📍Nepean – Oct 22, Barley Mow Merivale 📍Orléans – Oct 23, Café Amore And on Oct 26, join us at Beyond the Pale, one year out from Ottawa’s election day. Together, let’s build a city that works.

I’m launching a listening tour to hear directly from residents. First stops: 📍Kanata – Oct 7, Three Brewers 📍Hunt Club – Oct 14, Moose McGuire 📍Bells Corners – Oct 15, Kichesippi Beer Co

Across Ottawa, from fairs and markets to townhalls and meetings, I’ve been hearing the same thing: people are frustrated and want a new direction for our city. We need a city that works, with reliable transit, strong services, repaired roads and community centres.

Speed enforcement cameras work to keep neighbourhoods safe by reducing dangerous speeding. I and @catmckenney.bsky.social ask you to write to your MPP and Premier Ford to oppose legislation that would ban their use in Ontario cities.

On Oct. 9, join me for Designing a Better City, an exciting lunch & learn on design vision & leadership. A rare opportunity to hear some of Canada's most exciting voices on architecture & public policy, in a panel discussion with Ottawa's new Chief Planner! www.eventbrite.com/e/designing-...

In 2017, Catherine McKenney and I traveled to Queen's Park to fight for safer streets in Ottawa-Centre. The government listened to residents. Now, Premier Ford is proposing to make our streets more dangerous. It's the wrong move for intensifying neighbourhoods. www.ola.org/sites/defaul...

The decision to remove speed cameras from Ontario streets is unbelievably irresponsible and flies in the face of clear evidence … even police chiefs are against this populist move. It’s disgraceful.

The engagement efforts by the city on this plan have been a big improvement over the last “refresh.” Always grateful to my Councillor @jleiper.bsky.social for his commitment to making our city better. Next up: Tunney’s Pasture development update, Monday at 6:30 at HCC! See you all there

Getting together with my friends and neighbours - and Councillor! - before school starts has been a cherished tradition on Patricia Ave N for more than 20 years!

This summer has been busy with block parties all over Kitchissippi! This afternoon I was happy to pop by Patricia Ave's and say hi to neighbours and to @jchianello.bsky.social who has been doing some exciting things in Champlain Park this year.

The biggest change from the second to third drafts of the zoning by-law is the proposed height increase to 11m in the lowest-density zones in the urban area. I provided some comments to CBC today in support of that. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

I want to express my profound disappointment today that the City has ordered its workers back into the office five days a week. It is a short-sighted decision that serves no one well in either the short or long term. (1/6)

Brutal. I testified at the Bill 9 hearings. The submissions were nearly unanimous, saying that the threshold of 100% of councillors needing to vote someone w/ serious integrity violations out of office made the process impossible. All it will take is one buddy of an abuser to obstruct the process.

Ottawa's local MPPs Stephen Blais and @catmckenney.bsky.social were excellent during today's line-by-line reading of Bill 9, proposing dozens of amendments that would make the bill effective in dealing with abusive behaviour by council members. The PC MPPs voted every single one of them down.

After a summer break, our crew talks budget directions, the evergreen issue of extending lifeguard season, why the LTFP is MIA and the NCC-Sens decision. It's feeling like back to school season! #ottnews Muni Panel: Is the City Breaking the Law? open.substack.com/pub/the613/p...

Intensification and transit-oriented development are an existential imperative for North American cites, but who's thinking about the strip malls?! As it turns out, Toronto city planners are. Read my latest post here: kitchissippiward.ca/2025/07/18/t...

OC Transpo's regular and "help" accounts have both joined Bluesky!

I'm looking forward to attending tonight's Ottawa Youth Council policy forum open mic. Organizers have published a look at its genesis and aims below. Learn more about the event here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/youth-poli....

An on-location of the Better Ottawa Muni Panel: Hot (in fact, sweltering) Takes on Lansdowne #ottnews open.substack.com/pub/the613/p...

firing bad politicians: gut-wrenching testimony at Bill 9 hearings 😲 bellscorners.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/f... #bellscorners @jchianello.bsky.social @tylerwatt.bsky.social @lainejohnson.bsky.social @arieltroster.com @seandevine9.bsky.social @tkavanaghbayward.bsky.social @catmckenney.bsky.social

Bill 9 claims to offer a process to remove council members who've seriously contravened the code of conduct -- have harassed and harmed others. But the process is so convoluted and politicized, that removal will be all but impossible. My @ottawacitizen.com op-ed: ottawacitizen.com/opinion/fire...

If you care about changing provincial law so that a councillor, like Rick Chiarelli, found to have committed "incomprehensible incidents of harassment," then you need to sign up to speak to law-makers by July 9! substack.com/@neilsara/no...

This story infuriates me in a number of ways. First, that the city's planning staff could be MORE THAN $1M OFF-BASE in what it wanted to charge applicants. 1.../ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #ottnews

Suzanne Obiorah, @cassiesmith.bsky.social, @jchianello.bsky.social and Sarah Button were very helpful panelists adding expert perspectives to the City staff presentations at the 2026 budget consultation that @arieltroster.com and I held last night. Thanks to each for agreeing to do it!

I am looking forward to this! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #ottnews

Why are you trying to escape me @jleiper.bsky.social? Also, big thanks to you and your staff for support in booking Champlain Park for our first ever spring picnic!

Many thanks to @jleiper.bsky.social and staff for hosting this event. Excellent non-confrontational discussion of community issues!

Thanks to everyone from the community, community partners, OC Transpo, @yasirnaqvicdn.bsky.social and my staff for an invigorating ward forum tonight. It's good to see everyone. We talked a lot of transportation tonight - the ward's aspirations for a safe, connected, healthy community shone through.

I would like to point out that the annual city budget is LEGISLATIVELY the responsibility of the mayor. How did this happen? And is it this kind of shell game that lets Ottawa keep its tax increases lower than virtually every other Ontario municipality? #ottnews

College ward Coun. @laine_johnson1 calls out (much more politely than I would have) that despite direction from council in 2019 and again last December, traffic camera revenue did NOT go to road safety initiatives. How did this happen? #ottnews www.college-ward.ca/we_need_clea...

This needs to be addressed ASAP.

I have arranged for some follow-up meetings with the most immediately impacted residents to explore The Royal's decision-making on where to locate the MPH residence on their campus, but some things need to be clarified and said. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Pierre Poilievre just doubled down: "We will defund CBC." I left journalism two years ago, but the work I was proud to do with my CBC colleagues brought crucial information about our municipality to citizens of Ottawa that they would never have learned otherwise. Defund accountability? Why?

Not gonna sugar-coat it - the Better Ottawa Municipal Panel with @JonathanWilling and hosted by Neil Saravanamuttoo is a hefty one this week: All things transit, road salt, battery storage and Tewin rears its head. Yeah, it's a lot! We dig in ... #ottnews open.substack.com/pub/the613/p...

Started the morning with conversations over breakfast at John’s Diner. There’s lots of hard work ahead for Canadians — and we’re getting right into it.

A little rusty, but excited as ever to be on new Municipal Panel hosted by @neilsara.bsky.social on his @betterOttawa Substack. Had so much fun with Neil and @jonathanwilling.bsky.social. If you give it a listen (or a watch), let us know what you think! #ottnews substack.com/@neilsara/no...

Am very proud to be a small part of Salus Ottawa that will help provide supportive housing services at MPH. An amazing initiative #ottnews

This morning, the Matthew Perry Foundation announced that it will be building a Matthew Perry House supportive housing development on the campus of The Royal. They and I are hosting an open house to learn more on March 20. Visit kitchissippiward.ca/2025/03/04/m... for more details.

Feeling a little rusty, but looking forward to talking City Hall with my old frenemy! open.substack.com/pub/the613/p... #ottnews

But most people who work in a 15-minute city can’t afford to live there. We have to build more 15-minute cities to meet demand and make sure at least some housing in them is affordable.

Today is my six-year anniversary of having a mild heart attack while shovelling - it was a morning just like this one! I think they said 15 people were brought in that morning. I know one of them didn't make it. Take it easy out there. fb.watch/xJz5PyPhXX/

This is a political crisis. Market solutions aren't going to save us. Canada needs to pivot and take command of our future. Time to go big. Here are some ideas from colleagues @hadrianmk.bsky.social & @marclee.bsky.social