What’s the biggest municipal election issue in Ward 6 – Stittsville – according to the candidates

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Mathew Duchesne: “As a resident and someone who’s built new, I’ve been affected so much by poor leadership from our councillor in keeping builders accountable and keeping them out of critical infrastructure decisions that negatively impact us residents. We need a proven champion for our area; time to bring our taxes back to Stittsville. Time to listen to the people again as to how we want to intensify and where”

Kevin Hua: “Stittsville needs someone who will independently represent and fight for our community’s needs and interests to help it reach its full potential. We also need someone who will bring passion, bold ideas and a new vision to city council to take on the challenges we face in our community”

What is the most important issue in your ward? Why?

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Glen Gower: “The biggest issue facing Stittsville is the impact of housing growth. Stittsville is already one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing wards, and the provincial government wants to increase construction even further. All levels of government must invest in infrastructure and amenities to support this growth. We urgently need another source of funding to help build everything that makes a healthy community. Some infrastructure is in the city’s control such as the construction of Robert Grant Avenue which is finally moving forward this fall, followed soon by Carp Road”

Tanya Hein: “Ensuring that new development and growth serve and enhance the community is the most important issue in Stittsville. Our population is rising rapidly, and while this is positive if managed properly, we need a strong voice at council to make sure that developers are doing more than warehousing new residents. While Stittsville has outgrown its village heritage, there is still a real sense of community here, and keeping that feeling is a repeated theme I hear from residents. That means building up the community in a way that promotes public gathering spaces, a vibrant main street, walkable and bikeable pathways, mixed-use development and a diverse business community. Most people understand that intensification is sensible on many fronts and they look forward to gently adding density to the community. There is a huge range of options between single-family homes and towers, and we need to explore those more”

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Mathew Duchesne: “Intensification — being forced to accept intensification against the community’s popular opinion on the matter. We want to live in quiet neighbourhoods with low traffic, not have high-rises on small roads and poor traffic management”

Kevin Hua: “I believe improving transit is one of if not the most important issue in Stittsville from talking to residents. For years, Stittsville has been chronically underserved by our transit system, creating frustration from its poor coverage, unreliability and infrequency. Many residents rely on transit to commute and travel, many others choose not to use it due to its unreliability, and even those who don’t use transit regularly pay taxes on a service that we don’t get an equivalent return in value on. We need to run more routes through Stittsville to increase coverage and bring a bus station to Stittsville to serve as a transit hub of our local transit network. Residents should get the transit service that they deserve and that they paid for”

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What is the most important issue citywide?

Glen Gower: “The housing crisis/housing affordability is the biggest problem facing Ottawa today. Every month, more people experience the housing crisis: young people trying to rent or buy their first home, seniors looking to downsize, new Canadians looking for a place close to their workplace, and single parents who want a safe and comfortable place to live. House prices in Ontario have almost tripled in the past 10 years, growing much faster than incomes. Racialized, Indigenous and marginalized people face even bigger barriers to housing. There are over 10,000 families on the waiting list for social housing in Ottawa”

Tanya Hein: “The public’s trust in city council and municipal government plummeted over this term of council — and with good reason, as we saw revealed during the LRT public inquiry, the handling of the trucker occupation and with the level of discord, contempt and dysfunction displayed at the (virtual) council table. Rebuilding that trust with honesty, transparency and accountability is going to be key to getting residents’ support to move forward with confidence on several critical issues facing Ottawa in the next term”

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Mathew Duchesne: “Our funding models. The way the city does not plan communities with its residents as a priority; instead we prioritize special interest groups A.K.A. builders, developers because they have the money and corrupt our council. That ends with me. Mat for the people of Stittsville. We are going to get our voice back”

Kevin Hua: “Restoring trust and faith in city hall after the erosion of public confidence in our municipal government over the past four years. From the lack of transparency and accountability demonstrated through the Ottawa LRT project, the lack of public consultation on matters like Lansdowne 2.0 and the interests of residents being sidelined for the interests of developers and a clique under the mayor. There is a need for new blood at city council that can provide the passion, will and bold ideas and vision previously missing to face our city’s challenges and transform it for the better”

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