Meet the candidates in Ward 12 – Rideau-Vanier

Rideau-Vanier

There are 10 candidates running for councillor in the ward that includes the ByWard Market, Lowertown, Sandy Hill and Vanier. Coun. Mathieu Fleury is not seeking re-election.

• 2018 municipal election voter turnout: 37.54 per cent
• Projected 2022 population: 50,330
• Projected 2026 population: 52,228

CTV News Ottawa invited all registered candidates to answer a questionnaire and submit a video introducing themselves to voters. (Some candidates submitted the requested 280 characters to describe their platform, while others submitted 280 words – CTVNewsOttawa.ca accepted both).

Patrick Auguste 

Political experience:

I have been part of campaign team of several candidates in the past at the different levels of the government (Federal, Provincial and Municipal)

I have 15 years of community involvement, advocacy meetings with municipal counselors and federal MP for social justice for the disadvantaged communities

Professional experience:

Teaching in University of Ottawa in management accounting, Project management of National Campus and Radio Association (NCRA). MBA in Management accounting

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 17 years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Lansdowne Park

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

My platform is based on those following key points

• A safe environment for our families promoting enriching intergenerational activities by promoting play areas and green spaces.
• A real prevention of violence with more presence of community police and programs including inclusion and participation off all social groups in the economic, cultural and social life involving more an increase capacity of the community centers.
• More affordable and quality housing offer to newcomers and vulnerable population along with local support services which reduce the rate of homelessness and the relocation of the elderly outside Rideau Vanier.
• The non-concentration of shelters and drug addiction centres in Rideau Vanier to make the City better distribute the services to vulnerable population throughout Ottawa.
• The support the well being of the businesses along the main streets providing solutions to theirs constraints and a climate of exchanges boosting a dynamic ecosystem providing employment and making the residents proud.
• A social and cultural vitality enhancing the local historical heritage enriched adding the contribution of new immigrants to diversity empowering the tourist experience. 

More than15 years of community involvement in Rideau Vanier,

• Live there
• I know well the issues et the blocage in City Hall
• I ask you to elect me on October 24 as your next counselor

I will fight for

• Less bureaucracy in City Hall
• More efficient social services for our vulnerable population
• More safety for our families
• More support for local business
• More protection for our heritage

People for Rideau Vanier, Elect Patrick Auguste to not miss this opportunity to have a strong voice and a strong representation in City Hall

Hicham Boutaleb 

Political experience: None.

Professional experience: Academic in political history, music, film, photography, teacher.

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 5 years.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Ottawa River

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

As councillor, I want to tackle issues in housing, bureaucracy, and business. I have fresh perspectives and the determined energy needed to confront Rideau-Vanier's challenges, always actively hearing community concerns. If elected, I plan to advocate for our community to: 

(1) Fix the Rideau-Vanier homelessness problem where people are carelessly abandoned on the street. 

(2) Fight the "High-rise Condo Virus" spreading like wildfire that bulldoze our heritage neighbourhood. We must restore green spaces and essential services and stop the "uglification" of Ottawa. 

(3) Improve public transit and hold OC Transpo accountable for years of embarrassingly unreliable services.

My home is Ottawa and my children were born in Ottawa.  I taught English in Europe for 20 years, and History, while freelancing as a photographer & musician, where I observed the contrasts in culture, people, and services. I missed and appreciated Canadian openness and positivity, and its official bilingual heritage. Through my studies and personal experiences, I became more politically-aware. Since moving to Ottawa in 2017, I've been advocating for improved public/social services, climate action, public transport. 

I believe we can only improve, as societies and as individuals, if we politically engage, comparing/contrasting ourselves to our potential, our peers, and with honesty, in our reflection.  Here's hoping, whoever wins this election, we'll leave Ottawa a kinder, greener, happier place for our children and grandchildren.

Tyler Cybulski

Political experience: I have no political background 

Professional experience:  I have been an entrepreneur and product designer for most of my professional life. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa?I have lived in Ottawa for thirteen years. 

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?I have always loved taking a walk along the Rideau Canal  

Describe your platform in 280 characters or fewer:   My campaign has been focussed on the issues in our community that have been ignored for too long. I’m committed to being a councillor that finally addresses our ward’s opioid crisis, chronic homelessness, crime and housing shortages. 

Burthomley Douzable 

Political experience:  volunteering for provincial and federal elections 

Professional experience:

Burthomley Douzable has a long and varied work experience. She worked as a flight attendant for an airline and was in charge of a non-governmental organization (NGO) working in the humanitarian field in her home country.  

For several years, in Canada, she has been working in different institutions providing health care to the Canadian population. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Burthomley Douzable has been very active in helping to eradicate this disease in Canada. Specifically, she worked in Quebec as a Public Health Advisor for the Canadian Red Cross and as a Planning, Programming and Research Officer (PPRA) for the CIUSSS Centre-Sud de l'Ile de Montréal. As a health care professional, she continues to provide health care to our seniors in various retirement and long-term care homes in Ottawa. 

Burthomley Douzable trained in communications, marketing, and languages (Spanish, Italian, French, English and Creole) in her home country. She studied nursing at Niagara College (Ontario, Canada). She then completed another nursing program at the Ideal Professional Institute (Florida, USA). 

How long have you lived in Ottawa? I have been living in Canada for 14 years.  

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  My favorite location in Ottawa is Vanier.  

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

• Safe Environment: One of my priorities is to promote Rideau-Vanier as a healthy, safe, violence-free and drug-free environment for youth. 
• Affordable and Decent Housing: Housing prices have risen dramatically in the capital over the past few years and new construction offers apartments that are too expensive for the average family. To help such families who are already struggling to make ends meet, the solution is to promote more affordable community housing. 
• Homeless Shelters: Having shelters for the homeless is also a persistent issue within the Rideau-Vanier neighborhood. I will work to increase the number of rooms available and to create new ones to help solve this major problem in the neighborhood.  
• Public Transportation: Facilitating the movement of the population in the area by creating additional transportation routes and then increasing the frequency of bus service - review the bus schedule and increase the availability of buses at night and on weekends. 
• Promote Rideau-Vanier local businesses: To make the Rideau-Vanier district one of the top places to do business - to promote other arteries for economic investment such as McArthur Avenue and Donald Street - to continue to strengthen the growth of the Montreal Road. 
• Promote Rideau-Vanier art and culture: Rideau-Vanier has a very diverse community - an extraordinary wealth of culture and arts to showcase and that we will build strong ties between the different communities. 
• Accessibility of Services: I will work to Reduce the inequality of access to certain services across Rideau-Vanier - Strengthen reception and information services for newcomers - Promote settlement and integration programs in the community. 
• Rideau-Vanier à l’ECOUTE: I will create a listening service to take the concerns and suggestions of the Rideau-Vanier community. 

Julie Fiala

Political experience:

I ran as a candidate in the provincial by-election for Ottawa-Vanier in 2020. I have also volunteered and worked in past campaigns of different political stripes, both federally and provincially, since 2015, in Ontario as well as Alberta.

Professional experience: I am a professor of Humanities and Art, where I teach in many areas from the Arts to the Sciences. This means that the breadth of my knowledge is vast. I am a thinker and a doer, with a great deal of hands-on experience in real-world contexts. As an artist and researcher, I have even worked in war zones to create better and more peaceful communities. Firmly, my experience has been centred around Ottawa-Vanier for 43 years – my entire life. I have also worked for over 25 years with organisations in both the public and the private sectors. As an entrepreneur, artist, and teacher, I do everything from accounting and bookkeeping to designing projects and writing my communications. Additionally, I am experienced in devising policy for both non-profit organisations and businesses, big and small. I also have a great deal of experience growing and managing budgets. Lastly, this year, I was a senior consultant on a housing project for francophone seniors living in Ottawa. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa? For most of my life.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Rideau-Falls

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

My vision for Rideau-Vanier and Ottawa at large is centred around three “Hs”: Housing for all, Hospitality and Humanity. I strive to get there by listening to you with great humility. Let’s make our community better, safer, and more accessible. As your city councillor, I will work to:

• Pressure all levels of government for affordable quality housing.
• Fight to improve neighbourhood and public safety through better policing practices and neighbourhood watch.
• Improve emergency and social services.
• Focus immediately on the safety, security, and housing of vulnerable women and children.
• Increase services for seniors and children.
• Encourage active transportation through improvements to road safety, including the expansion of the Cummings Bridge.
• Advocate for reliable public transport and free service for seniors and Para Transpo riders.
• Continue the fight for bilingual services and education across the city.
• Freeze residential property tax for one year and demand a spending review of the city budget.
• Promote small businesses and cut red tape.
• Protect heritage buildings and collective history.
• Eliminate hunger within one year by increasing food bank budgets and food education.
• Listen to you and respond quickly. Always.

Jwane Izzetpanah

Political experience: Former Hill staffer

Professional experience: Former Hill Staffer and ByWard Market restaurant server. But over the years I've worked in various industries: startups, restaurants, sales, business development, and administration.

How long have you lived in Ottawa? 15 years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark? Maman by Louise Bourgeois.

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

We live in the heart of Ottawa, the capital of our country, the obvious drug use and rising crime make it less and less appealing to raise a family here. The increased cost of living for our downtown residents puts the Canadian dream further out of reach. Hard-working entrepreneurs are being driven out of our community, our shops are being replaced with businesses that do not represent our values, driving investments away from the community.

My platform addresses three main issues: crime, community and support for the businesses in Rideau Vanier.

I’m going to fight for our community’s hard-working entrepreneurs and get rid of the seedy businesses that prevent people from choosing Rideau Vanier. I'm going to fight for safer streets so that university students can live here safely and maybe one day they will want to contribute back to this community. I'm going to fight for Vanier so it can become the next up-and-coming spot in the city. I'm going to fight to attract more teachers and daycares for families in our community. I’m going to fight to stabilize our community and bring in the brightest business people to invest and build so we can all benefit.

I will push for decisions that help our community flourish. I will not bend to peer pressure or give in to group thinking. I will speak up for our residents and businesses every time. I am the candidate who will fight to get Rideau Vanier the attention it deserves. 

Kim Leclerc

Political experience: Former ministerial advisor at the provincial and federal levels, as well as in France, in the areas of Francophonie, Revenue, Tourism, Sports, Youth Protection, Persons with Disabilities and Accessibility. Candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2006.

Professional experience:  Strategy and public affairs consultant, former manager in the health network and factory worker during my studies. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa?  Almost 7 years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark? Major’s Hill Park and the impressive view from there. 

Describe your platform in 280 characters or fewer: 

Our community is evolving at an impressive pace and the challenges are not diminishing. 

I am here for you, to lead change and to ensure that our community retains its soul and is safe, affordable and progressive.

Alex Osorio

Political experience: None

Professional experience:  Small business owner prior to COVID. Founder of the Fire of God Community Outreach Centre for over 25 years serving up to 800 families each week with a variety of community services. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa?  37 years

What's your favourite Ottawa landmark? Rideau Canal

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:

We are on a mission to:

1. Invest in our community safety

2. Invest in cleaning up our neighborhoods.

3. And Invest in our community transit

That is why my plan is to increase funding for alternative services like mental health & addiction-focused first responders.

Increase funding to make sure our community gets cleaned.

Fix our transit to service people who live in Vanier, Lowertown and Sandy Hill and not just 9 to 5 commuters. Increase funding for para-transport to reduce long wait times.

Stephanie Plante

Political experience:I worked at Elections Canada for many years, helping to organize elections all over the country, and participated in many election observation missions around the globe. I currently teach a course on Municipal Governance at the University of Ottawa.

Professional experience:  I work on Parliament Hill in administration. Prior to that, I worked at Elections Canada and I teach a course at the Faculty of Common Law at the University of Ottawa. 

How long have you lived in Ottawa?  For almost 20 years

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  This is hard for me to choose. Our Ward includes so many gems: Canada’s largest bilingual university, Ottawa’s busiest mall, the Byward Market, the history and heritage of Lowertown and Sandy Hill as well as the Francophonie and vitality of Vanier. I love it all!

Describe your platform in 280 words or fewer:  

If elected these are my top three pledges to Rideau-Vanier residents and the great citizens of Ottawa:

1. Address the shortage of family doctors in our ward and city by working to establish a doctor recruitment program. Many municipalities have put efforts into recruiting family physicians. I want the City to consult with physicians to see how we can make Ottawa an attractive place for family physicians to work and stay;
2. Work for housing options for all: Rideau-Vanier is special because we have a diversity of residents but it has become unaffordable. We need to ensure the longevity and vitality of our public housing options and ensure that those who want to live here can afford to do so; an
3. Work to make our neighborhoods safer.  Residents have told me over and over that they want safe streets, access to public toilets, water fountains, more public art and less garbage. Our most historic neighborhood deserves nothing less.

Laura Shantz

Political experience: I have spoken at numerous municipal boards and committees and volunteered on different campaigns in the past. This is my first time running for office.

Professional experience: I am a civic engagement coordinator (currently on leave), researcher and part-time University of Ottawa professor. I have held a wide range of positions in advocacy, policy development, research, and civic engagement. I spent five years as a front line worker within the shelter system in Ottawa and as a student, I held multiple difficult jobs to support myself.

How long have you lived in Ottawa? I’ve lived in Ottawa since 2001 and in Vanier since 2008.

Favourite Ottawa location/landmark?  Maman (the spider) and the Alexandra bridge

Describe your platform in 280 characters or fewer:

I want Rideau-Vanier to be a place where we can all thrive and succeed. Key issues in the community are: affordable housing, public & active transit, climate justice, and accessibility. I believe in listening to residents' lived experiences and acting on evidence-based solutions.