With election campaigns in full swing, keeping up with the municipal election can be hard. Here’s what you might have missed between Sept. 26 and Oct. 3.

Special advance voting days for Ottawa’s 2026 municipal election wrapped up Sunday night. Eligible electors voted between Oct. 1 and Oct. 4 at 10 voting locations across the city.

There were 6,724 eligible electors who came out to vote on Oct. 1. The next day, 6,854 voters turned out. Meanwhile, Oct. 3 saw 5,889 voters at the advanced voting polls, according to an Elections Ottawa X post. Stats for Oct. 4 were not available in time for publication.

Ottawa’s mayoral hopefuls have been gradually rolling out their platforms, knocking on doors and placing their election signs across the city as we get ever closer to election day on Oct. 26.

As part of the Ottawa Citizen‘s weekly series, here is a roundup of the promises made in the past week by the four leading mayoral candidates: Neil Saravanamuttoo, Mark Sutcliffe, Jeff Leiper and Alex Lawson.

Mark Sutcliffe’s swimming plan

If re-elected mayor, Sutcliffe wants to prioritize Ottawa residents looking to access swimming lessons for their children. He says he will allow early registration access for Ottawa residents by prohibiting non-Ottawa residents from accessing registration for “at least the first 48 hours after registration opens.”

He says the move will open up at least 5,000 spots for Ottawa children over the next decade. Additionally, Sutcliffe says he will leverage private facilities by partnering with private pools during their off hours to increase space.

“I hear it all the time from families with young kids: finding a spot in swimming lessons is a real challenge,” Sutcliffe said.

He says it shouldn’t be difficult for parents to get their children to learn an “essential life skill.”

Sutcliffe says these changes would not add any “significant costs” taxpayers.

Neil Saravanamuttoo’s city hall accessibility plan

Saravanamuttoo promises to make municipal government more accessible, transparent and accountable to the people of Ottawa.

“Trust in City Hall has eroded,” Saravanamuttoo said in a release. “Too many residents feel decisions are made behind closed doors, meaningful public engagement comes too late to influence outcomes, and ordinary people struggle to have their voices heard while well-connected interests enjoy privileged access.”

As mayor, he says he would focus on rebuilding trust by making the mayor more accessible to the people of Ottawa by hosting regular “Ask Me Anything” town halls, where residents set the agenda and can ask any questions.

These open forums would provide “direct accountability” and ensure the mayor remains “accessible throughout his term,” so the mayor remains “in touch with the issues affecting Ottawa residents’ lives.”

Saravanamuttoo pointed at the hundreds of public engagement activities the city does during the year. He says too often communities are consulted only after major decisions have effectively been made. As mayor, he would overhaul the city’s engagement process so residents are involved from the outset.

He says he would be available to establish regular roundtables with community and social service leaders, and reopen city hall as the city’s public gathering place by removing unnecessary security barriers. Saravanamuttoo says he would also make more municipal meeting space available and “simplify the booking process so neighbourhood organizations can more easily gather, organize and build stronger communities.”

“(The) goal is to restore City Hall as a welcoming civic space where residents can gather, meet and access municipal services,” his platform reads.

Jeff Leiper’s ByWard Market safety plan

If elected, Leiper says he would create permanent funding and triple the expansion of the ByWard Market Community Engagement Team and the Night Ambassador programs. This is to tackle homelessness, mental health and addiction challenges downtown.

Leiper also wants to start a leasing program to fill empty ByWard Market storefronts by providing short-term spaces for non-profit and local cultural groups.

“Under Mark Sutcliffe, we’re on the wrong track — too many storefronts are shuttered and too few struggling people are given help,” Leiper’s platform reads. “This election is about putting Ottawa back on the right track. Making the ByWard Market vibrant and safe for Ottawa residents and businesses is part of our vision for our city’s future as a city that works.”

He says he would implement a permanent festival plaza for JazzFest, the Franco Ontarien festival, the Children’s Festival and markets like 613Flea. By working with the NCC, the PSPC and Ottawa’s provincial partners in economic development and tourism, Leiper promises to develop a permanent spot to welcome “a full roster” of festivals and events.

Mark Sutcliffe’s infrastructure plan

Sutcliffe unveiled his $10-billion infrastructure plan on Oct. 1, promising to invest that amount to make Ottawa “more flood-resilient,” expand roads and transit network, and for park and community developments.

In the next four years, if re-elected, Sutcliffe promises to find $250 million in savings, arguing that those savings would help Ottawa invest more without increasing taxes.

He says $500 million would be invested in infrastructure over the next four years to make Ottawa “stronger” in the face of extreme weather such as the Canada Day storm. It would include upgrades to storm sewers and ditch enhancements. Sutcliffe says priority would be given to infrastructure in flood-prone communities based on expert recommendations.

Sutcliffe says he would ensure infrastructure (including roundabouts, traffic lights and sidewalks) is in place before residents move in to new communities.

In his plan, Sutcliffe is promising to fix Ottawa’s 50 “worst intersections” after identifying them through analysis and community consultations.

His other promises include half a billion dollars for improving and restoring roads, developing a funding stream for improving aging local roads, fast tracking the ring road and starting the LRT’s Phase 3 to Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven.

“I will also prioritize $1.3 billion of expedited new bus rapid transit or dedicated bus lane projects,” he said.

Sutcliffe promises better parking by making sure every development has sufficient parking by accommodating developers of apartment buildings to purchase publicly owned parking spots in newly developed buildings.

“I will advance the redevelopment of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive by rationalizing traffic flow, promoting pedestrian accessibility and prioritizing public safety,” he added.

His multibillion-dollar plan includes restoring (or replacing) all aging recreation centres.

Sutcliffe promises to create 150 new parks city-wide. “To fund this effort, a mix of parkland dedication and unlocked cash in-lieu of parkland will be advanced,” he said.

The new parks would include dog parks, district parks, parkettes, urban “third spaces” and more, he said.

“I will ensure that funding is provided or construction is started on at least four new community or recreation complexes, with at least one located in every region of the city, including the Barrhaven Civic Centre, a new facility at Confederation Heights and a new facility in Vanier.”

A parks and recreation committee of council would co-ordinate the effort.

On Monday Oct. 5, 2026, Sutcliffe is set to release his economic growth plan.

There were no releases from Alex Lawson’s campaign during the week.

Take control of your search results. Make the Ottawa Citizen a preferred source on Google and see verified local reporting first.