Jeff Leiper lays out five-point plan for rural Ottawa
Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper published a five-point rural platform on October 6, promising a dedicated office for rural residents and a new voice for farmers.
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Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper published a five-point rural platform on October 6, 2026, promising to create a dedicated office for rural residents inside the mayor's office and a formal planning role for farmers, CTV News reported.
Leiper's campaign put out a news release outlining the plan. "Rural Ottawa deserves a mayor who listens, shows up and gets things fixed, it's time to give rural communities a stronger voice and the investment they deserve," Leiper said in that release.
What the plan says
The first point is a rural secretariat inside the mayor's office. Leiper's campaign says this office would give rural residents and business owners a direct line to the mayor and make sure rural views are included in city hall decisions.
The second point is a formal voice for farmers and rural businesses in city economic and policy planning. The campaign says this would include dedicated support to help rural businesses deal with city hall processes.
The third point is a rural road safety program. Leiper's campaign says he would identify and publicly track priority repairs to roads, bridges, culverts and drainage in rural Ottawa.
The fourth point is a rural service review that sets clear service standards for roads, infrastructure, policing and other municipal services in rural areas.
The fifth point is a village growth plan that the campaign says would support new housing and infrastructure while protecting farmland, village character and rural landscapes.
A previous pledge
Leiper had already announced, before this plan, that he would add a one per cent levy to property tax bills to fund city infrastructure. CTV News reported that the levy is meant to cover a major funding gap for city infrastructure.
What other candidates have said
Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe has promised economic and development zones in rural and suburban Ottawa, a village main street rehabilitation program, and increased policing and paramedic services in rural areas, CTV News reported. Sutcliffe and Leiper opponent Alex Lawson have both pledged support for a ring road.
Lawson's rural plan includes increasing the frequency of rural road assessments from once every five years to once every three years, and new service standards for farm business licensing and ditch maintenance, according to CTV News.
Voters can compare all 14 mayoral candidates on the Ottawa 2026 candidates page. Read more about Jeff Leiper on voche.me. Voting day is October 26.
Questions this story answers
What did Jeff Leiper announce for rural Ottawa?
Jeff Leiper, a mayoral candidate in the October 26 Ottawa election, published a five-point rural platform on October 6, 2026, according to CTV News. The plan includes a rural secretariat inside the mayor's office, a formal voice for farmers and rural businesses, a dedicated rural road safety program, a review of service standards for roads and policing in rural areas, and a village growth plan that aims to support new housing while protecting farmland. You can read more about Leiper at his candidate page: /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper
What is the rural secretariat Leiper is proposing?
Leiper's platform says the rural secretariat would be a dedicated office inside the mayor's office that gives rural residents and business owners a direct line to the mayor. According to his campaign's news release, reported by CTV News, its purpose would be to make sure rural views are included in city hall decisions. Leiper's campaign put this forward as part of his October 6 announcement.
How much would Leiper's rural plan cost Ottawa taxpayers?
CTV News did not report a cost figure for the rural plan in its October 6 report. A separate pledge, announced earlier, would add a one per cent levy to property taxes to fund city infrastructure broadly, which CTV News reported is meant to cover a major funding gap. No breakdown of costs for the rural plan specifically was reported by CTV News.
What is Leiper's position on rural roads and infrastructure?
Leiper's platform, as reported by CTV News on October 6, 2026, says he would publicly identify and track priority repairs to roads, bridges, culverts and drainage in rural Ottawa and create a dedicated rural road safety program. He would also create a rural service review that sets clear service standards for roads, infrastructure, policing and other municipal services in rural areas.
What did Mark Sutcliffe promise for rural Ottawa?
CTV News reported that incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe has promised to create economic and development zones in rural and suburban Ottawa, establish a working group with rural businesses to respond to U.S. tariffs, launch a village main street rehabilitation program, and increase policing and paramedic services in rural areas. Both Sutcliffe and Lawson have pledged support for a ring road. Sutcliffe is the incumbent mayor running for re-election on October 26.
What did Alex Lawson promise for rural Ottawa?
According to CTV News, Alex Lawson's rural plan includes increasing rural road safety by setting a new safety standard, changing the renewal process for rural roads, and increasing the frequency of rural road assessments from every five years to every three years. He also promised new service standards for farm business licensing and local ditch and drainage maintenance. Lawson is one of 14 candidates for mayor of Ottawa.
Who else is running for mayor of Ottawa?
According to CTV News, 14 candidates are on the City of Ottawa's list for mayor. In addition to Jeff Leiper, they are: Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, Zed Chebib, Bernard Couchman, Suraj Harish, Alex Lawson, Geoff Nicholas, Josh Rachlis, Neil Saravanamuttoo, Ali Shayvard, Jacob Solomon, Mark Sutcliffe (the incumbent), Amjad Ali Syed, and Peter Westaway. You can see all candidates at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor
When is voting day in the Ottawa municipal election?
Voting day in the Ottawa municipal election is October 26, 2026. An advance voting day is October 16, with voting places open from 10 am to 8 pm. Special advance voting days were held October 1 to 4. Voters choose the mayor, one city councillor per ward, and school board trustees for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and the two French-language school boards.
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