When Theresa Kavanagh first ran for Bay Ward councillor in 2018, she did so with the goal of serving her community. Now, after two terms at City Hall, she says that commitment remains as strong as ever.
Before joining council, Kavanagh spent nearly 30 years working with Members of Parliament on Parliament Hill. She later served as an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee for Bay Ward, where she advocated for students and families, experiences she says reinforced her commitment to public service.
“There are a lot of issues that I want to see through to conclusion,” Kavanagh said, pointing to improving Ottawa’s transit system and preparing city infrastructure for the impacts of climate change as two of her top priorities if re-elected.
One issue that has become increasingly urgent, she says, is ensuring Ottawa’s infrastructure can withstand more frequent severe weather events. The flooding that followed the CanadaDay storm this year underscored that challenge.
“What we saw after the Canada Day storm was the impact of climate change on our infrastructure, which led to all the flooding,” she said. “It’s an important issue for our ward and across the city.”
Kavanagh believes Ottawa must plan for more intense storms in the future.
“We need to improve the infrastructure in the city so that we are able to better handle large storms like the one we had on Canada Day, and are probably going to be having more because of climate change,” she said.
“As a city, we have to take into account how climate change is going to affect Ottawa in the years to come.”
Transit is another issue she hopes to continue working on during another term. With Stage 2 of the LRT continuing to roll out and a new general manager overseeing OC Transpo, Kavanagh says she is optimistic the system can regain public confidence.
She also sees public transit as an important part of Ottawa’s response to climate change.
“If we are going to do what we can as a city in fighting climate change, we have to improve our transit system to get as many cars off the road as we can and do our part.”
Looking back on her time on council, Kavanagh says she is most proud of the work heroffice has done helping Bay Ward residents navigate city services and resolve local issues.
“It is very satisfying to know that you are able to make life easier for the residents of the ward by making sure the services they need are operating properly,” she said.
Kavanagh also serves as chair of the Ottawa Community Housing Board, a role she hopes to continue if re-elected. She says expanding affordable housing remains one of the city’s most important responsibilities.
“I am passionate about providing sustainable, affordable housing that meets the needs of all residents,” she said. “The issue of affordable housing is vital to the vitality of the city as a whole. Community housing has been working hard to help foster more affordable housing in the city.”