Ottawa voters head to the polls on Monday to select the city’s mayor, city councillors, and school board trustees. A total of 181 candidates are competing for positions at Ottawa City Hall and across four local school boards.
CTV News Ottawa will provide live coverage and results online once polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Here are eight key things to know about the upcoming municipal election:
1. Voting Hours & Locations
- Polling stations will be open across all city wards from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday.
- Voters can locate their assigned polling station by checking their Voter Notification Letter, contacting an Elections Ottawa officer, or using the “Where Do I Vote?” tool on
ottawa.ca/vote.
2. Early Voting & Turnout Statistics
- Approximately 10 per cent of eligible voters have already cast their ballots prior to election day.
- 59,093 votes were cast during Advance Voting Day on Oct. 16.
- 27,553 votes were cast during Special Advance Voting (Oct. 1–4).
- 2,957 mail-in ballots were received by the Oct. 16 deadline.
- As of Sept. 20, Ottawa had 868,248 registered eligible voters. Overall voter turnout in the 2022 election was 43.79 per cent.
3. The Mayoral Race
Fourteen candidates are listed on the ballot for mayor of Ottawa:
- Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe is seeking a second term after securing 51 per cent of the vote in 2022.
- Key challengers include three-term Kitchissippi councillor Jeff Leiper, businessman Alex Lawson, and economist/community organizer Neil Saravanamuttoo.
- Other candidates running for mayor: Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, Zed Chebib, Bernard Couchman, Suraj Harish, Geoff Nicholas, Josh Rachlis, Ali Shayvard, Jacob Solomon, Amjad Ali Syed, and Peter Westaway.
4. Wards Guaranteed New Representation
At least two wards will have new councillors following Monday’s vote:
- Stittsville: Two-term incumbent Glen Gower is not seeking re-election. Nine candidates are running: Marie-Ange Yindaki Ahinful, Kevin Hua, Tanya Hein, Paul Meek, Devin Michael Fitzgerald O’Brien, Sheetal Narwal, Theresa Qadri, Mani Sharma, and Chelsea Walton.
- Kitchissippi: Incumbent Jeff Leiper is running for mayor. Four candidates are on the ballot: Joanne Chianello, Xavier Commerford, Brian Innes, and Subhir Uppal.
5. Notable Councillor Races to Watch
- West Carleton-March: Incumbent Clarke Kelly (who won by just 242 votes in 2022) is challenged by Christine Harrison and Dylan Nose.
- Knoxdale-Merivale: Incumbent Sean Devine faces challenges from Anna Ielo-Tal (endorsed by several sitting councillors) and Cole Fraser Jones.
- Rideau-Vanier: Incumbent Stephanie Plante faces a six-way race including OCDSB trustee Lyra Evans, Eric Smith, Brian Paquette, Michael Karl Sewanaku, and Julia Fiala Chartrand.
- Kanata South: Incumbent Allan Hubley is seeking a fifth term against 2022 runner-up Erin Coffin, Megan Strazds-Esenbergs, and Sam Bhalesar.
6. Candidates Acclaimed Prior to Voting
Several candidates face no competition and are guaranteed election:
- City Council: Coun. Riley Brockington (River Ward, 4th term) and Coun. David Brown (Rideau-Jock, 2nd term) have been acclaimed as no opponents registered. This is only the second time since Ottawa’s amalgamation that councillors have been acclaimed (previously in 2003).
- School Board: Eight candidates across the Ottawa Catholic School Board and Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est were acclaimed.
7. Elected Official Salaries
- Mayor of Ottawa: $213,921 annually.
- City Councillor: $119,620 annually.
8. School Board Trustees & New Governance Rules
- Residents will vote for trustees across four school boards (English Public, English Catholic, French Catholic, and French Public).
- New governance rules cap trustee honoraria at a maximum of $10,000, limit discretionary expenses, and require trustees to pay for certain external organization memberships out-of-pocket.
- Provincial Supervision Note: Education Minister Paul Calandra announced that newly elected trustees for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) will not be reinstated immediately, and the OCDSB will remain under provincial supervision following the election.
