Strong Towns Ottawa

An amazing member of ours put together this graphic that really encapsulates perfectly the situation on Bank Street. There is only so much space available, and we must use it as efficiently as possible. Parking isn't that. Please sign up to delegate on March 30th in favour of bus lanes!

Thank you to everyone who took time over the last couple weeks to be part of our municipal election. We are extremely excited to see how much focus there was on key issues such as transit, housing, infrastructure, etc... This gives us a lot of energy for the next 4 years to advocate for better!

Today is our election, one of the most important days in the next 4 years of this city. Please if you can, get out there and make some time to vote. The process is very simple and often extremely quick! If you need more info, check here : strongtownsottawa.ca/vote-in-the-...

Upsetting to hear about the pending closure of the OGC. I am quickly reminded of the $1-billion gap for Recreation and Cultural Services identified in the 2025 Asset Management Plan. Which Ottawa recreational facility will be next? This is what austerity looks like. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

That facility needs $4.1M, which is just 1% of the $416M in repairs and upgrades identified in the asset management plan for Recreation and Cultural facilities. Everything else is going to continue to degrade with your low tax increases. A drop in the bucket.

New shirt.

Last night people on bikes stood up against the destruction of safe infrastructure. Tonight, we will return to bear witness and protest decisions that put the public at risk. They will try to take out the last intact lane markings tonight 1/2

Join us this Friday, at 7pm, at Baumeister Bierhalle to get some socializing in before the election on Monday! Info and RSVP can be done here : luma.com/7mcpcddx If you need more info on how to vote, check out our page here : strongtownsottawa.ca/vote-in-the-...

We've received some new answers up on our questionnaire, you can see those on our page : strongtownsottawa.ca/2026-electio... Hopefully the responses candidates have given us can help inform your decision making on Monday! Info for voting can be found here : strongtownsottawa.ca/vote-in-the-...

Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to vote so far! Please get out and vote on the 26th, it is extremely important to exercise your right to vote! Municipal elections have a huge impact on your daily life including transportation and housing! Info : strongtownsottawa.ca/vote-in-the-...

Transit has come out as the top issue over and over again this election. Our friend @giopetti.bsky.social sat down with the 4 leading mayoral candidates to talk about just that! 2 of our board members, Derrick and Marko, also sat down with Gio to chat! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyMj...

Is it still 2006? Feels like it this election! Check out ‘WHO’S GOING TO FIX TRANSIT?’ airing TONIGHT on Roger’s TV 22, and on YouTube! 🚏🚍 #ottawa #cndpoli #publictransit

Wow, this is really rich coming from the guy who made his whole first term all about fighting and complaining about federal government decisions like the QED and PILTs. Queue up the "Fairness for Ottawa" clips.

We recorded an episode today about the bike lane removals in Toronto and decided to text Ontario Premier Doug Ford to give him the opportunity to comment. (Yes, we have his real phone number.) He wrote back.

Today a person lost their life on Ottawa’s roads. We will never know the details. This person has a family and community grieving a life cut short. We know that our city has a road safety policy of accepting tragedy as inevitable. This is an outcome. Not an accident. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

My favorite graphics in "Transportation and the Shape of Cities" #1: Motorized transportation (trolleys and then cars) changed the scale of cities.

The city isn't replanting when trees are lost and they aren't enforcing when the yard is paved over. They're actually now ENCOURAGING people to rent out parking spaces to commuters, something that was previously illegal, further incentivizing people to do this. Why is nobody taking this seriously?

Ottawa By-law is still not enforcing the illegal paving of front yards for parking spaces. They had paused enforcement until after the new Zoning By-law and Access By-law passed, but those came into effect months ago and they're still not enforcing the rules.

Four Candidates. One Big Problem. Happy to announce 'WHO'S GOING TO FIX TRANSIT?' a new special where I sit down with Ottawa's Mayoral Candidates on how they plan to fix the transit system. Premiering October 16th on Rogers TV and YouTube 🚏🚍 #ottawa #cndpoli #publictransit

Thank you to all who came out to our monthly meeting last night which focused on the upcoming election! View the responses to our questionnaire below : strongtownsottawa.ca/2026-electio... For our next few events please check out the events section on our site! strongtownsottawa.ca#events

There have been no internal communication between the Mayor, OCTranspo, the City Manager, or Metrolinx about the LRT upload to the Province. The guy in charge of this doesn't sound very effecrive. (Not my MFIPPA)

Ahhh so the race to the bottom has begun. When is the next mayoral candidate going to propose negative property tax increases where they actually pay us instead? This is unsustainable and not serious. We need taxes to fund the services we rely on. Taxes aren't a punishment.

Why the heck hasn’t the Byward Market been fully pedestrianized yet: George St, William St, Market Sq St; York St converted to pick-up/drop-off loops; parking garage converted to open plaza with benches, busking, planter boxes. And yes yes, retractable bollards to still allow off-peak deliveries.

That we lost the effectiveness of the 95 before it had an equivalent replacement. Not for a few months, but for over a decade now losing cohorts of kids who now don't even consider the bus at our neck of the woods.

Amalgamation & the city we could have had

Why is a man who is openly campaigning for one of the candidates in the mayoral race the one who is moderating this debate? Could nobody else seriously have been found to fill this position? This is extremely concerning. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If you want to live in a congested and irrelevant city 10 years from now—keep on building freeways to the suburbs. If you want to live in a prosperous and livable city 10 years from now—invest in the best transit you can today.

What's your Ottawa related "Roman Empire"? What's a bit of Ottawa you think about like once a week? Mines obviously going to be the 99 Rideau raccoon, or that one car everyone knows. I wonder where that man and raccoon are today. I hope they're still friends.

"I'm not gonna jack up people's water bills to cover new infrastructure spending. We have a plan for what we're doing with the rates over the next few years, and I'm gonna stick the that plan." - @mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social His plan increases water rates 62% by 2035 www.iheart.com/podcast/962-...

Interested in discussing some of the key topics we've had this election? Well then join us this Thursday for our monthly meeting where we'll focus on letting you talk about infrastructure, housing, transportation, and more with other members! All are welcome! Info and RSVP : luma.com/0ouk4smo

Thanks to everyone who made it out to vote this past weekend! For anyone still trying to figure out who to vote for, take a look at the questionnaire we've just put out! If you don't see your candidates on here, shoot them an email to respond to our survey! strongtownsottawa.ca/2026-electio...

Did you get out to vote today yet? If not, what are you waiting for? You have until 8pm tonight for the final day of special advance voting in the municipal election! If you can't make today, make sure you set aside time on the 16th or 26th (final voting day) to vote! ottawa.ca/en/city-hall...

If you have some time this weekend, please consider getting out and voting in the special advance early voting locations! Poll booths are open from 10am-8pm on both days! You can find the location nearest you on the following site : ottawa.ca/en/city-hall...

Join us for our monthly meeting on October 8th, where we'll be focusing on the municipal election, and giving members a chance to debate key topics and questions that have been focused on in the election so far. To RSVP please use our following link! luma.com/0ouk4smo?tk=...

Thanks to everyone who showed up to last week's social gathering! The Oktoberfest action was quite lively! Look forward to our next event, Thursday, October 8th, where we'll be hosting our monthly meeting, 6:15pm at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, at 400 Sparks!

Not sure what to do tonight? Come join us to discuss Walkable Cities by Jeff Speck! You don't have to have read the book to participate, all are welcome to join us! More info can be found on our event page here : luma.com/67fnnpuw

Reminder we have our monthly social tomorrow night, 7pm, at Braumeister Bierhalle! All are welcome, no need to RSVP! They are holding their Oktoberfest festivities at the same time, so we will only have 1 table reserved for us, but there will still be other seating in the restaurant!

We've sent out our questionnaire that you can see attached to all candidates for mayor and council. We've started receiving responses! If you want to see responses from candidates in your area, feel free to e-mail them and ask them to fill out the survey we've sent! We'll be sharing answers soon!

We've sent out our questionnaire that you can see attached to all candidates for mayor and council. We've started receiving responses! If you want to see responses from candidates in your area, feel free to e-mail them and ask them to fill out the survey we've sent! We'll be sharing answers soon!

It is interesting how we can completely change our tune when it comes to wealthy homeowners not wanting more neighbours around them. The city should fairly apply their standards all throughout the city, not just to benefit a few wealthy people who have the time and money to whine about it.

This caveman is unfortunately hitting a little bit too close to home 😅😅 www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWbD...

We have an infrastructure funding deficit of over $10 BILLION dollars. This is not something to sneeze at. All candidates need to start taking this issue seriously, if we have any hope of providing a functioning city for our current and future residents!

Shocked. Shocked, I say. How could this have happened? The water main there under O'Connor Street is only 123 years old (1903). Practically brand new! /s I'm sure the city was hoping to kick that can down the road for at least another decade. It's not even on the planned 5 year construction map.