5 issues important to Ottawa this election

It's still early in the federal election campaign, but — provided they've been listening — national leaders and local candidates likely already know what issues are topping the city's wishlist. 

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe spent months attempting to negotiate a deal to provide Ottawa with its "fair share" on a number of fronts, from public transit to an ongoing dispute over payments on federal properties.

He extended that lobbying to Liberal leader Mark Carney within hours of him landing the job. 

Earlier this week, Sutcliffe joined Gatineau Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette to lay out priorities from their perspective. 

"I think it's possible for our local candidates and our federal party leaders to deal with more than one issue at a time," he told CBC on Monday. "Of course, there is going to be a disproportionate amount of attention to the rapidly evolving developments in our relationship with the United States, but that doesn't mean there aren't there don't continue to be very, very important local issues in this campaign." 

What exactly are those issues?

Here's five key issues politicians at City Hall hope to see under the election spotlight. 

• What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at [email protected].

More housing 

For the chair of Ottawa planning and housing committee, Coun. Jeff Leiper, the city's top priority is clear: more affordable housing. 

The last federal government struck a $176-million, multi-year deal with Ottawa. 

Leiper said the Housing Accelerator Fund strikes a lot of the right notes.  

"It is dollars that can go into local housing priorities. And it's dollars that are by and large unattached to a lot of conditions," he said. 

But he said the city needs "three or four" of these funds to see the federal government as a "full-fledged" partner on housing. 

"They've taken a good first step … we need a lot more of that," he said, noting fears another party may take a step backward.

Leiper wants to get money to affordable housing projects that are ready to go. So does Coun. Cathy Curry. 

"Whatever government's there, you have to look at groups that are already successful," she said. "Reinventing the wheel, starting from nothing ... that just means slow."

She'd like to see the federal government partner with local providers like Ottawa Community Housing.

Coun. Glen Gower added that giving more people access to affordable housing means addressing related issues, including mental health and addictions, homelessness, and support for migrants.

• Carney unveils signature housing plan he says will double pace of home building in Canada
• Poilievre releases housing plan he says would 'build homes, not bureaucracy'
• NDP housing promise includes new landlord limits, more help for non-profits

Infrastructure funding 

Coun. Tim Tierney, who is advocating for Canadian cities this election through his role as first vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said there's another issue that goes hand-in-hand with housing. 

"There was no funding that went along with the infrastructure. The pipes to connect those buildings that's passed on to the municipal taxpayer," he said. 

"Frankly, we need more money." 

The last federal government introduced an infrastructure fund, but added a condition to freeze the fees cities charge to developers. 

Leiper said the financial incentive being offered simply wasn't good enough, and he'll be looking for a more "coherent" plan. 

To Curry, any promise that includes cutting or removing these fees needs an "and then what." 

"I like that 'and we'll make municipalities whole' version," she said. "That sounds good to me."

Operating public transit 

Few municipal issues have gotten as much attention in Ottawa in recent years as the struggling public transit agency, which has so far failed to bounce back from the pandemic and troubled light-rail launch. 

Data tabled at Ottawa's finance committee on Tuesday show a transit operating deficit of more than $20 million, with staff pointing to long-term challenges. 

One of the single biggest campaign promises from the recent Ontario provincial election was a pledge to upload responsibility for the LRT. 

It came on the heels of federal announcements for long-term capital funding — including $180 million over ten years. 

But Gower, who chairs Ottawa's transit committee, wants more. 

"That commitment from the federal government is a good start. And I think that we need to keep pressing all of the parties," he said, arguing that improving transit would help fulfil federal promises regarding the environment and affordability.

Tierney repeated a familiar demand from cities: move beyond funding for physical infrastructure.

"We need money for operating as well to be able to keep the buses on the roads, to keep the drivers on the roads," he said. 

Softening the blow of tariffs 

Among potential ballot-box issues, few have garnered as much attention as the economic threat of tariffs — including at the municipal level. 

City staff are working with other levels of government to soften the blow. 

At the same time, Sutcliffe has been convening private meetings with business leaders and advocating for interprovincial trade alongside his Gatineau counterpart.

"We need to move beyond reactive policies," he said at a public event in late March. 

Fresh from a trip to Washington, D.C., to strategize with municipalities there, Tierney agreed that "bluster" and "one-liners" won't cut it. 

"It's a tax on constituents," he said. "We have to work with them because there will be increased costs."

• City pledges to counter U.S. tariffs while keeping projects on track

Curry, whose ward includes the Kanata North tech park, said supporting the industry is her number one election priority. 

She says the government needs to provide a reliable energy grid for the tech sector to survive. 

Federal leaders also need to provide support to encourage any public servants facing job cuts to move to a local business that would benefit from their talent and expertise.

"If there's a downsizing of the federal government, if that's the case, we need replacement industries or at least other industries that we already have that might absorb some of those jobs or be another significant economic development driver for our city," she said.  

A new deal for cities 

Ottawa and other cities also hope to resurrect an issue that's as important as it is hard to market: a new "fiscal framework." 

Municipalities have few methods to create revenue, but carry the financial burden for important services. 

Councillors hope to at least get a commitment to open the discussion of creating new fiscal tools. 

• Ontario campaign does little to solve financial crisis among cities

Leiper worries about what will happen if this becomes a one-issue election. 

"The more fundamental issues of infrastructure, transit, and housing are ultimately, in the long term, going to be more meaningful. And every election cycle that those are not properly addressed… it just makes the problem worse, because these are big problems," he said. "These are expensive problems." 

Election day is April 28.