---
title: "Leiper platform: reverse OC Transpo cuts, 1,500 non-profit homes a year, ANCHOR expansion"
description: "Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper says he would reverse recent OC Transpo service reductions, fund 1,500 non-profit homes annually, and give permanent funding to the ANCHOR crisis-response program."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/leiper-kitchissippi-platform-2026-10-21"
last_updated: "2026-10-21T20:53:42.522Z"
---

Kitchissippi ward councillor [Jeff Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper), who has held the seat since 2014, is now running for mayor of Ottawa. The Kitchissippi Times reviewed his platform on 21 October 2026, five days before voting day.

## Transit

Leiper told the Kitchissippi Times that transit is one of the top issues he hears about while canvassing in his own ward. His platform calls for reversing recent OC Transpo service reductions and introducing a Transit Service Guarantee with publicly reported standards for reliability and frequency.

Leiper was specific about what has gone wrong in the western parts of Kitchissippi. He said Route 11 frequency has been reduced and Route 14 has been repeatedly cancelled in the mornings. His platform also commits to advancing bus rapid transit projects, including the long-planned Baseline Road corridor.

## Housing

Leiper's housing platform calls for 1,500 new non-profit homes annually, funded with money from other levels of government. The platform also includes an acquisition fund allowing non-profit housing providers to purchase existing rental buildings and preserve their affordability.

On development, Leiper said he supports what Ottawa's Official Plan already sets out: large buildings near transit stations, mid-rise mixed development on main streets, and low-rise building inside neighbourhood interiors. He told the Kitchissippi Times that planning documents have not always kept pace with one another, and that he would bring them into better alignment so residents have a clearer picture of what can be built where.

## Public safety and drug use

Leiper described a resident in Hintonburg who told him she was afraid to walk her daughter to school at Devonshire because of public drug use and social disorder on the street. He said he acknowledged those issues directly and said they need to be addressed now, even while longer-term solutions such as housing and health care are developed.

His short-term proposals include more people picking up needles, more ambassadors on the street and more outreach workers. He described those additions as achievable within the city's $5.2 billion annual operating budget. His platform also calls for permanent funding and expansion of ANCHOR, the city program that sends civilian crisis workers to mental health and substance use calls instead of police.

Leiper told the Kitchissippi Times that the concerns he hears in Kitchissippi follow him across the city. He said he gets the same response about transit and services whether he is canvassing in Blackburn Hamlet or Alta Vista.

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).

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