---
title: "Four mayoral candidates set out promises for Somerset and Kitchissippi wards"
description: "Sutcliffe announced a neighbourhood business plan on Oct. 23 at Mooney's Bay Beach. Leiper, Lawson and Saravanamuttoo also described their priorities for the west-end wards."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/mayoral-candidates-somerset-kitchissippi-promises-2026-10-25"
last_updated: "2026-10-26T23:49:08.967Z"
---

[Mark Sutcliffe](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/mark-sutcliffe) held a press conference at Mooney's Bay Beach on Oct. 23 and announced a Kitchissippi Business Improvement Plan, according to a Kitchissippi Times report published Oct. 25.

The plan would have the City work with local business improvement areas on traffic flow and parking options, and work with developers to put publicly owned parking into new infill buildings. The announcement gave no cost, no timeline, and no specific locations for new parking.

## What Sutcliffe is promising

Sutcliffe's broader platform includes $500 million in climate-related infrastructure over four years, a figure the campaign has described as more than double the pace the City had been planning. He has also pointed to $94 million in climate-related capital already in the 2026 municipal budget.

On transit, Sutcliffe has proposed continuous bus lanes along Carling Avenue between Lincoln Fields Station and Sherwood Drive. The Kitchissippi Times notes this plan has been under discussion for over a decade.

On flooding, Sutcliffe told the Kitchissippi Times he would conduct a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood review of what went wrong on July 1 and then invest in whatever improvements are needed. His campaign has not given a figure for how much of the $500-million pledge would go to the affected areas.

## What Leiper is promising

[Jeff Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper), the Kitchissippi ward councillor for 12 years, has promised $50 million for infrastructure in Bay, College and Knoxdale-Merivale wards, with a focus on sewer repairs and drainage. He has also proposed waiving permit fees for flood-related repairs, setting up a dedicated team to help residents deal with insurance and relief programs, and increasing 3-1-1 staffing during emergencies.

Leiper has criticized the City's response to the July 1 flooding as too slow. The Sutcliffe campaign has disputed that, saying the mayor spoke with emergency officials on the day and with affected residents the day after.

Leiper has also proposed a one-per-cent infrastructure levy city-wide to address the backlog of road, bridge and sewer repairs.

## What Lawson and Saravanamuttoo are promising

[Alex Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson) has proposed a street-by-street review of sewer maintenance records to find out whether the City has been properly inspecting its drainage systems. He has not announced a specific dollar amount for flood prevention, according to the Kitchissippi Times.

[Neil Saravanamuttoo](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/neil-saravanamuttoo) has focused on transit and housing. He is proposing transit fares of $1 per ride with a $40 monthly cap, funded in part by transferring Ottawa's light rail infrastructure to the province, which would require the province to agree. For housing, he has proposed increasing non-market housing from 5 to 10 per cent of the city's stock, and allowing more development revenues to stay in the neighbourhoods where new buildings go up.

Voters in Somerset and Kitchissippi can use the City of Ottawa's voting place finder or call the Elections Office to confirm their location. Polls are open today, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. See all Ottawa candidates at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates).

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