---
title: "Leiper proposes expanding OC Transpo EquiPass to cover full-time minimum wage workers"
description: "Jeff Leiper says the income threshold for Ottawa's reduced transit pass should rise to include anyone working full-time at minimum wage and should be tied to future wage increases."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/leiper-equipass-proposal-2026-10-16"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T18:36:40.528Z"
---

Ottawa mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper announced on October 16 that he would expand eligibility for OC Transpo's EquiPass reduced transit pass if elected mayor, so that anyone working full-time at minimum wage would qualify. CTV News reported the proposal.

The EquiPass costs $58.25 per month, according to CTV News, less than half the $138.50 regular adult monthly fare. OC Transpo makes it available to people with a family income below the federal low-income threshold. The 2026 threshold for a single person is $25,909 in annual net income, CTV News reported.

The problem, Leiper says, is that the threshold has not kept pace with wages. Ontario raised the minimum wage to $17.95 per hour on October 1, 2026. At 40 hours per week, CTV News calculated that amounts to $37,336 before taxes, or $31,500 net, more than $5,600 above the EquiPass threshold. A worker earning minimum wage full-time earns too much to qualify, the news outlet reported.

"People are working full-time, paying rent, buying groceries and trying to keep up with rising costs. Yet they can earn just enough to be excluded from programs designed to make life more affordable," Leiper said, according to CTV News. "If you're working full-time for minimum wage, you shouldn't have to choose between paying your rent and getting to work."

Leiper said he would raise the threshold so that a full-time minimum wage worker qualifies, and would tie the threshold to future minimum wage increases so the gap does not grow back. CTV News reported the cost of the EquiPass has been frozen at $58.25 per month since 2019, even as other fares have risen.

"Transit is not a luxury. It's how people get to work, get to school, access health care and stay connected to their communities," Leiper said, according to CTV News.

The other mayoral candidates have taken different approaches to transit costs. Incumbent mayor [Mark Sutcliffe](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/mark-sutcliffe) has pledged to cut the standard adult monthly pass to $95 per month if re-elected, CTV News reported. Candidate [Neil Saravanamuttoo](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/neil-saravanamuttoo) is pledging $1 per ride for everyone, the outlet noted.

Transit has ranked as the top issue Ottawa voters say needs improvement, according to a Nanos Research poll for CTV News Ottawa published earlier in October. The fourteen candidates running for mayor of Ottawa will face voters on October 26, 2026. Advance voting is open on October 16 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at locations across the city.

Voters can read about [Jeff Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper) and all candidates running for mayor at the [Ottawa 2026 candidates page](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

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