---
title: "Alex Lawson releases fiscal plan promising 2027 property tax freeze"
description: "Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson released a fiscal plan on Oct. 8 promising no property tax increase in 2027, followed by caps of one per cent in 2028 and two per cent in each of 2029 and 2030."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/lawson-tax-freeze-plan-2026-10-08"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:50.035Z"
---

Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson released a fiscal plan on Oct. 8, 2026 promising to freeze Ottawa property taxes in 2027, CBC reported. The plan commits to no property tax increase that year, followed by a one per cent ceiling in 2028 and two per cent ceilings in each of 2029 and 2030.

The plan is Lawson's response to persistent budget pressure at City Hall. CBC reports that Ottawa's 2026 operating budget is $5.2 billion, plus $1.9 billion for capital. Property taxes rose 3.75 per cent in 2026, an increase CBC says cost the average urban homeowner about $166. The last time Ottawa froze property taxes was 2007 under Mayor Larry O'Brien.

Lawson's campaign says the freeze is achievable. The plan puts the savings target for his first year at between $85 million and $105 million to cover budget pressures and his own spending commitments. The plan says it identifies between $77 million and $148 million in savings per year, largely from procurement changes, bringing consultant work in-house and tighter hiring. These are the campaign's figures and have not been independently verified.

Lawson has also promised to scrap the vacant unit tax, which his campaign says currently raises $12.5 million for affordable housing, while committing to keep that housing money in the budget. He has also promised a higher property tax break for small businesses, which his campaign estimates would cost $8.4 million in lost revenue, and to remove paid parking across the city.

**What the other candidates said**

Incumbent Mayor [Mark Sutcliffe](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/mark-sutcliffe) has promised to keep increases in the range of two to 2.5 per cent in 2027 and 2028, but told CBC it is not realistic to commit to a number beyond that.

[Jeff Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper) responded with a written statement criticizing the plan. "A tax freeze sounds great until the service you count on gets cut, or the bill lands on our kids," CBC quoted him as saying. Leiper has not committed to an overall tax target, though he has said he would direct a separate one per cent increase toward infrastructure repair.

[Neil Saravanamuttoo](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/neil-saravanamuttoo) also responded in a written statement. "Alex Lawson, like Mark Sutcliffe, is pulling numbers out of the air to make promises they have no way of knowing if they can keep," CBC quoted him as saying. Saravanamuttoo has said he will not commit to a specific tax figure until he has reviewed the full budget.

Lawson's campaign said the freeze would not mean cuts to front-line workers. "No bus driver, paramedic, firefighter or snowplow operator would lose their job," CBC quoted the plan as saying.

Voting day in Ottawa is 26 October 2026. You can see all candidates running for mayor, including [Alex Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson), at the [Ottawa 2026 candidates page](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

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