Lawson platform: unannounced shelter inspections, free parking, 50% development charge cut

The Kitchissippi Times reported on 21 October 2026 that Lawson's platform calls for a 90-day review of Ottawa's shelter system involving police, paramedics and shelter operators. His campaign released a shelter plan on 24 September that would set one standard for every shelter bed the city pays for, including spaces in hotels and motels. Unannounced inspections would happen at least four times a year. Public scorecards would track police calls, needles collected, 311 complaints and bylaw calls in surrounding areas. Operators that repeatedly fail inspections could lose their city contracts.

According to the Kitchissippi Times, the Lawson platform requires shelters to give every person a written plan for moving into permanent housing and a named caseworker within 30 days of arriving. For people who cannot live independently because of addiction or mental illness, the plan calls for supportive housing connected to treatment.

The Kitchissippi Times reported that Lawson's platform calls for cutting municipal development charges by 50 per cent for one year to encourage construction, particularly of two- and three-bedroom rental units. His campaign has set targets of $1,800 per month for a new two-bedroom rental and $2,200 for a new three-bedroom. If the private market did not produce enough family-sized rental housing after one year, the plan says the city would move toward developing housing on public land with financing partners.

The Kitchissippi Times reported that Lawson has promised to switch off the city's parking meters on his first day in office and eventually remove them, while establishing a minimum two-hour time limit wherever parking restrictions are still needed. He would also repeal Ottawa's vacant unit tax at the first meeting of the next council, though his campaign says it would replace the affordable-housing funding from that tax by finding savings elsewhere in the city budget.

The Kitchissippi Times reported that Lawson wants transit schedules rebuilt using operating data and driver input, with a review of dispatch and interlining practices. His platform calls for temporary peak-hour express buses between major transit stations and downtown until the Confederation Line reaches 20 consecutive days of reliability at a standard his campaign says should have been met before the line opened. He would also order an independent review of OC Transpo management within his first 90 days.

According to the Kitchissippi Times, Lawson is running under the slogan 'get the basics right', focused on ensuring the city delivers the services residents rely on every day: maintaining roads and sewers to prevent flooding, running transit that actually moves people around their own communities, controlling spending on what he calls vanity projects, and making city contracts publicly visible through a Sunshine List-style disclosure system.

Alex Lawson is a candidate for mayor of Ottawa in the 26 October 2026 municipal election. The Kitchissippi Times reported that he is the director of operations at Capital Framers, an Ottawa home-building company, and a father of three. He says his experience as a small-business owner and parent has given him a firsthand understanding of what families and businesses face in the city.

Ottawa's municipal election voting day is 26 October 2026. Voting places are open from 10 am to 8 pm. Advance voting day was 16 October, and special advance voting days ran from 1 to 4 October. You can find your voting place at the City of Ottawa's election website.