Alex Lawson is a City Hall outsider who wants to be Ottawa's new mayor

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Lawson brushed off a campaign pledge from rival Neil Saravanamuttoo that would offer fares at a “buck-a-ride,” saying the transit authority is already running a $52-million deficit.

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“We need to look at more responsible management. We can’t just be pouring more water into a leaky bucket — and this is going to be the theme for a lot of things,” Lawson said.

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“So, how do you figure out why this is happening? Talk to the people that are driving the buses. Talk to the people that are supervising the people driving the buses, talk to the managers, talk to the union heads. And that’s what I did … It’s been months of having great conversations, talking to people where policy meets reality, seeing where those gaps are, and what we can do to fill them in.”

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Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson poses for a photo. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Affordable housing about more than home prices

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Lawson said he would explore “creative ways” to increase the city’s housing supply and to bring costs down.

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“Nothing gets built if you don’t show up to do it, and nothing gets fixed if you ignore it,” he said. “We’re all focused on (how) it’s almost impossible for people to buy a house now. But where are the conversations about rent prices? Forget buying a house, let’s talk about renting a house, about getting out of your parents’ basement and having a place of your own.

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“If rent is taking 85 per cent of your monthly income, and then a transit pass for a system that’s not showing up is taking up another chunk of it, then you end up having to go to the food banks (that are) are seeing record numbers of people and the Ottawa Mission is serving record-breaking numbers of meals,” he said.

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“It’s not a popular opinion, but I don’t believe that government should get more involved in things, and I would normally say that government shouldn’t be involved in building houses. I do believe in smaller government,” Lawson said.

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“But in a situation like we have now … once we give the private sector every opportunity to bring these prices down — whether it’s land availability, cutting red tape, cutting development charges, whatever it is — let’s give them all the tools at our disposal. If they still don’t do it in 12 months, we’re going to do it. We’re going to step in … we’re going to hire the people that know how to do it, to dig holes, pour foundations, or frame houses or put roofs on them. And then people are going to live in them and we’re going to charge what people can afford.”

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Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson poses for a photo. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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Neighbourhood policing is key for public safety

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Lawson said he’s in favour of expanding alternative response programs like ANCHOR and would better equip the Ottawa Police Service’s neighbourhood resource teams.

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“We don’t need to send armed police officers to somebody that’s in a mental health crisis, necessarily, but we also do need to protect the people that are responding to that,” Lawson said. “It’s different now than it was in the ’90s and early 2000s where you knew (the neighbourhoods) where the problems were. It’s expanding everywhere. It’s a different game now. It’s not the same city it was.”

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Lawson said he’s gone on police ride-alongs in the ByWard Market and spoken with Chief Eric Stubbs about the challenges facing police in a changing city.

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“Neighbourhood policing and having officers that know their areas is definitely the right move, but we also need to equip them better,” Lawson said. “I’m not saying to pour money into a leaky bucket again, but let’s actually talk with them and see what we need.”

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Relations with federal and provincial governments

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A strong relationship “built on mutual respect” with the federal and provincial governments is “absolutely essential for the well-being of Ottawa residents,” Lawson said.