Residents in Kanata North have three candidates to vote for in the 2026 municipal election. Incumbent Cathy Curry is seeking a third term as councillor in Kanata North after being appointed councillor in 2021 and winning the 2022 election with 76 per cent of the vote. The two other candidates on the ballot in Kanata North are businessman Rob Millan and James Murchison. Kanata North The ward of Kanata North covers an area from north of Highway 417, including Kanata Lakes, South March, Marchwood, Morgan’s Grant and Beaverbrook. Meet the candidates CTV News Ottawa invited all registered candidates to answer a questionnaire and submit a video introducing themselves to voters. Cathy Curry Age: 58 Political experience: City Councillor - Ward 4 - Kanata North - 5 years. OCDSB Trustee - Kanata - 6 years Professional experience: Teacher - OCT Registered Psychotherapist – CRPO. Member of the CHEO Board. Member of the Hydro Ottawa Board. Member of the Ottawa Police Services Board. Member of Invest Ottawa. Member of many city committees. Member on other community and organizations’ boards How long have you lived in Ottawa? 33 years Favourite Ottawa location/landmark: Trillium Woods What was the last book you read? How the World Really Works - by Vaclav Smil What is the top song in your playlist? Harvest Moon by Neil Young How often do you use OC Transpo? Once a year for Bluesfest. I drive an electric car. Would you work to increase or decrease transit fares as part of a plan to improve OC Transpo? This question is too simplistic. The upload of the LRT will help us determine the next changes for OC Transpo’s financial sustainability. Ad revenue will also have an impact. RTO and increased demand due to more routes vs costs will have to be assessed. Would you support increasing the police budget? Yes. We need more officers to ensure the Community Policing Model is fully staffed. Police need upgraded technology. Police need more staff in units where there are significant back logs or an inability to provide helpful and supportive responses to victims of crime. However, as a member on the OPSB, I look forward to the outcome of the current efficiencies review as I believe it will help keep the increase as low as possible. Do you support an infrastructure levy to improve road and sewer infrastructure? No. Provincial reps and municipal reps have advocated through FCM and AMO to ensure federal and provincial governments help with infrastructure costs that have risen beyond the abilities of municipalities to fund via property taxes. There have been promises made by other levels of government to help municipalities with their major infrastructure upgrades. This is how to fund infrastructure, not by adding a levy to the municipal taxpayer. Describe in 250 words or less what the biggest issues are in your ward in this election: The biggest issues in Kanata North are greenspace protection, transit and infrastructure keeping pace with growth, and housing that’s paired with livable community design rather than density for its own sake. Greenspace tops residents’ concerns. The fight over the former Kanata Lakes golf course lands is the clearest example. That same instinct to protect what we have extends to Trillium Woods, South March Highlands, the Morgan’s Grant Hydro Corridor, and our trail network as the ward continues to densify. Close behind is the gap between development and infrastructure. With over 20,000 housing units slated for Kanata North, residents want Stage 3 LRT, the March Road Bus Rapid Transit corridor, and restored local bus routes delivered on a much faster timeline than currently planned, not years after the housing is already built. I’ve been coordinating data collection with the Kanata North Business Association and community associations to push OC Transpo on exactly this. Housing affordability is a real concern, but residents are skeptical that adding units alone solves it. There’s strong support for growth paired with amenities and genuinely livable design. Rounding out the list: missing active-transportation links between neighbourhoods, the future of the Hydro Corridor as a shared eco-district space, keeping property taxes manageable for residents on fixed incomes, and ensuring the City follows through on the Bloomberg Associates report’s recommendations so that our Tech Park--Canada’s largest, with over 800 companies--is governed and supported on par with leading tech parks around the world. Rob Millan No response from candidate James Murchison No response from candidate
