We need to be honest about how we got here. This is not the result of a single decision or a single tough year. It is what happens when a system is stretched too thin for too long, when investment does not keep pace with growth, and when decisions are made without a clear, long-term plan. There are real pressures on OC Transpo, including staffing shortages, burnout, an aging fleet, and ongoing reliability issues. Concerns about leadership are valid and worth addressing. But leadership alone is not the whole problem. The system itself needs to be fixed.

A transit system that works is not just about moving people. It shapes how a city functions, whether people can access jobs and education, and whether we are reducing congestion or making it worse. It determines whether a parent gets home in time for dinner or whether a student can afford to get to class. When transit works, the city works. When it doesn’t, people feel it every single day.

This election is a choice: do we become a city that works again, or do we keep managing a system that keeps falling short? My approach as mayor will focus on restoring reliability, setting clear expectations, and making targeted investments that deliver visible improvements. A city that works starts with a transit system that works.

Reliability first

The most important thing I can do as mayor is make transit something people can count on. That means introducing a public transit service guarantee: clear, public standards for on-time performance and service frequency, with transparent reporting so riders can see whether we’re meeting them. By the end of my first term, buses should arrive on time and run often enough that you don’t need to check the schedule. That requires aligning service levels, staffing, and maintenance so those standards are actually achievable, not just promised.

Campaign Commitment: Introduce a public transit service guarantee with clear standards for on-time performance and frequency by the end of the first term.

Restore what was cut

Recent changes have left many riders with fewer options and longer waits. That has to be reversed. Rebuilding the system means restoring frequency on core routes and stabilizing operations so cancellations become rare rather than routine. If we want people to choose transit, we have to give them a system worth choosing.

Campaign Commitment: Reverse recent service cuts and restore frequent, reliable service on core transit routes.

Faster buses now

There are practical steps we can take quickly. Expanding dedicated bus lanes is one of the most effective ways to improve speed and reliability, allowing buses to bypass congestion and maintain consistent travel times. Cities across North America have done this. Ottawa can too.

With strong ridership on routes like the 88, the case for Baseline BRT is clear: dedicated lanes and proper stations would deliver faster, more reliable service for thousands of riders in the south end. It is time to stop studying it and start building it.

Campaign Commitment: Implement dedicated bus lanes and advance the Baseline BRT as a priority project to improve speed and reliability.

Riders at the table

In December 2022, the council voted to remove citizen representatives from the transit commission and replace them with an advisory committee with no decision-making authority. That was the wrong call, made at the worst possible time, when public trust in OC Transpo was already at rock bottom. Riders deserve a direct voice in decision-making, not just occasional consultation after the fact. Restoring a citizen seat will bring lived experience back into the room and help rebuild the relationship between the system and the people who depend on it.

Campaign Commitment: Restore a citizen seat on the transit commission to strengthen accountability and ensure riders have a direct voice.

Rebuilding trust takes time. It starts with being honest about what’s broken and focused on results people can actually see. Ottawa can be a city that works again, with transit that gets you where you’re going, on time, without the anxiety. That is the standard we should be held to, and it is the one I will work to deliver.

Getting housing right is one of the most important things a mayor can do. Right now, we are not getting it right.

The federal deal on the table

The debate around Mayor Sutcliffe’s proposed federal housing partnership matters because it shows exactly how these decisions get made. No one doubts we need more deeply affordable housing, and that public investment will be required to get there. But we have to be honest about what we are agreeing to.

Under the proposed deal, the City of Ottawa would cover roughly half the cost of a new federal partnership, despite the federal government having far greater fiscal capacity. The city would waive parkland fees, eliminate property taxes on units close to market rent, waive millions in planning fees, and fast-track approvals with reduced public consultation. It would also remove the requirement to prioritize people already on the affordable housing waitlist.

In return, city taxpayers would commit between $200 and $245 million. Of the 600 to 800 units expected, only a portion would meet the city’s own definition of affordability. An even smaller share would be truly affordable for low-income households. At a time when the need is this acute, that is not good enough.

A city that works makes smart, disciplined choices about how public dollars are spent. If we are going to invest at this scale, the units have to deliver real affordability, not just rents slightly below market. Development charge relief should not apply to market units. Property tax exemptions should be reserved for housing that meets a strict definition of affordability, or tied to non-profit ownership where we know affordability will last.

Council should be sending the mayor back to the table to get better terms. A fair federal partnership means the federal government carries more of the cost. Our city is already under pressure on transit and infrastructure. A 50/50 split is not fair, and City Hall should say so.

Building more, keeping what we have

We also need to be honest that we are losing affordable housing faster than we are building it. When a private landlord sells a rental building, affordable units disappear overnight. City Council rejected a proposal to fund an acquisition strategy last year. That was the wrong call, and I will reverse it.

As mayor, I will work with non-profit providers like the Ottawa Community Land Trust to acquire rental buildings at risk before they are lost, invest in repairs, and keep them permanently affordable. Preventing a demoviction is cheaper and faster than replacing the unit it would have destroyed.

Campaign Commitment: Partner with non-profits and the Ottawa Community Land Trust to build an acquisition fund that preserves affordable rental housing and prevents demovictions.

On new construction, the goal has to be deeply affordable housing that stays affordable over the long term, not units that revert to market rent after a few years. Working with federal and provincial partners, I will set a target of 1,500 new non-profit homes per year, with the understanding that hitting that number requires all three levels of government pulling in the same direction. The city cannot get there alone, and any candidate who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.

Campaign Commitment: Set a target of 1,500 new non-profit homes per year in partnership with federal and provincial governments, prioritizing permanently affordable housing over time-limited affordability agreements.

Accountability for landlords

Most landlords do the right thing. But the system cannot rely on goodwill alone. Right now, the penalties for failing to maintain safe, livable housing are too low to change behaviour. I will increase fines and strengthen enforcement so that property standards rules actually mean something. Tenants should not have to live in unsafe conditions while waiting for a bylaw officer to show up and issue a fine that costs less than the repair.

Campaign Commitment: Strengthen property standards enforcement with higher fines for landlords who fail to maintain safe housing.

Our city can be a place people can afford to live in. But it will take a change in approach, a mayor willing to push back on bad deals, invest in what actually works, and hold people accountable for results. A city that works is one where people can find a home, keep a home, and build a life without constant financial pressure. That is the standard I will work to deliver.

Listening Across the City

The Listening Tour is about bringing together the full picture of Ottawa. What families are dealing with in Barrhaven is different from what people face in Vanier or Orléans. But the frustration is the same. People feel like the city isn’t working the way it should.

You see it in transit that doesn’t show up, in services that feel stretched, and in decisions that feel distant from people’s daily lives. You see it in how long it takes to get across the city, in whether your local park or community centre is maintained, and in whether people can afford to stay in the neighbourhoods they call home.

Fixing that requires more than a platform released at the end of a campaign. It requires listening across the city, understanding where experiences overlap and where they differ, and building a platform that reflects how people actually live.

Getting Started Early

In April, we’ll be knocking on doors across Ottawa, starting early and building momentum ahead of the campaign. We are not waiting. The work to win back City Hall starts now, with real conversations happening in neighbourhoods across the city, where trust is built and where this campaign will grow.

Our team is growing quickly. People from across Ottawa are stepping forward, some with campaign experience and many getting involved for the first time. There is a clear appetite for change, but also a desire to be part of building it.

Winning will depend on support across the entire city. Urban, suburban, and rural. People who follow municipal politics closely and people who have tuned it out. The campaign needs to reflect that if it is going to succeed, the work starts well before the formal campaign period.

A City That Works

The goal is not just to win, but to build a city that works. A city where transit is reliable, with buses that show up, run often enough to use, and get you where you need to go. A city built for people, where neighbourhoods have the services and public spaces that make daily life easier and bring communities together. And a City Hall that operates in the open, where decisions are clear, spending is transparent, and residents are a part of the decision process.

These priorities are coming directly from conversations across Ottawa, and they will continue to be shaped by what we hear in the weeks ahead as we visit communities across the city for Listening Tour 2.0. We will talk about what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. I hope you will join us.

Upcoming Listening Tour Stops

• Barrhaven – April 14

• Bells Corners – April 15

• Nepean– April 20

• Gloucester (Dominion City) – April 22

• Orléans – April 27

• Gloucester (Big Rig) – April 28

Building the Campaign

The response so far has been strong. We have hundreds of people already getting involved, organizing in their communities, and helping grow the campaign. We have built a large, dedicated team of experienced organizers from across Ottawa. People who know how campaigns are run and who are rooted in the communities they are working in.

People are looking for leadership that combines ideas with experience. Someone who understands how City Hall works, has spent time around the council table, and knows how to build consensus and work with others to get things done.

We are building a serious campaign, grounded in real conversations, with support growing across Ottawa. I hope you will be part of it.

Ontarians need to speak out now, before new regulations are released, to ensure the public delivery of water. We need to ensure that it’s never sold for profit, and to ensure direct public accountability for its safety.

What residents need to know is that Queen’s Park recently passed the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act. It lets the province create utility companies to deliver city water and wastewater services. They have the power to force those onto municipalities. Peel Region is set to become the pilot project. No one yet knows the rules under which it will operate. There’s no guarantee these new utilities will be publicly-owned.

Regulations – not law – will determine who can own these new utility companies. They will be incorporated under the Business Corporations Act. Ford’s government calls these “public corporations” and is at pains to say their goal is not privatization. But there’s nothing in the law guaranteeing public ownership.

Almost as alarmingly, these new utilities will be required to report only to the Minister their rate plans. There’s no provision in the law for an independent, public regulator. Today, your city council is directly answerable to residents for water rates. That would change dramatically under the new law.

We don’t need to belabour the danger of privatizing water production and delivery. Higher rates and less public oversight of safety are two very real risks.

Ford’s government may swear that their intent is never to privatize water. There is absolutely a legitimate discussion about how water and wastewater infrastructure gets built and paid for in Ontario cities. But if it was the government’s intent that these new utilities be publicly-owned, they could have written that into the law.

They didn’t.

The regulations aren’t yet final. It’s important that residents let their MPP know that new water utility companies must be 100% publicly owned. Rates must be set transparently and with direct accountability to the public.

Write to your MPP. Get your family and friends to write to theirs. Demand that regulations governing water and wastewater utilities require 100% public ownership. More, demand that the law be changed so that’s never up to the whim of the Premier or his minister.

P.S. If you’re looking for your local MPP’s contact information, you can find it online here.

But after years of austerity, we’ve let what should be the most vibrant neighbourhood in Ottawa disintegrate. Cultural institutions have come and gone, many residents now brush it off as an overpriced tourist attraction, and the polish from the Ottawa 2017 production has faded. All of this makes the refurbished Byward Market Revitalization Plan a tough pill to swallow.

Sure, there are important updates to local infrastructure and an attempt at expanding the public realm, but most of this plan was already in the works.

Is this really the best we can do? I don’t think it is.

When you break it down, a successful path to downtown revitalization has four key pillars.

Arts & Culture

Remember La Machine? For three days, thousands of Ottawans packed downtown streets for the performance of a lifetime. Not every event will be this big, but we need to return to the Market’s roots as a go-to spot for arts and culture. This means supporting public events with stable funding for programming, building more public performance spaces and getting serious about protecting our existing music venues in the market.

Public Consultation

When we explore downtown revitalization, we stack consultations with developers, business owners and government representatives. While we should absolutely consult anyone with skin in the game, we have failed to truly consult the community. Treating residents as key stakeholders is the first step to building a better Byward Market.

Accessibility

If we want people to visit the Market, we need to give them a way to get there. Increasing access to transit, through bus or LRT is essential, but we also need to ensure the sidewalks are maintained and usable for people using mobility devices. A people-first plan for transportation to, from and within the Market will make sure this is truly a city-wide asset.

Community Development

We need to address safety issues in the Byward Market, but to be successful, we must approach it holistically. We need stronger coordination with outreach services, but right now we’re missing real next steps for people accessing these services. This means we need to stop talking about making housing affordable and start building deeply affordable housing now.

Tomorrow, the Finance and Corporate Services Committee will vote on the Byward Market Revitalization Plan. It’s a good start, but if we’re looking at possibly spending millions on refurbishing a parking garage, we should also be able to put forward a real vision to make the Byward Market a people-focused place again.

I want to hear from you. What do you want to see in the Byward Market?

That’s where you come in.

We’re not hiding behind closed doors. Our campaign includes people from rural, suburban, and urban areas, seasoned pros and first-time volunteers, transit riders and drivers. If you want to join our campaign, you can sign up here. There’s only one prerequisite to joining our campaign: a desire to build a better city.

Join Team Leiper!

Ottawa can change direction. It won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But with the right leadership and enough people willing to fight for it, we can build a city that actually works.

Let’s get to work.

Patrick is a public servant living in Barrhaven. When his wife works night shifts, he takes transit so she can use the car. In January, he missed two meetings and was written up when his bus was among the 800 cancelled on a single day.

Caitlin manages a concert venue downtown, but most of her staff can’t afford to live nearby. Every Friday around 4:00, she gets anxious because the transit system is unreliable. When trips are cancelled at the last minute, she’s left without event support, and her staff go without pay.

Three people, three parts of the city, one common thread: a transit system that isn’t working. These aren’t one-off cases, it’s the everyday reality for tens of thousands of residents whose livelihoods depend on a system that has broken faith with them.

Technical explanations pile up like snowdrifts. Flaking metal inside wheel bearings, aging diesel fleets, supply chain delays and mechanic shortages. Memos read like engineering reports, clinically detached from what people in Ottawa face.

What’s missing is leadership that looks Ottawa residents in the eye and says: I understand what this is costing you, and here’s what we’re doing about it, starting today.

Real leadership means daily updates on fleet availability, not buried in weekly reports. It means transparency on what is happening. It means city leadership that rides the system regularly enough to understand what cancelling 800 bus trips in a single day actually means.

Toronto is exploring transit refunds when service falls below basic standards. GO Transit has had such a policy since 2013. When private businesses fail to deliver, customers get their money back. Why should public transit operate differently?

But refunds are only a start. What we need is leadership focused on preventing failure in the first place.

The immediate steps are straightforward. We purchased 50 new diesel buses arriving this year and 11 used buses from Kitchener-Waterloo. Get them on the road now. Be honest about whether our 2027 timeline for full electric conversion is realistic, or if we need more diesel capacity as a bridge. Treat mechanic recruitment like the crisis it is. The longer-term work means insisting on a fundamental redesign of these failing bearing assemblies with a timeline that is public and realistic.

Most importantly, it means visible, empathetic leadership. Élise, Patrick and Caitlin aren’t abstractions in a performance report. They’re people whose plans, jobs and relationships are being disrupted by a system that’s supposed to work.

Right now, every cancelled bus and packed train pushes more people toward a car they can’t afford in a city already choking on traffic. We’re building a city where driving becomes the only reliable option, where roads deteriorate under the weight of vehicles that should never have been necessary, where getting around compounds an affordability crisis already pricing people out. Transit failure doesn’t just hurt riders. It hurts everyone.

Ottawa needs leadership that treats this as an emergency demanding urgent action. We need leaders on platforms and in buses, experiencing what residents experience. We need someone willing to stand up and say the service is unacceptable, and here, specifically, is what changes tomorrow.

Ottawa deserves better than memos about bearing failures. We deserve a city that works.

P.S. I’m hosting my first open campaign meeting on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. If you want to be a part of fixing this city, RSVP here.