Ottawa mayoral candidate Coun. Jeff Leiper says, if he is elected mayor on Oct. 26, he would expand eligibility for OC Transpo’s EquiPass. The EquiPass is a reduced monthly transit pass that costs $58.25, or less than half the cost of a regular adult monthly pass, which is $138.50. OC Transpo says the EquiPass is available to people who have a family income below the low-income threshold set by the Government of Canada. In 2026, the threshold for a single person is an annual net income of $25,909. Leiper said on Friday that he would update the income threshold for the pass so that a person working full-time at minimum wage would qualify, and the threshold would be tied to future increases of the minimum wage. “People are working full-time, paying rent, buying groceries and trying to keep up with rising costs. Yet they can earn just enough to be excluded from programs designed to make life more affordable,” said Leiper. “That doesn’t make sense. If you’re working full-time for minimum wage, you shouldn’t have to choose between paying your rent and getting to work.” Minimum wage in Ontario increased to $17.95 an hour on Oct. 1. At 40 hours per week, that amounts to $37,336 before taxes, or a net income of approximately $31,500—more than $5,600 over the single-person threshold for the EquiPass. “Transit is not a luxury. It’s how people get to work, get to school, access health care and stay connected to their communities,” said Leiper. “EquiPass is one way the City can make life more affordable, but it only works if the people who need that support can actually qualify.” The cost of an EquiPass has been frozen at $58.25 per month since 2019, despite other fares increasing every year. Public Transit emerged as the main issue that residents said needs improvement in Ottawa, according to a Nanos Research poll for CTV News Ottawa. Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe has pledged to cut the cost of a standard adult monthly pass to $95 per month if re-elected. Mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo is pledging to cut fares to $1 per ride for everyone. Election day is Oct. 26. Advance polls are open on Friday between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Fourteen candidates are running to be mayor of Ottawa. In alphabetical order, they are: Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, Zed Chebib, Bernard Couchman, Suraj Harish, Alex Lawson, Jeff Leiper, Geoff Nicholas, Josh Rachlis, Neil Saravanamuttoo, Ali Shayvard, Jacob Solomon, Mark Sutcliffe (incumbent), Amjad Ali Syed, and Peter Westaway.
