Candidate for Councillor in Ward 23 Kanata South, a federal policy analyst running for elected office for the first time.
Megan Strazds-Esenbergs is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 23 Kanata South, with a nomination dated July 24, 2026. CBC News and CTV News Ottawa describe her as a policy analyst in the federal public service, and the Canada Gazette records that the Public Service Commission gave a person of her name from Employment and Social Development Canada permission to run for Councillor in Ottawa. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says this is her first run for elected office and lists five priorities: trust and openness in municipal government, roads and speeding, transit, parks and recreation, and taxes and budgeting. CBC News says it sent her its questionnaire and received no reply by its deadline. She is running against the sitting Councillor, Allan Hubley, and against Erin Coffin and Sam Bhalesar.
Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page
Ottawa municipal electionThe City’s list of certified candidates shows Megan Strazds-Esenbergs’s nomination for Ward 23 Kanata South dated July 24, 2026. The same list, last updated September 22, 2026, shows her as not registered in the City’s Contribution Rebate Program, and it gives her a Facebook page and an Instagram account but no website. CBC News describes her as a policy analyst with the federal government, and CTV News Ottawa describes her as a public servant.
The Canada Gazette of August 29, 2026 carries a notice, dated August 14, 2026, that the Public Service Commission gave permission to Megan Strazds-Esenbergs of Employment and Social Development Canada to seek nomination as, and to be, a candidate for a position as Councillor for the City of Ottawa in the election of October 26, 2026. The notice names no ward.
In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she says this is her first time running for elected office. She gives 10 years of experience in research and public policy across community organizations, academia and government, that she works as a Policy Analyst in the federal public service, that she has lived in Ottawa for 3 years, and that she uses OC Transpo three days a week to commute to work in Gatineau. voche.me did not check these statements with the bodies named.
She describes her campaign as one that listens first. In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she names five priorities that she says come from residents: trust, accountability and openness in municipal government; roads, traffic and speeding; transit; parks, recreation and community services; and taxes and budgeting, with clear information on where tax money goes. On fares she says she would look at targeted reductions, for older adults and Para Transpo users and for free transit for youth, instead of a change for all riders. On the police budget she says she would consider increases where there is a shown need and a measurable benefit. She answers yes on an infrastructure levy (an extra charge for roads and sewers) and says she would also look at asking developers to pay more of the cost of growth. CBC News says it emailed her the address she gave the City and received no response by its deadline, so CBC News has no questionnaire answers from her. The sources read hold no complaint against her.
Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform.
In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she lists this first and says residents want more trust, accountability and openness from the City.
CTV News Ottawa · Meet the candidates for councillor in Ward 23 Kanata South, September 2026She says residents want better road conditions, safer streets and action on speeding and traffic.
On the police budget she says residents have raised concerns about speeding and the need for more enforcement, and that she would want any added money to be targeted and tied to results residents can measure.
She says residents want transit that is reliable, accessible and better matched to daily needs.
She says she would look at targeted fare reductions for older adults and Para Transpo users and more chances for youth to ride free, weighed against OC Transpo’s ability to pay for better reliability and access.
She says residents value their parks, recreation facilities and community services and want them kept up and supported.
On the infrastructure levy question she names aging roads, sewers, community centres and rinks as things residents want fixed.
She says residents want to know where their tax money goes and to see value for it.
She says yes to an infrastructure levy if the City is open about how the money is spent and the results, and says she would also explore other sources of money, including larger contributions from developers.
Evidence reviewed on October 7, 2026: the City’s list of certified candidates for Ward 23 (an Internet Archive copy), its open data file of nominations, CBC News of August 25, 2026, CTV News Ottawa of September 2026 with her questionnaire answers, and the Canada Gazette notice of August 29, 2026.
Gaps. She has no campaign website on the City’s list, and none was found. Her Facebook page and Instagram account showed no readable posts to a visitor who is not logged in. Her statements about her work history were not checked with the employers named, and the Gazette notice names no ward, so it shows only that a person of her name from Employment and Social Development Canada got permission to run for Councillor in Ottawa. She gave CBC News no questionnaire answers. The voche.me questionnaire has not been sent.
In the CTV News Ottawa questionnaire she gives 10 years of experience in research and public policy across community organizations, academia and government, and says she currently works as a Policy Analyst in the federal public service. voche.me has not checked this with the employers named.
CTV News Ottawa · Meet the candidates for councillor in Ward 23 Kanata South, September 2026The Canada Gazette records that the Public Service Commission gave permission to Megan Strazds-Esenbergs of Employment and Social Development Canada to be a candidate for Councillor for the City of Ottawa. The notice names no ward.
Canada Gazette, Part I · Public Service Commission, Permission granted (Strazds-Esenbergs, Megan), issue of August 29, 2026Proposed 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.
Ask Megan Strazds-Esenbergs directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
Facts voche.me can state about Megan Strazds-Esenbergs's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Megan Strazds-Esenbergs's own campaign.
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Megan Strazds-Esenbergs.
This profile lists 6 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Megan Strazds-Esenbergs 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.
The 2026 Ottawa municipal election, including the Councillor race, is decided on October 26, 2026.
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