Here's where each councillor candidate in wards 7, 8 and 9 stand on whether they'd consider tax increases or levies to support infrastructure upgrades after Ottawa's wettest summer on record.
After Ottawa’s wettest summer on record turned streets into rivers and flooded thousands of basements across the city, many residents have been left with questions about how the city and its infrastructure can become more flood resilient.
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And in a municipal election year, the issue is up there alongside transit, affordability and housing as one of the most prominent platform points for councillor candidates running in wards most heavily impacted by the summer storms.
City reports say that Bay, College and Knoxdale-Merivale wards have been repeatedly hit hardest by the storms, with these three wards filing the most flood-related service requests of any area in the city.
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And with nine candidates running for council seats across these three wards, there are lots of ideas on how the city could improve its aging critical infrastructure.
So, the Ottawa Citizen reached out to all nine candidates seeking election in wards 7, 8 and 9 with questions on how they’d handle stormwater infrastructure upgrades and how they propose the city should finance it.
Coun. Theresa Kavanagh will seek re-election in Bay ward after serving as the area councillor since 2018. Her challengers include Spencer Radford, who volunteered in long-term care, drove school buses and served for three years as president of the Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville; and Butch Moore, a retired firefighter and children’s author who ran as an independent in federal politics in 2019.
