Barrhaven East candidate's election sign defaced with racist slur
Jules Ruhinda, a candidate for Ward 24 city councillor, says one of his campaign signs was vandalized with a racist slur over the weekend. Ottawa Police reported 14 election campaign incidents since September 11.
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Jules Ruhinda, a candidate for Ward 24 (Barrhaven East) city councillor, says one of his campaign signs was vandalized with a racist slur over the weekend, the Ottawa Citizen reported on October 13, 2026.
A photo on Ruhinda's social media showed one of his signs defaced with the N-word written in blue marker, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
What police said
The Ottawa Police Service did not specifically mention Ruhinda's case in an October 13 statement to the Ottawa Citizen, but police said 14 election campaign-related incidents were reported between September 11 and October 8, 2026. Police said updated information from crime analysts would be available later in the week.
The Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit handles incidents believed to be motivated by hate or bias. Anyone in Ottawa who sees sign tampering is directed to contact Ottawa Police, as the City says interfering with or damaging an election sign is an offence under the Criminal Code.
A pattern this election
The Ottawa Citizen reported this is at least the second instance of candidate signs being vandalized with hateful messaging during the 2026 campaign. Earlier in October, Ottawa Police confirmed the Hate and Bias Crime Unit was investigating after signs belonging to Subhir Uppal, a councillor candidate in Ward 15 (Kitchissippi), were defaced with swastikas. That report was made to police on October 5, 2026.
Gloucester-Southgate councillor candidate Ahmed Rashid also reported receiving a racist email earlier in the campaign, and reported it to Ottawa Police and the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
About the Barrhaven East race and what voters can do
Jules Ruhinda is seeking the Ward 24 Barrhaven East seat on October 26. All candidates for this ward are listed at /on/ottawa-2026/races/councillor/ward-24-barrhaven-east. Anyone who sees a defaced election sign should contact Ottawa Police. Advance voting is October 16.
Questions this story answers
What happened to Jules Ruhinda's campaign sign?
The Ottawa Citizen reported on October 13, 2026 that Jules Ruhinda, a candidate for city councillor in Barrhaven East (Ward 24), said one of his campaign signs was vandalized with a racist slur over the weekend. A photo on Ruhinda's social media showed one of his campaign signs defaced with the N-word written in blue marker. The Ottawa Citizen did not report a response from Ottawa Police specifically about Ruhinda's sign, but police confirmed in an October 13 statement that 14 election campaign-related incidents were reported between September 11 and October 8. You can read more about Ruhinda at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jules-ruhinda
Did Ottawa Police confirm the incident?
The Ottawa Police Service issued a statement to the Ottawa Citizen on October 13, 2026 saying that 14 election campaign-related incidents were reported between September 11 and October 8. The statement did not specifically mention Ruhinda's report. Police said updated information from crime analysts would be available later in the week. The Ottawa Citizen reported that Ruhinda's case falls within the election sign period covered by that statement. The Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit was already investigating a separate sign vandalism incident in Kitchissippi ward.
Has this happened to other Ottawa candidates?
Yes. The Ottawa Citizen reported this is at least the second instance of candidate signs being vandalized with hateful messaging during the 2026 Ottawa election campaign. Earlier in October, Ottawa Police confirmed that the Hate and Bias Crime Unit was investigating after campaign signs belonging to Kitchissippi ward councillor candidate Subhir Uppal were defaced with swastikas. Uppal's case was reported to police on October 5, 2026. Gloucester- Southgate candidate Ahmed Rashid also reported receiving a racist email. See the earlier voche.me report at /on/ottawa-2026/news/kitchissippi-signs-defaced-2026-10-07
Who is Jules Ruhinda?
Jules Ruhinda is a candidate for Ward 24 (Barrhaven East) city councillor in the October 26, 2026 Ottawa municipal election. Barrhaven East is one of 24 wards across the city, each electing one councillor to City Council. The ward covers the east portion of the Barrhaven suburb in the south of Ottawa. You can read Ruhinda's candidate profile at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jules-ruhinda and see all candidates for this ward at /on/ottawa-2026/races/councillor/ward-24-barrhaven-east
What ward is Barrhaven East?
Barrhaven East is Ward 24 in the City of Ottawa. It is one of 24 wards across the city, each electing one city councillor on October 26, 2026. You can see all candidates for this ward at /on/ottawa-2026/races/councillor/ward-24-barrhaven-east
How many election incidents has Ottawa Police reported this campaign?
The Ottawa Police Service told the Ottawa Citizen in an October 13, 2026 statement that 14 election campaign-related incidents were reported between September 11 and October 8, 2026. Police said updated information from crime analysts would be available later in the week. The figure of 14 incidents covers a period before Ruhinda's sign was vandalized over the weekend of October 11-12. Ottawa Police's Hate and Bias Crime Unit handles incidents believed to be motivated by hate or bias.
Is it an offence to vandalize an election sign in Ottawa?
Yes. The City of Ottawa says that interfering with or damaging an election sign is an offence under the Criminal Code. Anyone who sees sign tampering is directed to contact Ottawa Police. The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 also governs the rules for campaign signs in Ontario municipal elections. You can read more about Ontario election rules at /ontario-election-law
When is voting day in Ottawa?
Voting day in the Ottawa municipal election is October 26, 2026. An advance voting day is October 16, with voting places open from 10 am to 8 pm. Special advance voting days were held October 1 to 4. Voters choose the mayor, one city councillor per ward, and school board trustees.
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