way to demonstrate to residents that transit can once again be reliable, predictable, and efficient, and draw people out of their cars and back to public transportation for the trips that make sense.”

Nepean MPP elect Tyler Watt has also said he’d like to see rapid investments be made in expanding the Queensway Carleton Hospital. The riding’s former representative Lisa MacLeod was also advocating for an urgent care facility to be built at Greenbank and Highbury Park in Barrhaven. 

THE AGENDA

🅿️ A downtown Ottawa parking garage might need to be demolished after it partially collapsed during the early morning hours of Feb. 26. The four-storey structure on Slater near Bank was built in 1989 and didn’t have any previous issues. Heavy snow made worse by recent rainfall is to blame for the collapse. Nobody was injured but 50 cars were trapped inside. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚎 A coroner’s inquest into the 2019 Westboro bus crash that killed three people will begin on April 2. The inquest will look into the deaths of Judy Booth, Bruce Thomlinson and Anthonia Van Beek, who died after the double-decker bus they were on hopped a curb and struck the shelter. [Ottawa Citizen]

🎿 Ottawa is home to a variety of winter trails which are celebrating all the snow received this year. But if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that weather in the Capital can be unpredictable. The organizers of the Kichi Sibi and Britannia Winter Trails say they are trying new techniques to deal with climate change. [Kitchissippi Times] 

💉 The Somerset West Community Health Centre’s safe consumption site has officially closed. “To everyone who has walked through our doors, worked alongside us, or supported this program in any way, thank you. This program has been a vital space for client engagement, safety, and community building,” the group wrote on LinkedIn. “While our CTS is coming to a close, we remain steadfast to ensuring a high quality of client service grounded in equity.” A new HART Hub will soon open in its place. [CTV]

💊 Ottawa is in a toxic drug crisis. People are overdosing and dying at alarming rates. But many have been saved due to harm reduction models, many of which are now being eliminated by the provincial government. Experts have different views on what model works best, but note Individualized, multi-faceted care plans are required. [Kitchissippi Times]

📰 After 123 years, the Eaganville Leader says it will print its last newspaper in February 2026. “Deciding to close the Leader is the most difficult decision I have had to make in my 52 years in the business, but the time has come,” said owner Gerald Tracey in an article. He cited age, health, and a changing advertising landscape for the decision. [CTV]

🏫 Ottawa parents are upset over new elementary school boundary plans unveiled by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. According to the map changes, about 11,000 students would move schools by 2026 to help smooth out overpopulated and underpopulated facilities. [CBC]

✏️ As a result of an OCDSB review, 30 schools will also see changes to the grades they offer. It’s a bit of a complicated process to explain. Some will run from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Others Grades 4 to 8. And the rest from Kindergarten to Grade 3. It will mean a lot more moving around schools. Learn all the details here. [CTV]

🏡 The Ontario Land Tribunal has said it’s ok for a developer to build two semi-detached homes on a property where a century-old heritage home once stood in Rockcliffe Park. The decision ends a years-long battle over the property located close to Rideau Hall. The Rockcliffe Park Residents Association worried such a large building would set a precedent for new development in the area. [Ottawa Citizen]

⛸️ The Rideau Canal re-opened for skating on Saturday morning after only being in operation for walking because of a warm spell. The NCC's Bruce Devine said recently he expects the Skateway could stay open for several more weeks, though temperatures are going up to about 5 C in the middle of the week. [CBC]

👮🏼‍♀️ A man in his 20s was left critically injured after a collision near the University of Ottawa on Saturday. Police are asking anyone who saw the crash or may have captured it on their dashcam to come forward. [CBC]