Four Ottawa mayoral candidates debate transit, taxes and housing on CTV News Ottawa
Mark Sutcliffe, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and Alex Lawson faced questions from residents and journalists on Wednesday in a 90-minute debate on CTV News Ottawa.
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The four leading candidates for Ottawa mayor debated on CTV News Ottawa on Wednesday, with cost of living in Ottawa as the main issue driving the discussion, CTV News reported on October 14, 2026.
Mark Sutcliffe, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and Alex Lawson answered questions from residents, students, CTV News journalists and Newstalk 580 CFRA hosts in a 90-minute debate. The debate was held on the CTV News Ottawa set.
Transit
According to CTV News, public transit was the issue residents most want improved in Ottawa, based on a Nanos Research poll conducted for CTV News Ottawa. At the debate, candidates said OC Transpo is unreliable, unaffordable and in need of change.
Sutcliffe said he would cut the price of a monthly transit pass to $95, and said the city is set to receive $4 billion that it can put back into transit service.
Leiper criticized the New Ways to Bus plan, put in place in 2025, which he said cut 70,000 service hours. His plan, he said, would return a citizen member to the transit committee so riders have representation where decisions are made. He also said the city needs more buses and must advance its bus rapid transit network.
Lawson said he would put a transit operator representative on the transit commission so council promises reflect what operations can actually deliver.
Property taxes
Property taxes drew direct exchanges between candidates. Sutcliffe said he would cap increases at no more than 2.5 per cent a year for the first two years of the next council term.
Lawson said he would freeze property taxes in 2027. Sutcliffe and others said that cannot be done without cuts to services. Lawson pointed to Sutcliffe's record in response.
Leiper declined to name a specific figure for property tax increases. He said he would make the budget process more transparent and hold an open discussion about the trade-offs involved for Ottawa residents who are struggling with the high cost of living.
Housing
According to CTV News, a Ratehub.ca report found that buyers in Ottawa needed to earn an average of $137,400 to afford the average-priced home in August 2026, up from $136,570 in July. That figure framed the housing discussion.
Leiper said the private market has fallen short of providing truly affordable housing for many Ottawa residents. His plan focuses on the not-for-profit sector, where builders can keep rents and costs low. He also proposed a city housing acquisition fund to buy existing affordable housing and keep it affordable long term.
Saravanamuttoo said a city-owned public housing option is needed, pointing to other cities that have used this approach to provide homes at all income levels.
Voters who want to compare the candidates before voting day on October 26 can see all Ottawa mayoral candidates at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor.
Questions this story answers
Who took part in the CTV News Ottawa mayoral debate on October 14, 2026?
Four candidates debated: incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe, city councillor Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo, and Alex Lawson. CTV News Ottawa and Newstalk 580 CFRA journalists hosted the 90-minute event, which also included questions from residents and students. The debate was held on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, according to CTV News Ottawa.
What did Mark Sutcliffe say about the monthly transit pass?
Mark Sutcliffe said at the debate that he would cut the price of a monthly OC Transpo transit pass to $95. He also said the city is set to receive $4 billion that can be put back into improving and expanding transit service. CTV News Ottawa reported this figure from the debate on October 14, 2026.
What did Jeff Leiper say about transit at the October 14 debate?
Jeff Leiper said at the debate that riders cannot count on buses arriving on time and criticized the New Ways to Bus plan, which was put in place in 2025 and cut 70,000 service hours, according to CTV News. He said his plan would put a citizen member back on the transit committee so riders have someone at the table where decisions are made. He also said the city needs to buy more buses and advance its bus rapid transit network.
What did Alex Lawson say about property taxes?
Alex Lawson said he would freeze property taxes in 2027, according to CTV News Ottawa. Other candidates at the debate, including Mark Sutcliffe, said a freeze cannot be done without cutting services. Lawson said he would also put a transit operator representative on the transit commission so that council decisions reflect what is actually achievable.
What did Mark Sutcliffe say about property tax increases?
Mark Sutcliffe said he would cap property tax increases at no more than 2.5 per cent a year for the first two years of the next council term, according to CTV News. He pressed Jeff Leiper at the debate to name a specific figure for planned tax increases. Leiper said he would make the budget process more transparent but did not give a number.
What did candidates say about housing affordability at the debate?
According to CTV News, a Ratehub.ca report showed that buyers needed to earn an average of $137,400 to buy the average-priced home in Ottawa in August 2026, up from $136,570 in July. Jeff Leiper said he would focus on the not-for-profit sector to keep housing costs affordable and proposed a housing acquisition fund so the city could buy existing affordable housing. Neil Saravanamuttoo said a city-owned public housing option is needed, pointing to other cities that have used this approach to provide homes at all income levels.
What did Leiper say about not-for-profit housing at the debate?
Leiper said at the debate that cutting fees, studies and red tape to help the private market build more housing has not produced truly affordable homes for many Ottawa residents, according to CTV News Ottawa. His plan focuses on the not-for-profit sector, where builders can keep rents and costs low. He also proposed a housing acquisition fund to buy housing that is already affordable and keep it that way over time.
Where can voters compare what all the mayoral candidates are saying before October 26?
Voters can read candidate profiles for all four debate participants on voche.me. The candidates who debated on October 14, 2026 are Mark Sutcliffe, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and Alex Lawson. Voting day is October 26, 2026. Advance voting day is Friday, October 16. You can see all Ottawa mayoral candidates listed at voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor.
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