---
title: "Lawson platform: unannounced shelter inspections, free parking, 50% development charge cut"
description: "Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson's platform calls for a 90-day review of Ottawa's shelter system, unannounced inspections four times a year, and removing the city's parking meters on his first day in office."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/lawson-basics-plan-2026-10-21"
last_updated: "2026-10-21T20:53:42.348Z"
---

Ottawa mayoral candidate [Alex Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson) is running on a platform he calls "get the basics right", centred on reforming how the city runs its shelters, cutting construction costs, and fixing transit reliability. The Kitchissippi Times published a review of his full platform on 21 October 2026.

## Shelter reform

Lawson's 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. Under the plan, 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 failed inspections could lose their city contracts.

Shelters would be required to report every assault, theft and police call to the city. Every person entering a shelter would receive a written plan for moving into permanent housing and a named caseworker within 30 days. For people who cannot live independently because of addiction or mental illness, the platform calls for supportive housing connected to treatment.

Lawson told the Kitchissippi Times he would launch a 90-day review of the entire shelter system, involving police, paramedics and shelter operators, from his first days in office.

## Housing and parking

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

Lawson has also promised to repeal Ottawa's vacant unit tax at the first meeting of the next council, replacing its affordable-housing funding through savings elsewhere in the budget.

On parking, the Kitchissippi Times reported that Lawson would switch off the city's parking meters on his first day in office and eventually remove them, while keeping a minimum two-hour limit wherever time restrictions remain.

## Transit

Lawson told the Kitchissippi Times that Ottawa's transit system puts too much focus on routes that send people downtown, when residents also need to travel within their own communities. His platform calls for schedules rebuilt using operating data and driver input, with a review of dispatch and interlining practices.

His campaign proposes temporary peak-hour express buses between major transit stations and downtown until the Confederation Line reaches 20 consecutive days of reliability at a standard he says should have been met before the line opened. An independent review of OC Transpo management would follow within 90 days.

Lawson has also proposed a disclosure system for public city contracts similar to Ontario's Sunshine List, to make city spending publicly visible.

Ottawa's voting day is **26 October 2026**. Voting places are open from 10 am to 8 pm. See all candidates for Ottawa mayor at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

## Sitemap

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