--- title: "Elsa Niyongabo: candidate for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, Ottawa 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/elsa-niyongabo" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:39.515Z" meta: description: "Elsa Niyongabo is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, with a nomination dated August 14, 2026. CBC N..." "og:description": "Elsa Niyongabo is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, with a nomination dated August 14, 2026. CBC N..." "og:title": "Elsa Niyongabo: candidate for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, Ottawa 2026" "twitter:description": "Elsa Niyongabo is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, with a nomination dated August 14, 2026. CBC N..." "twitter:title": "Elsa Niyongabo: candidate for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, Ottawa 2026" --- ** Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista · Ottawa 2026 # Elsa Niyongabo Candidate for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista who says she has worked in federal political offices, and who lists transit, community centres, affordable housing and safety as her priorities. Elsa Niyongabo is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, with a nomination dated August 14, 2026. CBC News calls her a political staffer, and CTV News Ottawa calls her a federal public servant. A Government of Canada media advisory dated June 15, 2026 lists an Elsa Niyongabo as Communications Advisor and Press Secretary in the Office of the Secretary of State (Children and Youth), a title that matches the one her campaign gives for her most recent federal job. She says she worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and for federal Ministers, and her campaign lists affordable housing, safety, transit, community services and green space as its priorities. Apart from the City’s list and the advisory, these are her own statements. The sources read hold no complaint against her. Explore priorities Campaign links Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page Candidate space2026 ![Elsa Niyongabo, from Elsa Niyongabo campaign (elsaniyongabo.ca).](https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/images/candidates/elsa-niyongabo-640.webp) *Elsa NiyongaboCouncillorv.* [Image: Elsa Niyongabo campaign (elsaniyongabo.ca)](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 01 / Introduction ## About Elsa Niyongabo The City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Ward 18 shows Elsa Niyongabo’s nomination dated August 14, 2026, and her registration in the Contribution Rebate Program dated August 21, 2026. She gave the City a campaign website and Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn addresses. CBC News calls her a political staffer and CTV News Ottawa calls her a federal public servant. The sitting Councillor, Marty Carr, and three other challengers (Muhyadin Omar Barkhat, Tressy El-Hawi and Derek McSweeney) are also certified in the ward. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says she has four years of federal government experience, starting with Canadian Heritage and the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau and most recently with the Secretary of State for Children and Youth. She also says she has worked in election campaigns in Ottawa South and in Montréal, including Papineau and Terrebonne, doing local organizing and speaking directly with voters. She says her first jobs were with French-language community organizations: the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne et acadienne, the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. In the CBC News questionnaire she says she worked with three federal ministers, was Vice-President of the ISSV students at La Cité, and holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations. Her campaign site says the degrees are a bachelor’s in public relations and a master’s in communications from the University of Ottawa, and that her last federal job was Press Secretary and Communications Advisor to the Secretary of State for Children and Youth. A Government of Canada media advisory dated June 15, 2026 names an Elsa Niyongabo as Communications Advisor and Press Secretary in that office, and the title matches. voche.me did not check her degrees, her election campaign work, or her earlier jobs. In the CBC News questionnaire she says she lived in Alta Vista for five years, then bought a home outside the ward, and that her family still lives in Alta Vista. She names transit as the City’s biggest challenge, gives no tax figure for the 2027 budget, and says any increase to the police budget should be strategic and evidence-based. She gave no answer on how to cover OC Transpo deficits or on whether adding more homes in existing neighbourhoods will matter for housing. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says any new infrastructure levy (a special tax charge for roads and sewers) needs a clear plan and an assessment of needs, and that she wants fares kept affordable for students, seniors and families. Her campaign site lists affordable housing, safer streets near schools, more reliable OC Transpo service with more bus shelters, bilingual programs and community centres, and protected green space. In a first-person article in Black Ottawa Scene she says that Alta Vista has not received the funding needed to expand its community centres. These are her own statements, and voche.me did not check the funding claim. Read the sources 02 / The issues ## Priorities & positions Campaign-source summary Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform. 01 ### Affordable housing Her campaign site lists expanding access to affordable housing, supporting diverse housing solutions, protecting existing affordable housing so people are not forced out, and encouraging new affordable developments.
Read the full position In the CBC News questionnaire she says the City should protect tenants from being forced out after renovations, and should fix slow permitting that raises housing costs.
[Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 02 ### Safe neighbourhoods Her campaign site lists safer streets near schools with more signage, crosswalks and traffic calming (changes that slow cars), priority for road repairs, and work with residents and community partners on local safety concerns.
Read the full position In the Black Ottawa Scene article she says families have asked for more school-zone signage and traffic calming near schools, and that she would work with City services to put the signage in place quickly. In the CBC News questionnaire she says any increase to the police budget should be strategic, evidence-based and focused on results.
[Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 03 ### Reliable transit Her campaign site lists better OC Transpo reliability, frequency and service, more bus shelters, seating and waiting areas, and better Para Transpo service.
Read the full position In the CBC News questionnaire she says OC Transpo needs to make reliability its priority, with more consistent schedules and better communication about service disruptions. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says she would keep fares affordable for students, seniors and families.
[Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 04 ### Community services and bilingual programs Her campaign site lists better access to recreation, culture and social services, more programs for youth, better library and recreation services, bilingual programs, and more activities and support for seniors.
Read the full position In the CBC News questionnaire she says Alta Vista needs a renovated community centre with year-round programs for children and families. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says she would expand bilingual programs so that French-speaking residents have recreation and youth activities close to home.
[Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 05 ### Parks and green space Her campaign site lists better park maintenance, accessibility and amenities, protection of existing green space, and expanded and modernized playground equipment.
Read the full position In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says she wants to protect and expand the ward’s tree canopy.
[Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) [Black Ottawa Scene article by Elsa Niyongabo](https://blackottawascene.com/elsa-niyongabo-alta-vista-ward-18/) [CBC News questionnaire answers from Elsa Niyongabo](https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/28698529/elsa-niyongabo-ward-18-alta-vista.pdf) Research status ## What voche.me has checked Evidence reviewed on October 7, 2026: the City’s list of certified candidates for Ward 18 (an Internet Archive copy) and, from October 6, its open data file of nominations; her campaign website (home page, Bio, News and three campaign posts); her first-person article in Black Ottawa Scene; a Government of Canada media advisory dated June 15, 2026; CBC News of August 25, 2026 and her CBC News questionnaire; and CTV News Ottawa of September 16, 2026. Gaps. Her Facebook and LinkedIn addresses and a second Instagram address on the City list (elsa4av) returned only a sign-in page, and her Instagram profile at the address on her campaign website showed account totals without posts to a visitor who is not signed in, so no social media posts were read. Her degrees, her federal jobs before June 2026, her election campaign work and the funding claim in her article rest on her own statements. Pages under similar names appeared in searches, and voche.me did not use them because nothing ties them to this candidate. No Council or school board role is on record for her, so no minutes were searched. The voche.me questionnaire has not been sent. [City of Ottawa · certified candidates, Ward 18 Alta Vista](https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections/candidates/certified-and-acclaimed-candidates/certified-and-acclaimed-candidates-city-councillor/certified-candidates-ward-18-alta-vista) [Elsa Niyongabo campaign website](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) 03 / Background ## Experience & community Named in June 2026 ### Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Secretary of State (Children and Youth) A Government of Canada media advisory page dated June 15, 2026 lists an Elsa Niyongabo with this title as the media contact. The title matches the one her campaign gives for her most recent federal job. The sources read give no start or end date. [Government of Canada · Media advisory, Secretary of State Gainey to make an announcement on the National School Food Program (page dated June 15, 2026)](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2026/06/secretary-of-state-gainey-to-make-an-announcement-on-the-national-school-food-program.html) Four years (her account) ### Federal government staff (her account) In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says she started at Canadian Heritage and the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau and most recently worked with the Secretary of State for Children and Youth. In the CBC News questionnaire she says she worked with three federal ministers. voche.me did not check these jobs beyond the advisory above. [CTV News Ottawa · Meet the candidates for councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, September 16, 2026](https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/meet-the-candidates-for-councillor-in-ward-18-alta-vista/) Not stated (her account) ### Early work with French-language community organizations (her account) In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says her career began with the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne et acadienne, followed by the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. [CTV News Ottawa · Meet the candidates for councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, September 16, 2026](https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/meet-the-candidates-for-councillor-in-ward-18-alta-vista/) Not stated (her account) ### Vice-President, ISSV students at La Cité (her account) In the CBC News questionnaire she says she held this student role, where she represented competing student interests to the institution. [CBC News · Candidate questionnaire: Elsa Niyongabo, Ward 18 Alta Vista](https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/28698529/elsa-niyongabo-ward-18-alta-vista.pdf) 04 / Questions & answers ## Questions for the candidate Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied. No questions and answers have been supplied. ### Have your own question? Ask Elsa Niyongabo directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one. 05 / About this page ## Questions about this page Facts voche.me can state about Elsa Niyongabo's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Elsa Niyongabo? No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Elsa Niyongabo's own campaign.
Does Elsa Niyongabo currently hold public office? Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Elsa Niyongabo.
How many sources does this Elsa Niyongabo profile cite? This profile lists 10 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Elsa Niyongabo's page show no answer? The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Elsa Niyongabo in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Elsa Niyongabo is running in? The 2026 Ottawa municipal election, including the Councillor race, is decided on October 26, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions ## Space for campaign updates ### No campaign updates yet Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added. ## Sources & transparency - [City of Ottawa · certified candidates, Councillor ](https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections/candidates/certified-and-acclaimed-candidates)Checked October 7, 2026 - [City of Ottawa · certified candidates, Ward 18 Alta Vista (list last updated September 5, 2026; Internet Archive copy) ](https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/elections/candidates/certified-and-acclaimed-candidates/certified-and-acclaimed-candidates-city-councillor/certified-candidates-ward-18-alta-vista)Checked October 7, 2026 - [City of Ottawa open data · 2026 Municipal Elections, nominated candidates ](https://open.ottawa.ca/datasets/5b79177ae7524c9fa68f79e852527604)Checked October 6, 2026 - [CBC News · Alta Vista: Here’s who’s running to be your Ottawa city councillor, August 25, 2026 (updated October 1) ](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/alta-vista-ward-election-city-ottawa-2026-9.7313943)Checked October 7, 2026 - [CBC News · Candidate questionnaire: Elsa Niyongabo, Ward 18 Alta Vista ](https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/28698529/elsa-niyongabo-ward-18-alta-vista.pdf)Checked October 7, 2026 - [CTV News Ottawa · Meet the candidates for councillor in Ward 18 Alta Vista, September 16, 2026 ](https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/meet-the-candidates-for-councillor-in-ward-18-alta-vista/)Checked October 7, 2026 - [Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Elsa 4 Alta Vista (home page) ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/)Checked October 7, 2026 - [Elsa Niyongabo campaign · Bio ](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/blank)Checked October 7, 2026 - [Black Ottawa Scene · Elsa Niyongabo: Alta Vista Ward 18 (first-person article by the candidate) ](https://blackottawascene.com/elsa-niyongabo-alta-vista-ward-18/)Checked October 7, 2026 - [Government of Canada · Media advisory, Secretary of State Gainey to make an announcement on the National School Food Program (page dated June 15, 2026) ](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2026/06/secretary-of-state-gainey-to-make-an-announcement-on-the-national-school-food-program.html)Checked October 7, 2026 Missing information does not imply a candidate’s position. [Read our editorial standards.](https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/about) Campaign contact ## Campaign links & contact. Find the candidate’s website, social accounts and contact information. [Elsa Niyongabo campaign website](https://www.elsaniyongabo.ca/) [Elsa Niyongabo on Instagram (linked from her campaign website)](https://www.instagram.com/elsaniyongabo) ## View more candidates. [All candidate spaces ](https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/candidates) [Councillor**Ahmed Alsabaawi**](https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/ahmed-alsabaawi) [Councillor**Ahmed Rashid**](https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/ahmed-rashid) Candidate Q&A ## Ask Elsa Niyongabo a question. Give your name, email and question. We send it to the campaign, and publish their answer here if we get one. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/on/ottawa-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.