MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2026: QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES
HERITAGE OTTAWA
The Municipal Elections 2026 are upon us! Voting day is Monday, October 26th.
It is at the municipal level where decisions are made that impact local bylaws affecting our lives and our communities. These impacts include building height-limits and density in our neighbourhoods, how land is used, what gets demolished or refurbished for future use, and more.
We need strong policies and practices that support investment in heritage places to meet sustainable development goals, including affordable housing, while retaining the inherent economic, environmental, and cultural values of our existing buildings and neighbourhoods.
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES | questions pour les candidats
We’ve prepared some sample questions that you can use at all-candidates meetings or when a candidate comes to your door.
- Will you champion the retention and repair of older buildings to ensure they can be adapted to new uses?
- Do you believe that Ottawa can actively build new homes our community needs while protecting the city's historic character which enriches our neighbourhoods and helps create vibrant main streets?
- Are you committed to ensuring that the city's important efforts to build more housing respects the by-laws that protect historic resources in heritage conservation districts from inappropriate development?
- Will you champion and promote support for community-developed design plans that limit building heights and density in order to avoid high-rise creep into low-rise neighbourhoods?
- Do you support protecting our built heritage, through designation under the Ontario Heritage Act?
- Do you support City grant programs for owners who invest in the preservation of designated heritage properties, such as the new Heritage Façade Improvement Program?
You can also reach out directly to candidates by emailing your questions.
