Three candidates are running for councillor in Capital ward in the 2026 municipal election. Incumbent Shawn Menard is seeking a third term as councillor in the ward, after first being elected in the 2018 municipal election. Menard won the 2022 election with 78.8 per cent of the vote. The other candidates on the ballot are Farah Gulzar and Jaac Doduck, who has worked at the Glebe Community Centre. Capital Ward Capital ward is located south of Highway 417 in central Ottawa and includes the neighbourhoods of the Glebe, Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South and around Carleton University. Meet the candidates CTV News Ottawa invited all registered candidates to answer a questionnaire and submit a video introducing themselves to voters. Jaac Doduck Age: 25 Political experience: Starting with getting my fellow high school students signed up to vote in 2019, and having since served as VP Finance for my program union and student councillor, my political experience has always been in helping my peers get more involved. Professional experience: I have worked for nearly 6 years at various community centers in Toronto and Ottawa, including for about 2 years at the Glebe Community Centre! How long have you lived in Ottawa? Coming up to 4 years living in Ottawa and Ward 17. Favourite Ottawa location/landmark: Eddies Diner on Bank Street! What was the last book you read? Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer What is the top song in your playlist? Alberta Bound by Gordon Lightfoot How often do you use OC Transpo? Nearly everyday, outside walking it is my primary means of getting around the city. Would you work to increase or decrease transit fares as part of a plan to improve OC Transpo? I promise, if elected, to never vote to increase OC Transpo fares. The city needs to find more revenue sources to improve OC Transpo, rather than increasingly placing the burden on riders. Would you support increasing the police budget? I do not support increasing the OPS budget. The city needs to adopt a far more wholistic approach to community safety, instead increasing its budget for ____________________. Do you support an infrastructure levy to improve road and sewer infrastructure? Absolutely. The City of Ottawa cannot keep kicking the funding gap issue to future citizens, it needs to fund itself in order to serve its communities. The city therefore needs to advocate for more revenue tools, removing the burden of funding away from its two biggest sources of user fees (like OC Transpo fares) and property taxes. Describe in 250 words or less what the biggest issues are in your ward in this election: There is not enough housing for all the demands placed on the communities of Ward 17. New families, retirees, students, and those in transition all want to live and help make our neighbourhoods grow but cannot find places to stay. Growth and densification are the solutions to this problem, but this must be undertaken by the communities, rather than imposed on them. This is why as City Councillor, I would support a secondary-suite program, whereas homeowners can receive up to $10,000 in tax-credits if they build a secondary house on their property. This helps encourage gradual densification, without developers or the city imposing plans onto a community. Farah Gulzar Age: 41 Political experience: Candidate for Ottawa City Councillor, Ward 17. Active community advocate focused on neighbourhood issues, resident engagement, and practical solutions for Ottawa families, seniors, youth, and people with disabilities Professional experience: Community advocate and former non-profit organization leader with experience in community engagement, administration, advocacy, and supporting residents in navigating government and community services. How long have you lived in Ottawa? More than 8 years. Favourite Ottawa location/landmark: The Rideau Canal — it represents what makes Ottawa special: our beautiful public spaces, recreation. What was the last book you read? You Were Not Supposed to Wake Up by Imtinan Ahmad. What is the top song in your playlist? “You Are Not Alone” — Michael Jackson How often do you use OC Transpo? Regularly. I understand firsthand how important reliable, accessible, and affordable public transit Would you work to increase or decrease transit fares as part of a plan to improve OC Transpo? I would not support fare increases as the first solution. OC Transpo needs to improve reliability, frequency, routes, accessibility, and accountability first. I support keeping transit affordable, including exploring free or reduced-cost transit for children and youth and off-peak transit for seniors. Would you support increasing the police budget? I support keeping Ottawa safe, but I would not support an automatic increase without clear evidence of need, measurable outcomes, and accountability. Police resources should be focused where they are most needed, alongside investments in prevention, mental-health supports, youth programs, and community safety. Do you support an infrastructure levy to improve road and sewer infrastructure? I could support a dedicated infrastructure levy only if it is transparent, targeted, and directly tied to measurable improvements. Residents deserve to know how much is collected, where the money is spent, what projects are completed, and what results are achieved. New revenue must come with accountability. Describe in 250 words or less what the biggest issues are in your ward in this election: Ward 17 needs practical, accountable leadership focused on the everyday issues residents experience. Roads, sidewalks and crosswalks need better maintenance and faster repairs. Residents should not have to repeatedly report the same pothole, damaged sidewalk, or unsafe crossing without knowing when it will be addressed. Public transit is another major concern. Residents need reliable service, better connections, and transit that is affordable and accessible to seniors, youth, families, workers, and people with disabilities. Housing affordability continues to put pressure on families and individuals. We need more affordable housing options and stronger action to keep people housed. I also want to see better parks, recreation facilities, community gardens, and spaces for youth and seniors, particularly as our neighbourhoods grow and change. Finally, residents deserve transparency and accountability. City decisions should be easier to understand, community consultations should have meaningful follow-up, and residents should be able to see what was heard and what was actually done. My approach is simple: listen to residents, set clear priorities, spend responsibly, and measure results. Ward 17 deserves leadership that delivers—not just promises. Shawn Menard Age: 44 Political experience: Since 2018, I have had the distinct pleasure of serving as City Councillor for Capital Ward. Prior to my time at city hall, I had the pleasure of serving as a school trustee for OCSDB from 2014 to 2018. During my time studying at Carleton, I was honoured to serve as President of the Rideau River Residence Association and later, President of the Carleton University Students’ Association. I have also been fortunate to serve as the President of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, and vice chair of the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee for the City of Ottawa. Professional experience: After graduating with my Masters from Carleton University, I worked as a Strategic Analyst for the Department of Justice. Later, I worked as the Manager of Government Relations for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, where I enjoyed serving municipalities across Canada. I then started my own business prior to becoming the city councillor for Capital Ward. How long have you lived in Ottawa? I was born and raised in Ottawa. I love the city and also exploring/travelling to many worldly destinations. Now as I raise my two kids (10 and 7) in Ottawa, I feel deeply connected to the city and invested in improving quality of life for all residents. Favourite Ottawa location/landmark: I love parks. In Capital Ward, we have many hidden gems like Windsor, Brantwood, Kaladar, and more. What was the last book you read? I have been playing some no limit hold ‘em poker when I have time and recently enjoyed a book teaching me more about the strategy of the game. What is the top song in your playlist? Well! My Spotify age is 73. So a lot of 60’s and 70’s tunes by CCR, The Animals, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, etc. But my most played Spotify song is Disparate Youth by Santigold. How often do you use OC Transpo? I ride OC Transpo on a weekly basis. Mostly I take routes 7, 6, and 18. Would you work to increase or decrease transit fares as part of a plan to improve OC Transpo? This past term, I moved a motion which secured free transit for youth 18-and-under on weekends, weekday evenings, holidays, and all summer. I also pushed back against the ridiculous large hikes proposed for older adults and fought to maintain Wednesday and Sunday free service this past term of council. The fact is that OC Transpo must be made both more affordable and more reliable, and decreased fares is one important step in the right direction to reduce congestion. Would you support increasing the police budget? I have voted both for and against the $400 million annual police budget during my 8 years on Council. Like all city budgets, it must be looked at with value for money in mind. When the Auditor General points out significant concerns with the management and cost of the new South facility, or funds disproportionally going to management, or the fact that we spend 5x less on the Ottawa Public Health budget, and 6x less on the Ottawa Public Library budget, these are all considerations for me. Do you support an infrastructure levy to improve road and sewer infrastructure? We have a large infrastructure gap because of poor spending decisions made for several years in our city (such as Tewin, Lansdowne 2.0, and massive road expansions) and not keeping up with inflationary growth. To get this under control, we need to rein in the mega project and P3 debt spending and instead focus on basic repairs to our existing infrastructure. That can come in many forms (a levy is one example), but this transition in priorities must happen in our city or we will continue to go down a path of austerity, bad debt, and less affordability for everyone. Describe in 250 words or less what the biggest issues are in your ward in this election: First and foremost, I care about quality of life for residents. This means investing in public goods and services like reliable, affordable transit, quality public amenities like parks, safe streets, and community buildings, and new co-op and not-for-profit housing. It also means fighting for transparency and accountability at Lansdowne Park, working with staff at Sunnyside library to extend hours, and continuing to provide an excellent standard of service to residents across the ward.
