Latest news with #Kitchissippi
CTV News
05-07-2025
- CTV News
Legal drinking allowed in 8th Ottawa park this summer
Parkgoers can now enjoy beer, wine or a spirit in an eighth park in Ottawa, as a park in Kitchissippi ward has been added to the list of designated parks for legal alcohol consumption. As of July 1, residents and visitors can drink alcohol in designated parks across the city. Under the alcohol in parks pilot project, councillors are allowed to select parks for alcohol consumption in consultation with city staff. Seven parks were officially designated for alcohol consumption: Minto Park, McNabb Park, Queenswood Ridge Park, the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park, Riverain Park, Strathcona Park and Brewer Park. On Friday, the city's website showed legal alcohol consumption is now allowed in Champlain Park. Coun. Jeff Leiper told constituents last weekend that it was his intention to ask the city to designate Champlain Park for legal alcohol consumption, but he was 'late to fill out the form.' Leiper said it would be in the second round of parks announced for the pilot project. According to the City of Ottawa, alcohol consumption is permitted in the designated parks between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Individuals consuming alcohol must: be 19 years of age or older take all empty alcoholic beverage containers home not drink, drive, be intoxicated in public or cause a disturbance. The City of Ottawa says alcohol cannot be sold, supplied or served without a permit. Under the alcohol in parks pilot project, alcohol consumption is not permitted within five-metres of the following areas: Playgrounds Wading pools and splash pads Beaches Rinks Playing fields and ball diamonds Basketball, tennis and pickleball courts Skateboard parks Parking lots Here is the list of designated parks for legal alcohol consumption in Ottawa
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Unofficial race begins for mayor of Ottawa in 2026 election
As elected officials prepare for a lighter legislative agenda over the summer months, the race for mayor of the City of Ottawa in the 2026 is officially underway. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said he intends to seek re-election for a second term in next year's municipal election. Meantime, Coun. Jeff Leiper says he is exploring a run for mayor of Ottawa in the 2026 election. 'It is a year and a half away from the election. I intend to get to every part of our city – rural, suburban and urban – listen to what residents are saying, solicit their input, solicit their feedback and by the time this is an actual election campaign, I'll have to have a fully costed budget platform on the table,' Leiper told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with guest host Andrew Pinsent. Leiper has represented the urban riding of Kitchissippi for three terms. 'I'm not happy with the direction in which our city is going. I don't think you have to ask very many residents before you get a good idea that residents are concerned about the state of delivery of their services,' Leiper said. 'What I hear every week is about garbage isn't being cleaned up in a timely way in city parks, garbage bins are overflowing, sidewalks that aren't being maintained, roads that are in rough shape with no hope of resurfacing and, of course, transit continues to bedevil the city.' The next municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26, 2026. Sutcliffe was asked about the next municipal election following Wednesday's election campaign. 'There's still almost 18 months left in this mandate,' Sutcliffe said, who said he spoke with Leiper 'a few weeks ago.' 'I'm not a lifelong politician; I'm not a career politician so I don't get up every day thinking about the next election or thinking about what the next role I want to have. I was given a four-year mandate in 2022 to serve the people in Ottawa. When I get up every morning, my focus is on delivering results for the people of Ottawa. It's not on the next election campaign.' Sutcliffe won the 2022 municipal election with 51 per cent of the vote.
CBC
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Coun. Jeff Leiper eyes mayoral run against Mark Sutcliffe
Three-term city councillor Jeff Leiper is seriously exploring a run for mayor in next year's municipal election. "At this point, I am planning to run for mayor. The conversations that I've been having with people who want this city to be better than it has been have been very encouraging," he said. "I'm exploring with a very small team right now about what that candidacy might look like, but nothing is certain until you put your name on a ballot." The election is slated for Oct. 26, 2026. Incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe confirmed to CBC on Tuesday that he is also running. "I intend to run for re-election in 2026, but right now my sole focus is serving the residents of Ottawa and not a campaign that is still more than a year away," Sutcliffe said in an emailed statement. Leiper was first elected to council for Kitchissippi ward in 2014 and now chairs the planning and housing committee. He has won reelection by crushing margins, earning 85 per cent of the vote in 2018 and 72 per cent of the vote in 2022. He was previously an executive with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and also served as president of the Hintonburg Community Association. He said he's running to improve city services — from overflowing garbage in city parks to crumbling sidewalks — and to make transit a first choice, not a last option. "One of the things that I am committed to doing if I go down this path is to ensure that our transit networks are frequent, reliable, convenient and affordable," he said. "Today, I don't think there's any resident who believes that they are, and that would be a key priority for me going forward." He said he differs with the mayor on budgeting. In his view, council hasn't devoted sufficient resources to deliver quality city services. "I understand really well the appetite that residents have for change in the city so that they get the services that they deserve and expect," he said. Leiper has opposed the Lansdowne 2.0 project and voted against the 2025 city budget. He led an unsuccessful charge against reducing LRT frequencies. He also called for a royal commission to investigate the convoy occupation of downtown Ottawa in 2022. Rivals aim to keep campaign out of council chambers Leiper said he has met with Sutcliffe to inform him of his plans. "The commitment that we have both made if in fact I do run is to ensure that for the remaining year and a half of city council, that we are working in the public interest," Leiper said. "Neither Mark nor I, no one around the council table, wants to see council devolve into an election campaign every two weeks." Leiper's Kitchissippi ward includes the neighbourhoods of Hintonburg, Mechanicsville, Tunney's Pasture, Wellington Village and Westboro. "One of the reasons I'm contemplating running is I'd like to bring my experience of effecting really positive change in my community to the whole city," he said. "I've grown up in Orleans. I was a small child in Nepean. I've lived in the south end. I love this city, and I would love for people to have the kind of experience of their neighbourhoods that we've been fortunate to have in Kitchissippi ward." The last two elections have pitted a candidate supported largely by suburbanites against a candidate with a base in the central city, with the suburban candidate winning the day. Leiper will be hoping to prevent a repeat of that result next year. "Certainly as I talk to people who are supportive of my running, that's one thing that they've made really, really clear is to make sure that I go out into the suburbs, hear the concerns that residents have and then address those in my platform," he said. "I think I can talk to suburban residents with an experience of having lived there, grown up there, worked there in a way that maybe other candidates couldn't in the past," he said.
