Cities

Candidates in Ottawa's Kitchissippi ward debate transit, safety and housing

The four contenders for the open council seat all named improving public transit as their top priority for the first year in office.

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

OTTAWA — Housing, public safety and especially transit emerged as top issues when all four city council candidates for Kitchissippi ward took the stage at Invest Ottawa headquarters Wednesday night in their second and final debate before the municipal election.

With three-term councillor Jeff Leiper running for mayor, Ward 15 voters will elect a new councillor Oct. 26.

The race is between former Ottawa Citizen and CBC journalist Joanne Chianello, community activist Xavier Commerford, former community association president Brian Innes and real estate manager and AI startup entrepreneur Subhir Uppal.

The two-hour debate was streamed online, with dozens also showing up in person to ask the candidates questions.

Asked about their top priority in their first year if elected, all four candidates named public transit.

"We've created this transit death spiral where fewer people take the transit, revenues suffer and cuts continue," said Commerford, who blamed the city's "New Ways to Bus" initiative and pledged to reverse it.

"Making [transit] reliable is going to take a while, but we can make it affordable almost immediately," Chianello said.

"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."

Uppal promoted distance-based fares that determine price based on how far a passenger travels, 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."

Innes said he would prioritize reliability, especially where the ward's main bus routes are concerned, and said progress should be carefully tracked.

"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."

On the topic of public safety, Innes said he would expand community policing.

"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."

Uppal said more police could help alongside other options like the ANCHOR mental health crisis program, but housing is also key.

"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 for improving public safety including helping people find and keep their own homes, making use of 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 pointed to Ottawa's high unemployment rate, and said he would increase investments 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," he said.

Your Space Hamilton reported in October that candidates in a Scarborough Southwest ward also debated public transit, road safety and affordable housing at a community meeting.

With files from CBC News