Election time in Ottawa
John Crump
President Glebe Community Association
As I write this, the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler. Summer programming has ended, children are starting a new school year and the municipal election campaign is in full swing.
Across the city, there are more than 200 candidates running for mayor, councillor and school board trustee. Fourteen people are campaigning for mayor and there are wide-open contests in many wards where incumbents are not running. Despite the rampant cynicism about politics and the disinformation sloshing through social media platforms, the number of contests and the variety of candidates at the municipal level is a good sign of a healthy interest in and commitment to local democracy. The election takes place on Monday, October 24.
The GCA and other community associations are working together to provide opportunities for local residents to hear from and speak directly to candidates for council and mayor.
Capital Ward Councillor Debate – Thursday, September 22 at the Glebe Community Centre, 7–9 p.m.
Three candidates are vying to become councillor for Capital Ward – Shawn Menard, Rebecca Bromwich and Daniel Rogers. You can meet them in person at the Glebe Community Centre at a debate moderated by David Reevely, an Ottawa correspondent for The Logic. David has also worked as Ottawa bureau chief for the Canadian Press, where he supervised coverage of all aspects of federal politics for the national wire service and as a political reporter and columnist for the Ottawa Citizen.
The event is being co-organized by the Glebe Community Association, Old Ottawa East Community Association, Old Ottawa South Community Association, Dow’s Lake Residents Association, Glebe Annex Community Association, Heron Park Community Association and Riverview Park Community Association.
Questions will be posed by the associations. We will also take questions in advance and on the spot from the public. You can send your questions to electiondebate@glebec.ca. Please note that since there are always more questions than time available, not all can be asked. A committee from the community associations will curate the questions. For those not able to attend in person, the session will be posted on YouTube.
There are also multiple candidates running for the school boards which are important parts of our local democratic system. You can find more information about them and the candidates for council and mayor at ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections/2022-municipal- elections/certified-and-acclaimed- candidates-and- registered- third-party-advertisers. The Glebe is part of Capital Ward 17 and Zone 9 for school boards.
We are paying attention to the latest health guidelines. At the moment, face masks are encouraged but not required.
Mayoral Debate – Monday, October 17 at the Horticulture Building, 7–9 p.m.
A consortium of community associations has invited all 14 candidates for mayor to take part in a debate. The questions will focus on major issues relating to living in the central core of the city. Due to the number of candidates, it will not be possible to pose all the questions that need to be asked, but you can be sure that Lansdowne redevelopment will be on the list. The latest plans for Lansdowne, their cost, the lack of consultation to date and long-term implications for an important piece of public property are an election issue for the whole city since it will be one of the biggest and most expensive projects that the new council will have to consider. It’s a key election issue and not just in Capital Ward. Encourage your friends in other wards to talk about it because it affects everyone in Ottawa.
The GCA is collaborating with other community associations in the central core to stage this debate, including Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South and Centretown. In order to avoid repetition and cover new areas, topics that have been the focus of other debates, such as the environment and homelessness, will not be included.
Keep an eye on the GCA web site (www.glebeca.ca) for further details.
Mutchmor rink
Another important topic on the GCA fall agenda is the potential return of the boarded ice rink on Mutchmor field, a community institution since at least the 1930s which was shut down during the pandemic. The GCA is looking to restart discussions with the Mutchmor school about the return of the rink this winter.
If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in and around the Glebe and perhaps want to volunteer some time on one of the GCA’s many committees, you are welcome to join the next GCA board meeting on Tuesday, September 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. The plan is to hold this meeting in person at the Glebe Community Centre.
Finally, an election quiz:
What Ottawa city ward had the highest turnout in the 2018 election? If you guessed Capital Ward, you would be right. The turnout was just over 52 per cent.
