Unsure how to vote this Ottawa election? Here's a cheat sheet | Opinion

Voting day is Monday. If you’re still unsure how to vote, I am here to help. Not by recommending a particular someone but by running through the issues that keep coming up as being the most important to most people, and summarizing the candidates’ positions on them.

They all say we need more, and more that is of the affordable kind, but they have different ways of getting there. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe wants to approve 75,000 new homes by 2030, with 10,000 affordable, in partnership with other levels of government for more supportive rentals. Jeff Leiper says 1,500 “permanently” (not-for-profit) affordable homes a year, including on city land that would be leased, not sold. Alex Lawson would halve development charges for a year to encourage rental construction to get to rents of $1,800 for two-bedroom and $2,200 for three-bedroom and says if the market fails to deliver after a year, the city will build them directly on public land. Neil Saravanamuttoo has a fourth option, to use a not-for-profit public homebuilder to build 25,000 to 30,000 homes over 20 years on a cost-recovery basis.

Mostly, we’re talking municipal taxes. Sutcliffe and Lawson both have firm ceilings — 2.5 per cent increase maximum in the first two years for Sutcliffe whereas Lawson says zero per cent the first year, then one per cent in 2028. Leiper rejects caps and wants to budget for what the city needs (he also wants a one per cent infrastructure levy representing approximately $40 per household). Saravanamuttoo wants to see the books before he can make promises, except to say he wants to keep taxes as low as possible.

Sutcliffe wants to hire 200 more cops, 100 paramedics and 50 firefighters plus a downtown safety czar. Leiper wants to make the non-police crisis response program ANCHOR permanent and expanded to cover the entire city. Lawson wants to increase to 64 from 42 (unchanged since 1995) the number of on-duty patrol cars, and he released a policy based on the Icelandic model to help prevent youth from falling into substance abuse. Saravanamuttoo wants neighbourhood safety councils and a review of police spending.

On this I am indebted to former councillor and current school trustee candidate Mathieu Fleury for sharing a survey from the Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa asking candidates to rank infrastructure by priority. For Sutcliffe, it’s roads first, then flood prevention, then transit. Leiper says transit first, then road renewal and flood prevention. Lawson says flood prevention first, then road renewal followed by transit. Saravanamuttoo didn’t answer.

Sutcliffe says the budget for roads (and sidewalks) nearly doubled during his term and that he would advance a ring road of the city if re-elected, along with the upload of Highway 174 to the province. Leiper would increase funding for resurfacing, he would build new roads “selectively” after weighing pros and cons, and he’s OK with uploading the 174 if the terms are right. Lawson is big on the ring road, wants better construction coordination and traffic lights optimized for better flow using AI, as well as better standards for rural road safety. Saravanamuttoo would set up an office to coordinate construction projects and penalize delays, and did not commit on the ring road or road capacity.

Sutcliffe promised a $95 pass, upload the LRT to the province and reinvest the savings, fix Line 1 and start stage 3. Leiper will expand EquiPass eligibility, reverse the “New Ways to Bus” and LRT frequency cuts, bring in a transit service guarantee and restore the rider seat on the transit commission. Lawson wants rush-hour express buses until Line 1 passes a 20-day reliability test, independent 90-day OC Transpo management review, no routes cut and ParaTranspo as part of the core service. Saravanamuttoo famously promised the “buck-a-ride” with a $40 monthly cap, a network redesign led by riders and operators, possibly restoring the old 95 as well as a “truth in transit” GPS overhaul.

Sutcliffe promises to clear encampments within two to five days, and to bring 650 more supportive housing units. He also pledged to end youth homelessness by 2030. Leiper wants to boost crisis response (especially ANCHOR), opposes “tiny homes” because they risk warehousing people and wants more supportive housing on city land. Lawson wants detox help available when people are ready for it and a single standard for city-paid beds with unannounced, frequent inspections. Saravanamuttoo wants a tiny home village made of converted shipping containers, inspired by the Gatineau model, with wraparound supports. He agrees with Leiper on ANCHOR being city-wide and with Lawson on rapid-detox on request.

Hope this helps. Please go vote!