On January 29, I sent a survey of Kitchissippi-related provincial election questions to each of Simon Beckett (Green), Scott Healey (PC Party of Ontario), Catherine McKenney (New Democratic), and Thomas Simpson (Liberal) with a deadline of February 14. By February 15, only Catherine McKenney and Thomas Simpson had responded. Following are Simpson and McKenney’s answers. These are unedited with the exception of correcting obvious typos, if any.
Kitchissippi residents are concerned by the speed and volume of traffic that is often cutting through their neighbourhoods and by unsafe behaviours at our mainstreet intersections. How can you as our MPP help either directly or working with the municipality?
Catherine McKenney (NDP): Kitchissippi residents know their streets best, and they deserve real solutions to traffic speed, volume, and safety issues. As your MPP, I would fight for the funding and policies that empower cities to act quickly and effectively. This means strengthening provincial road safety standards, particularly with regard to active transportation infrastructure; increasing penalties for stunt driving; and increasing provincial investment in municipal road safety infrastructure. In particular, I would advocate for red-light cameras to curb illegal left turns that cut through neighbourhoods. I would work closely with the City of Ottawa to ensure traffic calming measures, safer intersections, and pedestrian-first design are prioritized where residents need them most.
Thomas Simpson (Liberal): Traffic congestion and road safety are pressing concerns for Kitchissippi residents. Many have shared their frustrations about cut-through traffic in residential areas and unsafe behaviors at key intersections. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration across all levels of government – municipal, provincial, and federal, including the NCC.
Through conversations with community members and associations, I’ve heard a strong desire for measures such as speed bumps, enhanced traffic calming, and better enforcement of speed limits, particularly near Island Park Drive and the 417 exits. These issues highlight the need for a coordinated approach to ensure safer streets for everyone.
A Liberal government, under Bonnie Crombie’s leadership, is committed to working with municipalities on a new deal to provide long-term, sustainable funding and provide the tools needed to manage growing urban challenges. By easing the financial pressures on cities, we can help ensure they have the resources to invest in safer streets and improved public transit. Simply put, municipalities need 21st century tools to fix 21st century problems, and a partner at Queen’s Park who respects their authority rather than interfering in local decision-making, unlike Doug Ford.
Transit has become an option of last resort for many due to a combination of cost, reliability and convenience factors. How do you propose as our MPP to improve transit performance and restore fiscal sustainability to OC Transpo including helping the municipality restore routes that have been cut for financial reasons? Would you support provincial funding for the construction of Carling Bus Rapid Transit?
McKenney: Reliable, affordable transit is essential for a modern city, but years of underfunding have left OC Transpo in crisis. The single biggest difference the province can make is restoring stable operational funding. An Ontario NDP government would restore 50% of OC Transpo’s operating budget—allowing for route restoration, better service reliability, and lower fares. I would also strongly support provincial funding for the Carling Bus Rapid Transit project to improve east-west transit connections and reduce congestion.
Simpson: Public transportation should be safe, reliable, accessible, and trustworthy. It should connect people to jobs, schools, and services efficiently. Unfortunately, Ottawa’s public transit system is falling short of these expectations. With provincial support and bold leadership, we can restore OC Transpo as a transit system that residents can rely on.
That’s why I support the Ontario Liberal commitment to improving public transit in Ottawa. Our plan includes uploading Ottawa’s LRT to the province, funding Phase 3 of LRT expansion to Kanata and Barrhaven, transferring Highway 174 to provincial jurisdiction, and building a dedicated bus/HOV lane to Rockland, connecting to the LRT at Trim Road. Uploading the LRT alone will save the city hundreds of millions, easing OC Transpo’s financial pressures and allowing the municipality to focus on restoring and improving bus service, including future bus rapid transit corridors, such as the Carling Bus Rapid Transit, as needed.
City councillors have also recognized the benefits of the Liberal approach to uploading Ottawa’s LRT, including Councillor Jeff Leiper, who has said that provincial support “goes a long way to creating transit fairness for Ottawa.”
Kitchissippi has been fortunate to have had significant new cycling infrastructure built in recent years. The most recent of these projects is Scott Street. New provincial legislation could prevent more projects like Scott Street from proceeding without ministerial approval. Would you support bike lanes on streets like Holland, Parkdale, Carling, Kirkwood or others if the opportunity arises to build those?
McKenney: As city councillor for Somerset Ward, I supported the Scott St redesign and many similar projects and championed the expansion of Ottawa’s Active Transportation network. I will be proud to champion them as your MPP. Ottawa has made great strides in expanding its cycling network, but there’s more work to do. As your MPP, I would be a strong advocate for safer streets and active transportation investments. I oppose unnecessary provincial red tape that delays or blocks vital bike lane projects like those on Scott Street. If opportunities arise to build new cycling infrastructure on key corridors like Holland, Parkdale, Carling, or Kirkwood, I would support them—because safer streets benefit everyone, whether you walk, bike, or drive.
Simpson: Bonnie Crombie and the Ontario Liberals believe in respecting municipalities and their ability to make decisions that best serve their communities. Doug Ford’s new legislation, which adds unnecessary red tape to municipal decisions on bike lane projects, is yet another example of his government’s overreach – driven more by politics than by good policy. If Doug Ford wants to control city planning, he should run for mayor of Toronto again, not impose restrictive provincial mandates on local governments.
That’s why Ontario Liberals voted against Bill 212, which undermines municipal authority and creates new barriers to building safe, integrated active transportation networks. Cities should have the power to invest in cycling infrastructure that improves safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike, without interference from Queen’s Park.
Kitchissippi is supportive of programs such as safer supply of opioids that save lives, but the unregulated operation of some providers has had sometimes dangerous implications for others in the community. How will you help achieve a balance of safety for everyone?
McKenney: Safer supply programs save lives, and they work best when paired with wraparound supports: mental health care, social services, and—most critically—housing. However, unregulated or profit-driven operators who fail to follow best practices can undermine both the program’s effectiveness and community safety. I would push for clear provincial regulations that ensure safer supply is delivered responsibly, with accountability measures that protect both those who rely on these programs and the broader community. Safer supply achieves both harm reduction and community well-being when implemented with wraparound supports.
Simpson: Far too many of our most vulnerable community members are falling through the cracks, failed by a fragmented support system and insufficient government action. Addiction and mental health challenges are visible in Kitchissippi, yet the support and resources available remain woefully inadequate. The closure of safe consumption sites, such as the Somerset West Community Health Centre service, has left those in need without safe and critical care. This is not only a public health crisis but also a growing community safety concern.
If elected, I will advocate for clear legislative guidelines to address the gaps that allow unregulated “safer supply” clinics to operate without offering essential wraparound services. Safer supply must be part of a broader, evidence-based harm reduction approach that includes mental health support, counseling, pathways to recovery, and employment readiness. At the same time, stronger collaboration between the Ottawa Police Service and public health agencies is needed to develop new, effective strategies for addressing public drug use – ensuring harm reduction efforts go hand-in-hand with maintaining community safety.
We can and must find solutions that protect vulnerable individuals while ensuring families, children, and residents feel safe in their own communities.
Affordable housing is becoming scarce in Kitchissippi neighbourhoods as the ward gentrifies, aside from that built by the not-for-profit sector. How will you ensure the availability of affordable housing in neighbourhoods like Hintonburg, Westboro and others that are quickly becoming unattainable to all but the most affluent Ottawa residents?
McKenney: The affordability crisis in Kitchissippi is pricing out too many long-time residents. The solution is clear: the government must get back into the business of building real affordable housing at scale. In addition to new construction, we need stronger protections to prevent displacement. The Residential Tenancies Act currently incentivizes landlords to evict tenants to charge higher rents—I would fight to close those loopholes and keep naturally occurring affordable housing in place. An Ontario NDP government would implement measures like rent control and vacancy control because everyone deserves to live in a community they can afford to call home.
Simpson: Far too many people in Kitchissippi are being priced out of their own neighbourhoods, pushed aside as rising costs and gentrification make communities like Hintonburg and Westboro unattainable for all but the most affluent. The housing crisis isn’t just about affordability – it’s about the very fabric of our communities, where long-time residents, young families, and lower-income individuals are being forced out with nowhere to go.
Despite the urgent need for action, Doug Ford’s Conservatives have cut funding for municipalities, stalled on housing initiatives, and prioritized their well-connected insiders over real solutions. While new housing builds are down, Ford has chosen to waste billions on his so-called “booze plan” instead of investing in the affordable homes Ontario families need.
Ottawa Centre needs a real housing plan that puts people first. If elected, Ontario’s Liberals under Bonnie Crombie will fight to build new affordable homes, double Ontario’s stock of supportive housing, and make homeownership more accessible by eliminating the provincial Land Transfer Tax for first-time homebuyers and seniors looking to downsize. And to help get more homes built quickly, we’ll also scrap development charges on middle-class housing, removing costs that add up to $170,000 per home.
For renters, we need stability and fairness. That’s why I will push for phased-in rent control, ensure Landlord-Tenant Board disputes are resolved within two months, and establish a Rental Emergency Support Fund to help renters avoid eviction in financial crises.
I’ll also champion a provincial Housing Acquisition Fund to help non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous-led organizations purchase housing, protect renters, and expand affordable housing.
The bottom line? We need to build more, protect renters, and make housing affordable again. Kitchissippi deserves communities that are diverse, thriving, and accessible – not ones where only the wealthiest can afford to live.