Cities

Transit, safety and housing dominate final Kitchissippi ward council debate

The four candidates vying for the open seat all named improving public transit as their top first-year priority.

By Erin Kowalski, Editor-in-Chief
October 15, 2026

OTTAWA · Transit, public safety and housing emerged as the top issues when all four candidates for Kitchissippi ward took the stage for their second and final debate Wednesday night. With three-term councillor Jeff Leiper running for mayor, Ward 15 voters will elect a new councillor on Oct. 26. The race is between former journalist Joanne Chianello, community activist Xavier Commerford, former community association president Brian Innes and real estate manager Subhir Uppal. The two-hour debate was streamed online and attended in person by dozens of residents.

Asked about their top priority in their first year if elected, all four candidates named public transit. Xavier Commerford blamed the city's "New Ways to Bus" initiative for creating a "transit death spiral where fewer people take the transit, revenues suffer and cuts continue," and pledged to reverse it. Joanne Chianello said making transit reliable would take time but affordability could be addressed sooner. "One thing I would like to see is working on making, perhaps for example, youth fares permanently free, [making] sure that seniors' fares remain affordable," she said.

Subhir Uppal promoted implementing distance-based fares, similar to systems in London and Singapore. "We should pay for how much transit we use," he said. "I'm not saying we're charging suburban wards more fare. I'm saying we're charging urban wards less fare." Brian Innes said he would prioritize reliability on the ward's main bus routes and set a clear target. "I want to see 90 per cent performance within six months, and I'll ask questions at [the] transportation committee. I'll ask staff why we can't get to 90 per cent," Innes said.

On public safety, Innes said he would expand a community policing model. "Where we have a constable who knows ... the people and to know the areas where we live. It's a proactive policing model that I want to see expanded," he said. Uppal said more police could help alongside programs like the ANCHOR mental health crisis response, but stressed that housing is also key to safety. "If people have a dignified way to live and have safe space, they're less likely to do dangerous things out in public," he said.

Chianello pointed to a range of options including helping people find and keep homes, using the ANCHOR program and bringing in more local police resources. "These are not conflicting goals, helping people in crisis and making our streets safer. These are part of the same problem," she said. Commerford linked safety to Ottawa's high unemployment rate, pledging to increase investment in job-creating projects. "If we fail to do that then of course they're going to have crime, of course we're going to have safety issues because we haven't provided those opportunities," Commerford said.

With files from CBC News