Today is the deadline for individuals to enter the competition for a position on Ottawa city council, and as of now, there are four wards where only one candidate has put their name forward.
Contestants have until 2 p.m. on Friday to submit their nomination documents for the municipal election scheduled for Oct. 26. This election will also determine the mayor and trustees for the four school boards in Ottawa.
Current councillors Riley Brockington for River ward, Laine Johnson for College ward, Isabelle Skalski for Osgoode, and David Brown for Rideau-Jock are all unopposed candidates as of Thursday evening.
CBC will be stationed at the elections office throughout Friday to see if any contenders emerge to challenge them. If no one steps up by the 2 p.m. deadline, these four candidates will automatically secure their re-election to the city council starting Monday, following the formal certification of their nominations by the city clerk.
The nomination period began on May 1, and initially, there was a rush of individuals vying for the mayor position. Three candidates promptly submitted their paperwork to challenge the incumbent, Mark Sutcliffe, who officially joined the race weeks later to defend his position.
Currently, there are seven contenders running for mayor, including Sutcliffe, three-term city councillor Jeff Leiper, homebuilder Alex Lawson, economist Neil Saravanamuttoo, bike repair worker Peter Westaway, previous candidate Zed Chebib, and engineer Suraj Harish.
The candidates have already made early moves, with Leiper, Lawson, and Saravanamuttoo unveiling significant policy announcements covering topics such as transit, transparency, and housing. Sutcliffe also unveiled his own transit proposal earlier this week.
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Furthermore, the candidates’ campaigns have started to receive endorsements, with Sutcliffe gaining support from prominent figures on Monday.
He has garnered endorsements from former cabinet ministers John Baird and Madeleine Meilleur, followed by ex-city councillor Mathieu Fleury.
Sutcliffe’s campaign has expanded its list to include endorsements from 10 former mayors, including prominent figures like Jackie Holzman, Jim Durrell, Jim Watson, and several former leaders of Nepean, Kanata, Gloucester, and the amalgamated City of Ottawa. The list also features endorsements from former federal Liberal cabinet minister David Pratt, former provincial Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Brian Coburn, current Progressive Conservative MPP George Darouze, and various former city councillors.
In contrast, the Jeff Leiper campaign secured endorsements from NDP MPP Catherine McKenney and NDP MPP Chandra Pasma. Alex Lawson and Neil Saravanamuttoo are yet to announce endorsements from elected officials.
Voters will select 24 city councillors. Unlike the 2022 election, where there was substantial turnover as about half of the sitting councillors opted not to run again, the scenario is different in 2026.
All but two incumbents are seeking re-election, leaving only Kitchissippi and Stittsville as open races that will introduce new representatives to the city council.
Although the election day is set for Oct. 26, voters will have the opportunity to cast their votes before that date.
The application process for special mail-in ballots is open from Sept. 1 to 15, with the ballots required to be received by 8 p.m. on Oct. 16 for them to be valid. Advance voting will take place from Oct. 1 to 4 and then again on Oct. 16.
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