2022 Ottawa Municipal Election

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by GeoNerd

Well, I’m sorry you feel personally attacked. That is not my intention. You can’t gauge tone over text. We are allowed to disagree and have a spirited debate without one or both parties feeling offended. I guess that is a byproduct of the climate of our present day society.

Thank you for acknowledging this, apology accepted
I will be looking forward discussing topics with you

[GeoNerd]

Point is, you have scratched the surface of a much larger and growing issue. The sprawl in this region has now jumped the suburbs and is in the exurbs, where it can continue unencumbered. Carleton Place and Arnprior are two of the top 10 fastest growing communities in Canada. These residents are enjoying all the benefits of living near Ottawa, without contributing to it whatsoever. This is a major problem. The growing exurbs are going to be detrimental to Ottawa unless their growth is regulated. These small towns around the city were almost entirely farming communities or small industrial towns. The introduction of the mass-produced automobile allowed the suburbs and exurbs to flourish as commuter towns. Their growth has been allowed to continue unchecked for way too long. These suburbs/exurbs almost exclusively are subsidized by large cities, as they do not generate enough tax revenue to even support themselves. Then add in all the extra infrastructure the our city must build to get these residents in and out of the city that they don't even contribute to financially. Suburban and Exurban growth has been proven to be absolutely detrimental to our cities financially and environmentally. We know we cannot continue to grow this way. Ottawa needs provincial policies put in place to control regional sprawl beyond its borders, such as the A Place to Grow plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Clogged city streets aren't necessarily bad for the local economy. Clogged streets force people out of cars and onto public transit. If driving a personal car is easier, cheaper, and faster than there is almost no incentives to take public transit. Hence congestion charges being enacted in cities around the globe. The worlds best cities are densely populated with streets that are built for active transportation.

If you're coming from Rockland you do pass 6 park ands ride locations in Orleans on your way into the city. If you're coming from another area of Clarence-Rockland you might need to make a slight detour to get to one, but there are many options. If we tolled the highways and bridges coming into the city, it would drastically change the mindset of our commuters.

The gas-tax argument has been proven false many times. The vast majority of streets within the city are paid for by municipal taxes. You are not being a good citizen doing your civic duty by purchasing gasoline and burning it in a combustion engine to commute into the city.

For inner-city residents to be NIMBY's for wanting to be able to safely walk, cycle, and exist in their own neighbourhoods, it would imply that their neighbourhoods have always been designed as commuter routes for suburbanites. Which is not the case. The NIMBY argument simply does not apply here. So when we hear people that live 50km outside the city, talking about how we shouldn't create pedestrian based streets in our neighbourhood because it may further restrict THEIR commute through our neighbourhood, into our city, you might see why we get a bit defensive.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

-I'm not gonna lecture you on the meaning of NIMBYism, but not wanting people commuting in your local area is exactly saying "not in my backyard".
The whole truck traffic on King Edward/Nicholas is a result of Rockcliffe's NIMBYism towards Vanier Parkway.

I don't think you understand what counts as NIMBYism if you think residents wanting to make their neighbourhoods better for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users instead of a high trafficked route for suburban/ rural residents getting into the city. Our quality of life does not need to be sacrificed they can get their cake and eat it (which has been going on for the better part of a century) - and opposing car commuters passing through our communities is not NIMBYism.

NIMBYism there are two main components to NIMBYism: hypocrisy and opposing things that are good. Nimbies normally support whatever they oppose, but they don't want to see it in their area - they want it done elsewhere where it doesn't affect them. They may support an LRT or subway line being built, but they don't want it running through their neighbourhood. The second is thst the thing they oppose is usually a good or much needed thing, and that advocating against it has a negative impact on other people (and themselves). There's nothing wrong with building denser housing, social housing, mixed-use areas, bike infrastructure or public transportation; in fact, these things are demonstrably beneficial and what should be built. But they don't want it for a variety of poorly thought-out and selfish reasons. Opposing a section of your neighbourhood being demolished to run a highway through it is not NIMBYism as we know that doing such things is actually terrible (on a humanistic level and thanks to studies over decades on an urban planning and financial level).

In most urban wards, we are fighting to get bike lanes built and improved the pedestrian realm, but we can't because the City and suburbanites block funding and projects because it affects their ability to drive from the suburbs to downtown or urban neighbourhoods. Our commercial streets (and side streets) all have street side parking and some parking garages for them to use their cars, and the roads are built for those cars at the expense of cyclists, pedestrians and transit users. Studies find thst most traffic on Bank and Richmond Road and Wellington are not people driving to the shops, but are commuters go from their owns outside of the city downtown. We built infrastructure and gave over space in these areas for car traffic! And this is in addition to parallel routes like highways, parkways, and extra wide roads like Scott and Carling. Us trying to stop this traffic to improve our quality of life isn't NIMBYism as we're opposing bad things to make things better.

That said, the Rockcliffe park people opposing allowing trucks on the parkway Instead of going downtown was NIMBYism because routing trucks on that parkway did not negatively affect them and would dramatically improve downtown. But that's different than my paragraph above and the things Jane Jacobs did in New York and Toronto.

And you are wrong in saying people live outside the city to "avoid" paying municipal taxes. Do you actually know the actual tax rate for Clarence-Rockland? The residential part is contributing way more to the municipal budget than the Ottawa's residents because Clarence-Rockland doesn't have as much industries and commercial.

You said this in a previous post, which is incorrect. In fact, Clarence-Rockland is not located in Ottawa, and thus your taxes do not go to the City of Ottawa, but to your own municipality. Secondly, a study came out a few years ago showing the amount of taxes collected per ward versus how much they get back from the City, and it found that urban wards pay more in taxes than other neighbourhoods, but get less back because they're subsidizing suburbs and exurbs. Carleton Place (or was it Carp) got back 3 times more than they contribute in taxes. So, you in your separate municipality as well as suburban, exurb. rural people are not paying more and subsidizing us in the actual city.

Could you please clarify how a resident of a municipality outside of Ottawa's municipality not only pays taxes to the City of Ottawa but pays more than us in Ottawa. Perhaps you're mixing up paying the federal government taxes for paying taxes to the City of Ottawa?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

I don't think you understand what counts as NIMBYism if you think residents wanting to make their neighbourhoods better for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users instead of a high trafficked route for suburban/ rural residents getting into the city. Our quality of life does not need to be sacrificed they can get their cake and eat it (which has been going on for the better part of a century) - and opposing car commuters passing through our communities is not NIMBYism.

NIMBYism there are two main components to NIMBYism: hypocrisy and opposing things that are good. Nimbies normally support whatever they oppose, but they don't want to see it in their area - they want it done elsewhere where it doesn't affect them. They may support an LRT or subway line being built, but they don't want it running through their neighbourhood. The second is thst the thing they oppose is usually a good or much needed thing, and that advocating against it has a negative impact on other people (and themselves). There's nothing wrong with building denser housing, social housing, mixed-use areas, bike infrastructure or public transportation; in fact, these things are demonstrably beneficial and what should be built. But they don't want it for a variety of poorly thought-out and selfish reasons. Opposing a section of your neighbourhood being demolished to run a highway through it is not NIMBYism as we know that doing such things is actually terrible (on a humanistic level and thanks to studies over decades on an urban planning and financial level).

In most urban wards, we are fighting to get bike lanes built and improved the pedestrian realm, but we can't because the City and suburbanites block funding and projects because it affects their ability to drive from the suburbs to downtown or urban neighbourhoods. Our commercial streets (and side streets) all have street side parking and some parking garages for them to use their cars, and the roads are built for those cars at the expense of cyclists, pedestrians and transit users. Studies find thst most traffic on Bank and Richmond Road and Wellington are not people driving to the shops, but are commuters go from their owns outside of the city downtown. We built infrastructure and gave over space in these areas for car traffic! And this is in addition to parallel routes like highways, parkways, and extra wide roads like Scott and Carling. Us trying to stop this traffic to improve our quality of life isn't NIMBYism as we're opposing bad things to make things better.

That said, the Rockcliffe park people opposing allowing trucks on the parkway Instead of going downtown was NIMBYism because routing trucks on that parkway did not negatively affect them and would dramatically improve downtown. But that's different than my paragraph above and the things Jane Jacobs did in New York and Toronto.



You said this in a previous post, which is incorrect. In fact, Clarence-Rockland is not located in Ottawa, and thus your taxes do not go to the City of Ottawa, but to your own municipality. Secondly, a study came out a few years ago showing the amount of taxes collected per ward versus how much they get back from the City, and it found that urban wards pay more in taxes than other neighbourhoods, but get less back because they're subsidizing suburbs and exurbs. Carleton Place (or was it Carp) got back 3 times more than they contribute in taxes. So, you in your separate municipality as well as suburban, exurb. rural people are not paying more and subsidizing us in the actual city.

Could you please clarify how a resident of a municipality outside of Ottawa's municipality not only pays taxes to the City of Ottawa but pays more than us in Ottawa. Perhaps you're mixing up paying the federal government taxes for paying taxes to the City of Ottawa?

So basically it's only NIMBYism if you agree with the project. Kind of like Disruptive protest is only for causes we agree with.

Personally I would dismantle the 417, remove all height limits, watch real estate post pandemic collapse in the suburbs and especially exurbs. But we live in a democracy and most voters want more roads and leafy suburbs.

We need to decide things at the city level. Roads, rail or rows of embassies.

[OTSkyline]

Growth in the exurbs isn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as these communities are well equipped and can handle the growth and can offer enough services to become self-sustaining communities.

If most people in Rockland or Carleton Place can also shop, work there and do most activities but come to the city on occasion for special or larger events, visit cultural institutions, specialty stores, etc.. I don't see anything wrong with that.

If those places can't handle the growth and everyone moving there is also working downtown Ottawa, then it's a slightly different story. Hence why we should always make sure that new communities are "15-min" neighbourhood-oriented... good mix of residential, commercial, industrial, parks, etc.

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

I don't think you understand what counts as NIMBYism...

I'll reiterate, I said I was happy it wasn't pedestrianized on that specific day. (sharing an emotion).
Did I say it should remain open for someone's commute? No
Did I say it should remain open for the road network? I said perhaps it should. Not for me, but for the economy of the city. I said closing down a street has repercussions, and we need to study the repercussions before making a decision in that direction. Stop making this about my commute.

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

You said this in a previous post, which is incorrect. In fact, Clarence-Rockland is not located in Ottawa, and thus your taxes do not go to the City of Ottawa, but to your own municipality.

Yes, my municipal taxes are going to my own municipality. My argument was toward the word "avoid". This would imply not having to pay or pay less. But when you look at it on an individual budget basis, the amount of money allocated to taxes, regardless of which municipality it is, is still money coming out of the bank account. I was saying, someone living elsewhere is still paying municipal taxes, maybe not to the city of Ottawa, but still giving some money out. But the tax rates between municipalities varies because of their own context, and a person living in Clarence-Rockland might have a higher tax rate than someone in Ottawa. So saying someone is moving outside the city to avoid paying Ottawa taxes, is like saying someone is moving out to pay more. That's all.[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

Could you please clarify how a resident of a municipality outside of Ottawa's municipality not only pays taxes to the City of Ottawa but pays more than us in Ottawa. Perhaps you're mixing up paying the federal government taxes for paying taxes to the City of Ottawa?

I totally agree with you that my municipal taxes are not going at all to the city of Ottawa. That was never implied. The only ways someone outside the city can contribute to the city budget is through its economy. When you work in an office downtown, the office pays municipal taxes through property taxes or included indirectly in its rent. when you go to restaurants, cafés, stores, gyms, you contribute to the financial success of all these individual businesses who in turn pays municipal taxes. Some of these only exist because of the commuters, and would have to shut down their doors. (I've seen the difference downtown with a bunch of businesses closing down because of the WFH). Also, when someone takes a membership or uses municipal facilities like a public pool, they are contributing directly to the city budget.

Perhaps it is an insignificant number, but it is still a contribution.

In my point of view, the city should stop financing projects that bring public transportation further and further away from the core. Neighborhoods along Montreal road, St-Laurent boulevard, Baseline, Carling, Walkley deserve way more a subway/LRT system than suburbs.

I'm also against the new planned neighborhood between Anderson, Boundary, Leitrim area. Why built even more city infrastructure while we should fix and improve the existing one?

I agree sprawl is a massive massive massive issue here. BUT you can't expect everybody to live in the urban center of the city. It is currently just not available. There isn't enough housing in the core available on the market. And what is available is over half a million dollars on average. Maybe it is affordable for some who have 2 incomes and good jobs. But it is out of reach for a lot of people.

If closing down street to make them pedestrian is the peak of life quality, we should make them all pedestrian like some old European cities. Reserve certain hours of the day for local deliveries, and allow emergency vehicles only. But this would reshape the city entirely and will decentralize lots of the businesses. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, nor a good one. However it is a drastic change in the city and it will have massive repercussion. It might remove commuters because it is too complicated and demanding to reach the core, but it wont stop sprawl. The more complicated it is to reach a neighborhood, the more chances a new business town center is created elsewhere in an endless cycle.

We can't just point fingers at things and say they are problems, lets make their life a pain for simply existing. We have to get to the root cause. Blaming sprawl on commuters is a very superficial approach that will never fix the issue. Saying someone is looking for a certain quality of life is not the issue here. The issue is the unavailability of this quality of life in the core. It does exist, but it is out of reach for a lot of people. So we should ask ourselves, how can we bring these aspects in the core and make it "available" and accessible to everyone?

[waterloowarrior]

Keith Egli is not running in 2022
https://twitter.com/KeithEgli/status/1516813881255079939

[Richard Eade]

So, as of now:
Cathy Curry - Running;
Allan Hubley - Running;
Keith Egli - NOT Running;
Jim Watson - NOT Running.

Who else has officially said what they are doing? I know that there are expectations for several folks, but what has actually been confirmed by them?

[J.OT13]

Jean Cloutier - Not Running
Scott Moffatt - Not Running

And of course we have McKenney and Deans running for Mayor. That's at least six new faces on Council.

Didn't realize Cathy Curry was running. Not surprised though. If Council appoints someone to replace a elected Councillor stepping down, one of the pre-requisites should be that they do not plan on running in the next election, otherwise it gives them an unfair advantage.

[waterloowarrior]

https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections...s-and-registered-third-party-advertisers

Tierney, Kitts, and Luloff have submitted for re-election so far.

[rocketphish]

SweaterBob has some early competition. So far the Mayoral race is a choice between the 3 B's (Brandon, Bob and Bernard). Isn't it usually the people that don't have a realistic chance who register first?

https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections...third-party-advertisers#candidates-mayor

[rocketphish]

Municipal election campaigns open as Bob Chiarelli follows through with mayoral entry
The ballot for city council and school board elections won't be finalized until after Nomination Day on Aug. 19.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
May 02, 2022 • 0 minutes ago • 4 minute read

Ottawa’s municipal election campaign kicked off Monday for candidates eager to start fundraising and spending money on their bids for office.

Municipal campaigns are notoriously long for candidates who jump at the first opportunity to file their nomination papers. The 2022 municipal election isn’t until Oct. 24.

Even the runway for candidates to file nomination papers is long.

The ballot for city council and school board elections won’t be finalized until after Nomination Day on Aug. 19, which means even people who signed up Monday still have more than three months to reconsider their candidacies.

The city’s election website is recording who has signed up to be a candidate as staff at the elections office on Cyrville Road receive nomination forms.

Here are five things to watch over the campaign.

The race for mayor

Bob Chiarelli signed up Monday as he attempts a return to city hall after being away from politics for four years. Before he was a cabinet minister in the previous Liberal provincial government, Chiarelli was the first mayor of the amalgamated City of Ottawa and the last chair of the former Ottawa-Carleton region. He has been talking about running for mayor for months.

With Mayor Jim Watson not seeking re-election after 12 years in charge, the race to succeed him is wide open and there should be some more familiar faces making the trip to the city’s elections office on Cyrville Road over the coming weeks.

Diane Deans and Catherine McKenney, both current city councillors, were quick to announce their intentions to run for mayor in December when Watson confirmed it was his last term. Another councillor to watch is Mathieu Fleury, who has been open about his interest in the mayor’s job.

No campaign is official until candidates file their election papers.

For politically seasoned candidates, they will have pinpointed the best time to register and announce their entries. There’s a lot of news commanding residents’ attention this month, including the June 2 provincial election.

New ward, new ward names, many new faces

A 25th member of council will take a seat around the horseshoe when the 2022-2026 term begins in November. One additional ward has been added in the Barrhaven area, bringing the total number of wards to 24.

Voters might not recognize the names of several wards during the campaign, such as Orléans-East Cumberland, Orléans West-Innes, Orléans South-Navan, Rideau-Jock, Riverside South-Findlay Creek, Barrhaven West and Barrhaven East.

During the last process to redraw ward boundaries, the city changed some of the ward names to better reflect the geography of the voting areas.

With some councillors eyeing the mayor’s chair, others declining to seek re-election and the addition of a ward, there could be eight or more new faces on council in November.

Candidates’ decisions on developer contributions

This is the second municipal election that doesn’t allow campaign contributions from corporations and unions under provincial law, but it’s still a hot issue in local government.

Ottawa residents are more aware of land developer influence than ever, especially coming out of an official plan process that ended with an expanded urban boundary and new intensification targets.

Development firms can’t give money to municipal election campaigns, but Ontario residents who own or work for companies are free to contribute as regular citizens.

There have been candidates in the past who have chosen to decline campaign contributions from people associated with the development industry, but it’s a personal decision for each candidate.

Those decisions could be closely monitored by voters as they assess who to send to council as their community representatives.

Will third-party campaigns catch on?

One remarkable tool hardly used through Ottawa’s 2018 municipal election and subsequent byelections was the third-party advertiser.

A third-party advertiser — someone who’s not a candidate — can register with the city’s elections office to support or oppose a campaign.

It’s a potentially powerful influencing tool since corporations and unions, along with regular citizens, are allowed to register as a third-party advertiser and spend money on delivering their messages.

Third-party advertisers were allowed to register starting Monday and the registration period lasts until Oct. 21. Their advertising activities can continue until the close of voting on Oct. 24.

There is nothing that prevents candidates’ family members or close friends from registering as third-party advertisers.

And while candidates can’t accept contributions from corporations or unions, third-party advertisers can take those contributions.

Four years of election fever

Ontario municipalities aren’t in an ideal position having to hold their elections only months after a provincial election.

Election fatigue is something that municipal candidates in 2018 reported after speaking with residents in the period between the June provincial election and the October municipal vote that year.

A similar double-whammy will happen in 2022.

Many municipal campaigns might not kick into gear until after the provincial election in June, even if candidates sign up in May, just to avoid confusion at the doors.

There have been several elections in Ottawa since 2018. The city has gone through two byelections, plus a council appointment process, to fill vacant seats. There were federal elections in 2019 and 2021.

In Ottawa’s 2018 municipal election, 42.5 per cent of eligible voters made a selection for mayor.

An anything-can-happen mayoral race could boost the turnout in 2022.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...relli-follows-through-with-mayoral-entry

[rocketphish]

Candidates can now register for the most important city election in a decade
Voters will elect a new mayor and at least 7 new councillors

Joanne Chianello · CBC News
Posted: May 02, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 2

Ontario's provincial election may be just a month away, but for many local public officials and politician-wannabes looking down the road to this fall's municipal election, Monday is the day they've been waiting for.

Nominations open at 8:30 a.m. and even though the local election isn't until Oct. 24, the city's elections office on Cyrville Road is booked solid with appointments with would-be candidates eager to file their nomination papers and pay their fees.

Candidates aren't allowed to spend a single cent on their campaigns until they register, so the sooner they sign up, the sooner they can begin printing pamphlets, ordering lawn signs and holding fundraisers.

Nominations don't close until Aug. 19, but for those trying to unseat incumbents or vying for a seat in an open race, getting an early start on campaigning is key.

Indeed, with almost a third of council members already declaring they're leaving their current seat, this year's campaign is shaping up to be far more interesting — and set to have bigger ramifications — than the last couple of races.

Perhaps most importantly, this is the first year in more than a decade that Jim Watson won't be running for mayor.

Back in 2010, he was the expected favourite when he ran against incumbent Larry O'Brien — who led a tumultuous four years which included his influence peddling trial, for which he was found not guilty.

In a field of 20 candidates, Watson picked up almost half the votes that year in a decisive victory.

Facing little real competition in the next two elections, Watson won both with landslides, chalking up more than 70 per cent of the votes in each of those races.

Now that Watson is stepping away from municipal politics, the leadership of this city is wide open.

The change that a new mayor will bring can't be understated.

Watson was unique in recent history for his ability to win a majority of councillors to his side of virtually every argument. Detractors nicknamed his council supporters "The Watson Club," even though Watson's hold on council is thought be the envy of other politicians.

A new mayor may take the city in a new direction — lower transit fares? Higher taxes? Who knows! — and may not have as easy a time winning over their council colleagues.

Already two council members have announced they intend to run for mayor, although neither Diane Deans nor Catherine McKenney are expected to register this week.

But a municipal blast from the past is: former regional chai, mayor and provincial Liberal cabinet minister Bob Chiarelli has an appointment Monday morning to file his nomination papers.

There will be some significant changes around the rest of the council table.

With Deans and McKenney running for mayor, constituents in their respective wards of Gloucester-Southgate and Somerset will be electing new representatives.

Jan Harder, who's represented Barrhaven since 1997, has said she won't be running again. As well, 2022 will see an additional ward added to represent the fast-growing Barrhaven community called Barrhaven East.

After 12 years on council, Keith Egli of Knoxdale-Merivale and Scott Moffatt of rural Ward 21 — it's getting a new name soon — have also said they're not putting their names on the 2022 ballot.

And Alta Vista ward, held for two terms by Jean Cloutier, will also be incumbent-free in this fall's election.

That's seven open wards so far, without counting those who haven't decided if they're running again and incumbents who might lose their seats.

Different faces around the council table may have very different outcomes for this city.

Will a new council still be on board for the $5-billion LRT Stage 3 extension? What will the next set of local politicians do to revitalize the downtown post-pandemic? Or address the housing and climate emergencies that the current council has declared?

What about the $332-million proposal to upgrade Lansdowne Park announced last week?

This month, the current council will decide whether to approve spending $8 million to work on, among other things, a formal funding strategy to replace the stadium's north-side stands and arena.

But the go or no-go decision will be made next year by the group of people we elect this October. They might go ahead with the plan, scrap it entirely or change it significantly.

Who we elect to city hall matters, as our recent experience with the Freedom Convoy has reminded us. There hasn't been a more important municipal election in years. And it starts today.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/municipal-election-first-day-nominations-1.6437748

[rocketphish]

Catherine McKenney files papers to run for mayor of Ottawa
Municipal election candidates have until Aug. 19 to file their nomination papers. The municipal election is on Oct. 24.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
May 03, 2022 • 24 minutes ago • 1 minute read

Catherine McKenney joined Ottawa’s mayoral race on Tuesday.

McKenney, who has been the councillor for Somerset ward since 2014, visited the city’s elections office to make their candidacy official after announcing in December they would seek the city’s top job.

During the current term of council, McKenney has been the liaison for housing and homelessness issues.

Bob Chiarelli, the former Liberal MPP and the first mayor of the amalgamated City of Ottawa, was among the first mayoral candidates to register when nominations opened on Monday.

There were three other mayoral candidates registered as of 4 p.m. Tuesday: Brandon Bay, Bernard Couchman and Graham MacDonald.

Mayor Jim Watson is not seeking re-election.

Municipal election candidates have until Aug. 19 to file their nomination papers for positions on city council and school boards.

The municipal election is on Oct. 24.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-files-papers-to-run-for-mayor-of-ottawa

[rocketphish]

Mathieu Fleury not seeking re-election in Rideau-Vanier
Fleury also not running for mayor

CBC News
Posted: May 10, 2022 7:13 AM ET | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury has decided not to run in this fall's municipal election.

"It's time for me to find new ways to contribute to the future of our city — at least for now," he wrote in French in a message sent Monday night to a mailing list of supporters.

Born in Ottawa, the former student of Francojeunesse elementary school, Franco-Cité Catholic high school and the University of Ottawa was elected city councillor in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

"I won't be far; I am not going anywhere. Ottawa is my hometown and I am determined to help shape our exceptional community up in new ways," he wrote.

Fleury chairs Ottawa Community Housing's board of directors and is a member of the transportation and community and protective services committees. He is also a member of the Ottawa Board of Health and the Ottawa Sport Council.

Elsewhere around the council table, Mayor Jim Watson, Jean Cloutier of Alta Vista, Jan Harder of Barrhaven, Keith Egli of Knoxdale-Merivale and Scott Moffatt of rural Ward 21 — it's getting a new name soon — are not seeking re-election.

And with Diane Deans and Catherine McKenney running for mayor, the races in Gloucester-Southgate and Somerset will also have no incumbent.

This year will also see a new councillor for the newly created ward of Barrhaven East.

Taken together, there will be at least nine new faces at the council table later this fall.

The municipal election takes place Oct. 24.

With files from Radio-Canada

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mathieu-fleury-not-running-2022-1.6447569

[J.OT13]

Wasn't expecting that. Maybe he wants to move on from being a Councillor, but did not want to split the votes with McKenney. Should they not succeed in their bid for the Mayor's chair, I could see Fleury make a come-back in 2026.

[Marshsparrow]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Wasn't expecting that. Maybe he wants to move on from being a Councillor, but did not want to split the votes with McKenney. Should they not succeed in their bid for the Mayor's chair, I could see Fleury make a come-back in 2026.

Suspect he will align for next federal election...

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's mayoralty contest is in desperate need of fresh faces
It’s a dismal situation for Ottawa voters looking for a fresh start at city hall after so many years of Jim Watson as mayor.

Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen
May 10, 2022 • 10 hours ago • 3 minute read

Apparently being mayor of Ottawa is so unattractive that no one but a couple of veteran politicos and a few folks you’ve never heard of are willing to give it a try.

A two-person fight between a former mayor and a current councillor doesn’t sound terrible in theory, but the specifics are not encouraging. Bob Chiarelli last ran for mayor in 2006, when he came third with just over 15 per cent of the vote. He’s 80 and will be 81 by the time of the election. Chiarelli did have a post-municipal life as a provincial politician, but it’s a long time since he has been tested in a city-wide election. There’s just a chance that things might have changed a bit since Chiarelli last sat in the mayor’s chair.

Catherine McKenney, the councillor from Somerset ward, is at least up to date on current city business, but the councillor hasn’t shown much interest in the suburban or rural parts of the city. McKenney’s downtown, progressive point of view will be a hard sell outside the core and, if elected, McKenney would have difficulty getting majority support on most issues at council.

Coun. Diane Deans has said she will run, although she hadn’t officially registered by press time. Deans has a bit of a habit of musing about running and then not doing it. Her stock wasn’t helped by the mess she made of replacing Peter Sloly as police chief.

The hope for a more attractive candidate faded when Coun. Mathieu Fleury announced Tuesday that he will not run for mayor and will be leaving politics, at least for now.

Faced with this meagre choice, a bipartisan group of community leaders has been searching for a candidate who can give voters a better option. So far, no one has been willing to come forward. That doesn’t say much for us as a community, if we can’t even flesh out the field with a moderate, credible candidate.

It’s a dismal situation for Ottawa voters looking for a fresh start at city hall after so many years of Jim Watson as mayor. In the past, we explained away the lack of a vigorous contest for mayor by saying that people just weren’t willing to run against Watson, a tough-to-beat incumbent. What’s our excuse now?

Part of the problem is the perceived nature of the job. The term “job” doesn’t really capture it. Being mayor of Ottawa isn’t just a job and it shouldn’t be a career. It’s the best opportunity any of us could have to make our city a better place to live and work. The mayor has far more direct influence over our lives than MPs, MPPs, the heads of community boards and those who run our largest businesses.

Sure, there are political realities that a new mayor will have to deal with. Some potential candidates, especially those used to running something, say it’s not for them because of the challenge of herding councillors with differing points of view. The fact is, many on council are followers. They need a leader.

The tone on this council hasn’t been good, with too much animosity. The new mayor can fix that by setting a better example. There are lots of meetings to attend and reports to read, but that’s hardly unique in a senior position. Some potential candidates might make more than the $189,000 the mayor earns, but no one is going to starve on that salary.

The next mayor doesn’t need to exhibit the 24/7 devotion to the job that Watson has. People understand that a mayor has a family and other obligations. It’s the quality of what you accomplish on the job that counts, not how many hours you put in.

Governing our own city is a collective responsibility. If a senior level of government took away our right to choose our mayor, we’d be furious, but we are treating the most important job in the city with indifference. It’s time to step up.

Randall Denley is an Ottawa political commentator and author. Contact him at [email protected]

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/denley...test-is-in-desperate-need-of-fresh-faces

[OTSkyline]

That's too bad, I was hoping Fleury would put in his name for mayor.

I am optimistic though about the amount of changes and turnover which will seem to happen with this new election. Some fresh blood and fresh faces would go a long way to shake things up in this City (which has been plagued with the same conservative and visionless naysayers for far too long).

[Harley613]

So if we assume most of Fleury's 11 votes in our poll would now choose McKenny, and I think that's a fair assumption to make, then McKenny wins the SSP Ottawa Municipal election in an even more MASSIVE landslide.

Let's just hope the suburban voters who want more Stroads, strip malls, and cookie cutter million dollar houses in cornfields don't ruin this election.