Candidate for Councillor in Ward 14 Somerset, a transitional housing manager and Community Co-Chair of the Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council.
Michael Tay is on the City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates for Councillor in Ward 14 Somerset, with a nomination dated June 16, 2026. CBC News describes him as the manager of a transitional housing program who has taught social work at Algonquin College, and the Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council lists him as its Community Co-Chair. He told The BUZZ that he belongs to no political party. His campaign says its areas of focus are safe and healthy neighbourhoods, housing people can afford, clean public spaces, getting around the ward, and a strong downtown.
Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page
The City of Ottawa’s list of certified candidates shows Michael Tay’s nomination for Councillor in Ward 14 Somerset dated June 16, 2026, and his registration in the Contribution Rebate Program dated July 3, 2026. The City’s list of elected officials for 2022 to 2026 does not include him. The City’s list shows no withdrawal and no nomination for another office. CBC News describes him as the manager of a transitional housing program who has taught social work at Algonquin College, and CTV News Ottawa describes him as someone who works with youth, families, newcomers and people experiencing homelessness.
The membership page of the Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council, a group that advises the police service, lists Michael Tay as its Community Co-Chair. In his questionnaires he says he manages a transitional housing program for newcomers and refugee claimants with more than 40 staff, teaches part-time in the Social Service Worker program at Algonquin College, and also serves on the Ottawa Police Service’s Use of Force Review Panel. He says he has 17 years of work in housing and homelessness, mental health, newcomer settlement and youth services, that he supported the opening of 230 Queen Street, which he describes as Ottawa’s first conversion of an office building to transitional housing for newcomers and refugees, and that he received an OC150 Award in 2017. He says earlier in his career he worked as a paralegal and legal assistant. voche.me did not check these roles or the award with the organizations or with the panel.
He told The BUZZ that he is not a member of any political party and has never held a position in one, and CTV News Ottawa lists no earlier political experience for him; he says this is his first time running for elected office. He told The BUZZ he would not accept campaign donations from people employed in the development sector, their owners or senior executives.
His campaign website names five areas: safe and healthy neighbourhoods, housing people can afford, clean and welcoming public spaces, getting around the ward, and a strong downtown and local economy. In the CBC News questionnaire he says he would aim to keep the 2027 property tax increase at or below 4 percent, favours a transit levy for OC Transpo, and thinks police funding should depend on need, outcomes and what work truly needs a sworn officer. He told CTV News Ottawa that he would not support higher transit fares while service is unreliable, would support a police budget increase only where there is a demonstrated need, and supports an infrastructure levy if the money is dedicated and the effect on affordability is reasonable. He told The BUZZ that he supports both harm reduction and treatment, supports adding more housing downtown with the infrastructure to match, would support requiring independent confirmation that tenants must leave for a renovation, and would be open to serving on the Ottawa Police Service Board. These are his own statements. The sources voche.me read hold no complaint about him.
Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform.
His campaign website says the City cannot arrest its way out of homelessness, addiction or mental illness and needs better access to housing, outreach, treatment and mental health supports, while police have a role when crime or immediate safety concerns are involved.
He says he wants residents, businesses, outreach teams and police to work together with clearer accountability.
His campaign website says he supports more housing, including affordable and family-sized homes, and thoughtful intensification near transit, using public land and underused buildings and supporting non-profit and community housing.
He told The BUZZ that he supports the City’s elimination of development charges for non-profit housing.
His campaign website says the City should get the basics right: cleaner streets, reliable lighting, well-maintained sidewalks, more trees and shade, and better parks, recreation spaces and public washrooms.
Michael Tay campaign · Your Ward, Our WorkHis campaign website says he wants safer intersections, less dangerous speeding, accessible sidewalks, better-connected cycling routes and reliable transit with accurate information when something goes wrong.
In the CBC News questionnaire he favours a transit levy and says the City should publish route-level performance information.
His campaign website says he would work with businesses and business improvement areas, support festivals and events, and reduce barriers that make it harder to operate downtown.
Michael Tay campaign · Your Ward, Our WorkEvidence reviewed on October 6, 2026: the City’s list of certified candidates for Ward 14 and its open data file of nominations, his campaign website (home, Meet Michael and Your Ward, Our Work), the membership page of the Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council, CBC News of August 25, 2026, CTV News Ottawa of September 11, 2026, NCR Now of September 5, 2026 and the Centretown BUZZ of August 19 and September 2026 (experience, police, drug crisis, housing).
Gaps. His Facebook and Instagram pages showed only a login page or a profile summary. His employer, his teaching at Algonquin College, the Use of Force Review Panel, the OC150 Award and his part in the 230 Queen Street project were not checked with those bodies. The Equity Council’s membership page is not dated. The voche.me questionnaire has not been sent.
The Council’s membership page lists Michael Tay as Community Co-Chair. He also says he is a member of the Ottawa Police Service Use of Force Review Panel. voche.me did not check the panel with the police service.
Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council · MembershipHe says he has worked for 17 years in housing, homelessness, mental health, newcomer settlement and youth services and now manages a transitional housing program for newcomers and refugee claimants with a multi-million-dollar budget and about 40 staff. voche.me has not checked this with his employer.
CBC News · Candidate questionnaire: Michael Tay, Ward 14 SomersetCBC News reports that he has taught social work at Algonquin College, and he describes the role in his questionnaires. voche.me has not checked it with the college.
CBC News · Somerset ward: Here’s who’s running to be your Ottawa city councillor, August 25, 2026 (updated October 5)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.
Ask Michael Tay directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
Facts voche.me can state about Michael Tay'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 Michael Tay's own campaign.
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Michael Tay.
This profile lists 16 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 Michael Tay 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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