Municipal elections can feel overwhelming.
Every campaign promises to improve transit, lower taxes, build more housing, make neighbourhoods safer and improve city services. Most candidates genuinely believe they have the best ideas – but figuring out how those ideas differ isn’t always easy. Unlike federal or provincial elections, there isn’t a single place where every Ottawa mayoral candidate answers the same questions using the same format.
That’s one of the reasons Compare Ottawa was created.
Rather than telling you who to vote for, the goal is to organize publicly available information so you can compare candidates more easily and make your own decision.
Start With the Issues That Matter Most to You
Every voter has different priorities. For some people it’s housing affordability. For others it’s traffic congestion, property taxes, downtown revitalization or public safety. Instead of trying to read every campaign announcement, start by identifying three or four issues that matter most to you.
Our issue comparison pages summarize where candidates stand on topics such as:
- Housing & Affordability
- Transit & LRT
- Property Taxes & City Spending
- Roads & Traffic
- Community Safety
- Homelessness & Mental Health
- Economic Development
- Accessibility & Para Transpo
- Cycling & Active Transportation
- Downtown Revitalization
- Lansdowne 2.0
- Federal Return-to-Office Impacts
- Governance & Transparency
- Recreation & Community Services
Look Beyond Campaign Promises
Campaign websites are designed to present each candidate in the best possible light.
That’s expected.
A better approach is to compare:
- specific policy proposals
- priorities
- experience
- voting records (where applicable)
- interviews
- debates
- media coverage
Looking at multiple sources often provides a much clearer picture than reading only campaign material.
Compare Candidates Side by Side
Once you’ve narrowed your priorities, compare each candidate directly.
Questions you might ask include:
- Which candidate has the strongest housing plan?
- Who has the clearest vision for OC Transpo?
- How do candidates plan to manage property taxes?
- Which issues receive the most attention from each campaign?
- Are there areas where candidates largely agree?
Side-by-side comparisons often make differences much easier to spot.
Every Voter Values Different Things
There isn’t a universally “correct” choice and some voters prioritize affordability while others focus on transportation, parks, economic development or neighbourhood safety.
The best candidate for one voter may not be the best candidate for another so the goal should be to understand each candidate’s priorities before making your own decision.
About Compare Ottawa
Compare Ottawa is an independent community project created to make Ottawa’s municipal election easier to understand. The website does not endorse candidates or political parties. Instead, it organizes publicly available information into a consistent format so voters can compare candidates and issues more efficiently. If you notice information that’s outdated, incomplete or inaccurate, feedback is always welcome.
