With one year to go before the next municipal election, Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper has begun campaigning for the mayor’s seat.
The three-term politician officially announced this summer after months of speculation that he intended to have his name on the ballot in the 2026 city election, but not as an incumbent council candidate.
Originally from Orleans, Leiper said he’s been discontent with how the entire city is being run and has heard similar sentiments from all 24 wards.
“We are going into the fourth and last budget of this term of council. And as I contemplate that, I’m taking a look at where we are as a city right now. I continue to believe that we are going backwards in terms of the services that residents expect and deserve,” Leiper told the Kitchissippi Times in July.
He gave the examples of sidewalks not being maintained, garbage cans in parks overflowing, and inadequate bylaw response when calls come in. That is why Leiper is now planning a “listening tour” across the city to hear directly from residents.
“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,” Leiper wrote on social media.
The multi-week tour begins Oct. 7 at Three Brewers in Kanata before heading to Moose McGuire’s in the Hunt Club area on Oct. 14. The following day, on Oct. 15, Leiper will be visiting Kichesippi Beer Co. in Bells Corners. Oct. 22, will see a trip to Barley Mow on Merivale, with a final stop at Cafe Amore in Orleans on Oct. 23.
Leiper also intends to invite everyone to Beyond the Pale at City Centre on Oct. 26, officially one year before municipal election day.
The fight to keep speed cameras
Despite data showing that they save lives and reduce speeding, the Ontario government has announced it intends to introduce legislation banning all municipalities from operating speed cameras.
Ottawa currently has 60 cameras and intended to add 24 more by the end of this fall at the cost of $1.7 million. Since they first increased in 2020, over $80 million has been brought in to help fund safety and traffic enforcement. However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called the cameras a “cash grab.”
The decision has faced fierce pushback with many city councillors and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who stand behind the cameras. Sutcliffe said while not perfect, he believed the program could be improved rather than scrapped altogether.
Leiper said in a Bluesky post that residents have “demanded” speed enforcement cameras, given their ability to slow traffic and prevent collisions. He also posted a video to social media filmed outside of Jules-Léger School on Lanark Avenue with Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKenney. It’s the site where a speed camera was recently placed, but it is not yet in operation.
“We know from the data that this is one of the stretches in Ottawa Centre [and] Kitchissippi Ward where the difference between how fast people are allowed to travel and how fast they actually travel is the wildest,” he said.
McKenney, who went to Queen’s Park with Leiper in 2017 to fight for safer streets, added: “It’s a busy, thriving residential neighbourhood” where they saw dog walkers, cyclists, and kids walking around. “This is a neighbourhood where people are desperate to have safe streets,” they said.
Ford intends to introduce his legislation this fall.
If passed, municipalities would need to cover the costs of removing the cameras, but would give some money to help cities get out of their contracts. In their place, Ford has also proposed adding speed bumps, traffic circles, raised sidewalks, curb extensions, and flashing signs.