---
title: "Ottawa police investigate after a hate symbol is found on Kitchissippi candidate's sign"
description: "Ottawa Police say they received a report on October 5 about hate symbols drawn on election signs belonging to Kitchissippi council candidate Subhir Uppal. The Hate and Bias Crime Unit is investigating."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/kitchissippi-signs-defaced-2026-10-07"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:50.327Z"
---

Ottawa Police are investigating after a hate symbol was found on an election sign belonging to Kitchissippi ward council candidate Subhir Uppal, CTV News reported on October 7, 2026.

Ottawa Police confirmed to CTV News that they received a report on October 5 about hate symbols drawn on an election sign near Churchill Avenue North and Scott Street, and another sign that had been kicked over. The Ottawa Police Service's Hate and Bias Crime Unit is now handling the investigation.

## What Uppal said

[Subhir Uppal](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/subhir-uppal), who is running for Ward 15 councillor, told CTV News the incident was "devastating" for his family. He said his wife was concerned the situation could escalate and that the couple had to explain what happened to their five-year-old son. His parents, who immigrated to Canada around 50 years ago, were also deeply upset, he said.

Uppal said the incident would not stop his campaign. "I think there's a line that's crossed, and I think it was crossed with what happened with those signs," Uppal told CTV News.

## Mayor Sutcliffe's response

Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe told CTV News he was shocked to learn of the incident. He said it was troubling that a candidate and his family, including a child, had to face something so threatening and disturbing. He said he hoped police would follow up with all available resources.

## A separate incident in Gloucester-Southgate

CTV News also reported that the campaign manager for [Ahmed Rashid](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/ahmed-rashid), a candidate for Ward 10 Gloucester-Southgate councillor, said Rashid received an email attacking him based on his race and religion. Rashid reported the incident to Ottawa Police and to the National Council of Canadian Muslims. The NCCM confirmed to CTV News it received an incident report.

## About the Kitchissippi race

Four candidates are running for the Ward 15 Kitchissippi seat: Uppal, Joanne Chianello, Brian Innes, and Xavier Commerford. The ward has no incumbent on the ballot because its sitting councillor, Jeff Leiper, is running for mayor.

The City of Ottawa says interfering with or damaging an election sign is an offence under the Criminal Code and tells anyone who sees sign tampering to contact police. Voting day is October 26.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/on/ottawa-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.