Byelection to fill vacant Ottawa council seat will cost $500,000

Ottawa City Hall (CTV News Ottawa)

A byelection to fill the vacant seat at the council table will cost Ottawa taxpayers more than $500,000.

The City of Ottawa has two options to fill the councillor position for Osgoode following the resignation of George Darouze – a municipal byelection or appointing a new member until the next municipal election in October 2026. Earlier this month, council directed staff to plan for a byelection to fill the vacant seat.

A report for Wednesday’s council meeting recommends the City of Ottawa hold a byelection on Monday, June 16. If approved, candidates can begin registering to run in the vacant seat on Thursday, March 27, with the final day to enter or withdraw from the race on May 2.

One advance voting day would be held on June 6, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the election held on June 16.

Residents would have three options to cast their ballot during the byelection: voting in person during the one advance voting day and on election day, voting by a special mail-in ballot or by proxy. For voting in-person, the city will use the “anywhere voting” model, allowing electors to cast their ballot at any voting location in the ward.

Staff say the costs for the byelection include $181,024 for voting events, $137,500 for staffing, $60,000 for special mail-in ballots, $45,267 for print production and mailing and $41,700 or legislative requirements and elections audit. The city would use funding from the tax stabilization reserve to cover the cost of the election.

If council voted to appoint a new councillor for Osgoode, it would cost $8,000.

Under the Municipal Elections Act, nomination day must be no less than 30 days and not more than 60 days after council approves a plan for a byelection. Voting day must be 45 days after nomination day.

The ward of Osgoode has approximately 26,650 eligible electors. Voter turnout in the 2022 election was 46 per cent.

The City of Ottawa has held three byelections to fill vacant council seats since amalgamation in 2001. In 2005, a byelection was held to fill a vacant seat in Ward 1 following the resignation of Coun. Herb Kreling. In 2019, the city held a byelection in Rideau-Rockcliffe following the resignation of Tobi Nussbaum, and a byelection was held in Cumberland in 2020 after Coun. Stephen Blais resigned.

In 2021, council appointed Cathy Curry to fill the vacant seat in Kanata North following the resignation of Jenna Sudds.