Ottawa mayoral candidate Coun. Jeff Leiper is pledging to prioritize upgrades to sewer infrastructure in three west Ottawa wards if he’s elected mayor next week. Leiper announced on Tuesday a $50-million plan to upgrade sewer and green infrastructure in Bay, College, and Knoxdale-Merivale wards, if elected. The three wards were hardest hit by the record-breaking rainstorm on July 1, that dumped upwards of 167 millimetres of rain on some parts of the city, according to staff. “More than 6,600 basement flooding reports came in after the storm. Nearly four months later, many families are still dealing with damaged homes, insurance claims and paperwork, often on their own,” Leiper’s campaign said in a news release. “For many, the deadline to apply for provincial disaster assistance is only weeks away.” Leiper is also pledging to increase grants to flood-stricken residents from the current $1,000 to as much as $10,000 for lower-income households. The city’s compassionate grant program provides a $1,000 payment to a residential property owner or tenant affected by basement flooding due to sewer surcharging. Following the July 1 storm, hundreds of people submitted applications. Leiper’s flood plan also includes a dedicated “flood navigator team” to give residents direct help with insurance claims, provincial disaster relief and city programs. He would waive permit fees for flood repairs and would also ramp up 3-1-1 staffing in the event of a major storm. “When your basement floods, you lose more than drywall and carpet. You lose family photos, furniture, sometimes the place your kids sleep. Then you spend months on the phone with insurers and filling out forms,” he said. Mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo also announced an environmental plan on Tuesday, which includes replacing aging sewers, improving nature-based solutions for absorbing rainwater, reducing the city’s use of road salt during the winter and planting more trees. Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s infrastructure plan includes a $500-million pledge to improve resiliency to climate change through upgraded storm sewers, improved drainage and ditch enhancements. Election day is Oct. 26. 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.
