What do young voters in Ottawa care about this election?

Ezri Riehl-Good plans to cast her first ever ballot in the upcoming provincial election, but who gets her vote will depend on which candidate best addresses the issues students are facing.

For the University of Ottawa student, those top issues include climate change, inclusion and equality.

"It's just like a scary time for everyone, but especially, like, I think we're really feeling it," Riehl-Good said.

"[I'll vote for] someone who cares about, like, this generation ... someone who sort of makes an effort to notice that and address those issues."

Since election campaigns kicked off Jan. 29, political parties have focused much of their attention on U.S. tariff threats and — at least in Ottawa — promises about the city's LRT system.

But like Riehl-Good, many students are instead focused on who will tackle the rising cost of living, a lack of employment opportunities and tuition costs.

"I think I can speak for a lot of students when I say [that] we have a lot of trouble when it comes to financial issues, given that the tuition is climbing and inflation is becoming more and more of a problem," said Rhea Dajherhajj, who also attends the University of Ottawa.

"A lot of us are trying to ... figure out how to live."

Parties branching out to youth

To better engage and connect with the younger generation of voters, all four major political parties in Ontario have created youth streams in communities and post-secondary institutions.

Damian Mikhail is co-chair of the Ontario New Democratic Youth (ONDY) — a branch of the Ontario NDP — which he says has "delegate status" within the party and two spots on the party's provincial executive.

The group gives youth "a chance to really have a powerful impact within the organization," he said.

"Because we see this kind of pretty often, where, you know, a lot of different parties will not hear from their youth wings or from, like, youth members," Mikhail said.

ONDY has more than 20 registered clubs on campuses and in communities, and Mikhail said the youth organization is funded by the party.

James Adair is co-president of the University of Ottawa NDP, which he says has over 500 registered members.

"What we do is get students involved in politics, get students organized to fight for policies that will benefit them, like affordable education, affordable health care and housing," he said. "And [we're] really telling them, like, politics matters."

Members from the student club are also a part of local campaigns, including Myriam Djilane's — the NDP candidate for the Ottawa-Vanier riding.

"I'm mostly there to hear their stories and to hear their frustrations and to remind them that their voices are heard, they matter, their frustrations and their anger is valid, and there's a way that we could do things different," Djilane said in an interview.

The Carleton University Young Liberals also work with local candidates throughout the election.

Mario Bertrand, an executive of the club, says members have been busy canvassing, door knocking and doing graphic design and video editing for some campaigns.

The Carleton Campus Conservatives did not respond to requests for an interview.

Voter apathy among students

Students may have strong opinions on party leaders and their policies, getting them out to vote is the big challenge, said Ryan Chang, president of uOttawa Votes.

"The biggest problem that we're seeing… especially amongst youth, is voter apathy," said Chang, whose campus club works to engage students with civic and community matters.

"Some of the top answers that we do often receive is, 'Well, we kind of just don't care,' or, you know, 'I see these politicians promising A, B and C and I don't actually believe that they're going to do that.'"

For politicians who want the youth vote, the key is to prove they'll make changes that will truly impact their lives, Chang said.

Sophia Andrew-Joiner, Green Party candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean and co-chair of the Young Greens of Ontario, says she's noticing the same trends.

"If your provincial politics does not care about you, why would you care about provincial politics? People are giving up. Young people are giving up because we're so disregarded," the 20-year-old said.

"We really need to increase that [youth turnout] and try to reverse this apathy. So we're trying to step in where the government is not."