Ottawa's outgoing council holds its final meeting as three new members prepare to take office

Ottawa City Council met for the 87th and final time under its current roster on November 12, 2026, with three departing members giving farewell remarks and the full council completing heritage designations, two audits and a motion to begin a Stittsville health hub tender before the new council takes office on Saturday.

The Ottawa Citizen reported that councillors Glen Gower, Jeff Leiper and Allan Hubley each reflected on their time at City Hall at the meeting, which ran through a full agenda of business alongside the goodbyes.

The three departing members

Allan Hubley served Ward 23, Kanata South, for four terms. He lost his re-election bid on October 26 to Erin Coffin, who received 7,878 votes to his 5,248 in the City's unofficial count.

Glen Gower held Ward 6, Stittsville, for two terms and chose not to seek re-election. CBC reported that he planned to explain his decision to step back after eight years at City Hall. Before leaving, Gower put forward a motion to begin a formal tender process for a Stittsville health hub, a project he worked on throughout his two terms. The motion passed, and the next council will take it through the contractor selection stage.

Jeff Leiper held Ward 15, Kitchissippi, for several terms before stepping down from his council seat to run for mayor. He received 105,819 votes in the mayoral race on October 26, finishing second behind incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who received 139,354 votes. Leiper told CBC he planned to keep his remarks light. CBC reported he reflected on unexpected moments during his time on council.

What the final meeting decided

Beyond the farewell speeches, the outgoing council worked through a full agenda. Members dealt with heritage designations and reports on procurement and uncollected taxes. They also received two audits: one covering garbage collection, and one covering OC Transpo overtime.

The OC Transpo overtime audit, completed by the city's Auditor General, found the transit agency spent $62 million on overtime across 2024 and 2025 combined, with $29 million in 2024 and $33 million in 2025, Capital Current reported on November 4. The audit found 50 percent of bus operators worked more than 130 hours every two weeks, and that the agency was using paper-based timekeeping systems. General Manager Rick Leary told councillors earlier in November that overtime for bus operators had dropped by 2,500 hours in October after new hiring. The audit findings came before the full council at its final meeting on November 12.

Council also approved a development at the site of the former Scouts Canada building.

The three members joining on November 15

Three new councillors take office when the full council is sworn in on Saturday, November 15. The swearing-in date is set by section 6(1) of Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, 1996, which puts the new council in office on the 15th day after voting day.

Erin Coffin won Ward 23, Kanata South, the seat Hubley held. She received 7,878 votes to Hubley's 5,248 in the City's unofficial count.

Coffin has identified food security as her top priority for the term. Capital Current reported on November 12 that she has worked for years as a board member at FAMSAC Food Cupboard and organized the Great Bridlewood Food Drive, which collected more than 100,000 pounds of food over three years. She says food insecurity is "growing" in Kanata South even if it is less visible there than in other wards. Her full list of tracked promises is on her page at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/erin-coffin.

Joanne Chianello won Ward 15, Kitchissippi, the seat Leiper vacated to run for mayor. She received 10,722 votes, with the next candidate receiving 2,711 in the City's unofficial count. Her tracked promises for the term are listed at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/joanne-chianello.

Chelsea Walton won Ward 6, Stittsville, taking the seat Gower held for eight years. She received 6,847 votes, with the next candidate receiving 2,332. Her tracked promises are at /on/ottawa-2026/candidates/chelsea-walton.

What is on the new council's plate

The outgoing council's last full agenda gives the new council several files it will pick up. The OC Transpo overtime audit's findings on paper-based timekeeping and high operator overtime sit with the Transit Committee. The Stittsville health hub tender process, launched by Gower's final motion, moves to the next term for contractor selection and award. The former Scouts Canada building development, approved at the final meeting, will proceed under city planning staff.

The outgoing council also approved heritage designations and filed reports on procurement and uncollected taxes, which typically receive follow-up from standing committees and the Audit Committee in the new term.

The city's budget process for 2027 begins in the first weeks after the new council takes office. City staff present a draft budget to the new council each fall, and Council typically votes on the final budget in late November or early December.

What comes next

The new council is sworn in on Saturday, November 15. All 24 ward councillors and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who won re-election on October 26 with 139,354 votes in the City's unofficial count, take office together.

After the swearing-in, the new council sets the schedule for its standing committees. The first full Council meeting of the new term is due by December 16, 2026, under the Municipal Act, 2001.

Ottawa residents can follow every elected member's promises and voting record at the promise tracker. Each councillor's page shows their tracked commitments and, as votes and decisions are recorded throughout the term, the record behind each one. The tracker for the full 2026 Ottawa council is at /on/ottawa-2026/tracker.