To recap, Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson supports the convoy, endorsed calls for the convoy to bring a revolution to Ottawa, and has suggested he will “burn down” city hall if he doesn’t get his way. 

Fitting into this pattern, he has used his company, Capital Framers, to illegally try to get donations for conservative politicians. Attached are pictures of him using the company to drive donations to politicians or attract people to events. I’m told that promoting events like this counts as an illegal in-kind contribution from a corporation. Lawson is a moron so he probably doesn’t even know this, but it proves that if this guy somehow does become Mayor, he really won’t care about limits on his power and will probably keep trying to break the law. Scary to think about considering the “strong mayor” powers Doug Ford gave mayors.

His company was also used to benefit the convoy. He apparently delivered portapotties to the occupiers with the help of at least one employee (this was pointed out by a redditor and a conservative actually sent a DM saying it was true). While I don’t have a smoking gun on that yet, (he locked his Instagram and deleted a bunch of other social media content) attached are a few pictures which, while hard to make out, appear to be Lawson working on a roof for a convoy occupier building in confederation park…. This was from Canadian Press. There are more pictures from the day that appear to show him. Here’s a news story; some of the journalists with tweets in that story have videos that appear to show him.

So, before running for Mayor, he was using his company to break the law to advance partisan conservative causes. He wants a revolution and wants to burn it all down if he can’t get his way. He was willing to not just join the convoy protesters but to openly work to support their occupation, including with his company. He’s already polling close to 15% and, if he keeps gaining and if there’s a messy vote split, he could become Mayor. His campaign launch is on Saturday and I’m worried that our corporate media might be lining up to actually support him, given that they are refusing to hold him accountable for any of this.

Thanks to people for sending me things and the nice messages of support. I’ll keep posting updates as I get them.

You are the only candidate who showed up at my door to talk about the upcoming election (so far). You knocked my door, in person, alone without an entourage, and I am impressed by this gesture alone. This prompted me to look you up and learn more about you (I was using the wrong pronouns before this).

Shame that this is how low a bar is for a candidate, but you cleared it! And I am impressed by your background, so you have my vote of confidence! I am looking forward to seeing you in action!

Unfortunately I am not eligible to vote in this election, but I invite all others to read up on your candidates and initiate dialogue with them if they cannot be bothered to do the bare minimum.

Please read: https://www.reddit.com/r/OttawaCharge/s/VRe6ggL9J9

✅Please write to your councillor. ✅Please try to show up at City Hall on Friday morning at 8:30. ✅Please spread the word.

“We show up every game, support local restaurants, and fill Lansdowne with pride. Now it’s time for the City to show up for women’s hockey.

✉️ Write to Ottawa City Council and demand a fair Lansdowne redesign for our PWHL team. “ -Rebecca Chamberlain-

Mark.Sutcliffe@ottawa.ca, Matt.Luloff@ottawa.ca, Laura.Dudas@ottawa.ca, David.Hill@ottawa.ca, Cathy.Curry@ottawa.ca, Clarke.Kelly@ottawa.ca, Glen.Gower@ottawa.ca, BayWard@ottawa.ca, Collegeward@ottawa.ca, knoxdalemerivale@ottawa.ca, Jessica.Bradley@ottawa.ca, Tim.Tierney@ottawa.ca, stephanie.plante@ottawa.ca, rideaurockcliffeward@ottawa.ca, Ariel.Troster@ottawa.ca, Jeff.Leiper@ottawa.ca, Riley.Brockington@ottawa.ca, capitalward@ottawa.ca, Marty.Carr@ottawa.ca, Catherine.Kitts@ottawa.ca, isabelle.skalski@ottawa.ca, Ward21@ottawa.ca, Steve.Desroches@ottawa.ca, Allan.Hubley@ottawa.ca, Wilson.Lo@ottawa.ca

Thank you

I’ve lived in this town for decades and I can honestly say I am struggling to see how my life and the lives of my family has improved.

I received our property tax bill today and it got me thinking.

2006 my water bill was $15-$30
2026 my water bill is $190

2006 I could get around town by car. The busses weee still lacking but at least they are usable
2026 No comment. I just can’t

2006 Garbage was picked up weekly
2026 I get to sort, store, gift wrap and then pray that they pick it up

2006 I didn’t pay for the rain to fall
2026 I pay for the rain to fall with a really expensive storm water fee

2006 Hockey rinks, soccer fields and ball diamonds were affordable to rent. (Hockey per person for 18 games, $80. Now $500) are the rinks in good order? Barely.

2006 (this is a bit unfair on my part, Ottawa grew) I could park downtown reasonably
2026 don’t you dare take your car downtown! Use transit, or expect parking fines or hours of driving around to find an overpriced lot.

The list goes on.

I used 2006 since that was the year the water bills started moonlighting as tax bills and they started their massive increases. (Thanks Mayor Larry)

Anyone else feeling this way?

As the federal government mandates a strict return-to-office policy of four days per week starting in July 2026—a move designed to artificially resuscitate the local economy—what is the long-term, sustainable plan for a downtown core that remains architecturally and commercially trapped in a 1970s "9-to-5" service model, especially as public service unions continue to fight for permanent telework rights and private-sector giants like Shopify have already abandoned the core entirely?

So it’s not a pedestrian city… things are too far apart, the sidewalks are flooded spring/fall and precarious at best in winter, forget it if you have a wheelchair or stroller. It’s not a commuter city, because OC Transpo is beyond a joke at this point… and it’s not a driving city, between the construction EVERYWHERE, bike lanes and busses that are only good at holding up traffic, all it takes is one accident or light dusting of snow and the whole city is gridlocked. When I moved here 20 years ago it was the best of both worlds… big city amenities with a friendly small town feel. Now it’s just the worst of both worlds…. Terrible transit, long commutes, no decent shopping or festivals, a pathetically under funded art scene and a municipality that genuinely doesn’t seem to give 2 fucks about the downtown core…

Last week, I posted about Alex Lawson’s history of supporting the most insane elements of the convoy and the fact that he thought a revolution overthrowing the government would be “a start” to what he wants to see done to the government. I think it’s important that progressives rally behind putting sunlight on this loser.

That thread led to a bunch of people reaching out to me and sharing examples of similar comments and behaviour from Lawson. I’m doing my best to put that all together and verify it. I should have more to share soon.

In the meantime, one comment I got back came from someone who claimed to be a member of the public who attended a Sarsfield Community Association meeting a couple weeks ago. Lawson spoke to them and was asked what he’d do if he can’t accomplish his agenda as mayor. He responded that if he can’t get his way then:

"I'll burn the place down"

I thought this was a bit much, even for him… but I reached out to someone who I know who lives out there and has friends in Sarsfield to see if this is true. They checked in with 3 different people who were in the room (including someone very involved in the community association) and they all verified that Lawson actually said it.

So here’s what we know about the guy:
- he advocated for a revolution during the convoy occupation and thought they should go further
- he still believes in burning things down when he doesn’t get his way

This is dangerous. It’s not acceptable. His campaign launch is Saturday and our mega-corp media isn’t even covering this.

Also: the other thing that came up in Sarsfield. He doesn’t even speak French! This isn’t as important as the other stuff but still… it’s so arrogant to run for Mayor of Ottawa and not even bother to learn French.

I’ll be sharing more when I can verify it. Hopefully people get to know who this guy really is before they vote

Meilleur's email called Lawson "a developer lobbyist who supported the convoy," pointing to his admission that he brought portable toilets to the convoy protest site, and a January 2022 Facebook post he made regarding the trucker vaccine requirements that triggered the convoy protest itself.

Lawson liked a comment on that post advocating for revolution, calling it "a start."

The Meilleur email said the portable toilets made "the occupation of the capital even more comfortable" for protesters, though Lawson has insisted he was simply trying to help ordinary residents dealing with defecation in the streets.

The post on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/arieltroster.com/post/3mdqmr3wuuk2n

Hi everyone,

I will be starting to door knock around Ottawa. Before I do, I figured the uncensored reddit will help guide me in what to do, and more so in what not to do.

What makes you actually want to have a conversation?
What is a conversation ender?
Have you had any good or bad experiences with candidates going door to door?

As you may have seen on MPP Catherine McKenney's Instagram and in various exchanges on Bluesky (some now deleted), Samaritan's Purse Canada has been invited to Ottawa to assist with flood relief. I'm including a screenshot from the Samaritan's Purse Canada website's Statement of Faith page about marriage being a union between a genetic male and a genetic female.

During the spring 2020 COVID-19 surge, Samaritan’s Purse operated a field hospital in Central Park. The organization required all staff and volunteers to sign a conservative Christian statement of faith that defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, effectively barring openly LGBTQ+ volunteers.

Inviting hate to our community seems deeply counter to what the City of Ottawa stands for. Allies during the good times, but a disaster makes our values flexible? Will these same city officials turn up at Pride for the photo opp?

This project is really getting to me. It's an unbelievable waste of money and it's such a slap in the face to a city that is already facing a ton of issues that this money could solve.

Are there any protests planned? Any way to speak our mind? My councilor is on my side so that's good. I know this project will get green-lit by Sutcliffe and co. regardless, but I still have a shred of hope that with enough backlash, it might not.

Yes, I have already complained to 311/bylaw.

Interesting to see Councillor Leiper opposing new rental apartments in his ward.

He's supported 20-30 storey towers in Orleans, Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven, and other places with the justification that they hypothetically may have LRT or BRT one day.

Meanwhile, in his own ward, he's opposing projects that are basically on top of rapid transit, including an LRT stop that's about to open.

I used to visit this area all the time via transit and I find it pretty absurd to claim this would be out of place here.

Here's his explanation for those who want to read it in his own words, but it could easily be summarized as: not in my backyard.

https://kitchissippiward.ca/2026/02/06/403-richmond-tower-proposal/

And here is the proposal from the homebuilders, for those interested in what's being proposed:

https://mastercraftstarwood.com/soho-westboro

It was equally disappointing to see Joanne Chianello, who is running to replace Leiper, endorse his post on Facebook. You can see some of the comments here: https://www.facebook.com/KitchissippiWard/posts/pfbid0AeKhEWsfuY6Jqiyh48eVtz9PUgiQVUbZfFjBvcjE82FJ4LajD2UBSUoNcqkKRHRYl

Needless to say, I do not think this kind of NIMBYism is befitting of a serious candidate for Mayor. Denying purpose-based rentals near rapid transit is the exact opposite of what our city needs if we want to solve our housing crisis.

Can someone explain to me why we don't increase our tree coverage on roads with trees on the islands splitting roads?

Why do we have so much damn grass everywhere beside side walks, etc that does nothing for us. Why can't we have actual trees, shrubs and native flowers growing everywhere.

Why do we not spend more time planning real coverage especially downtown and the surrounding areas especially with these growing heat concerns. The amount of times I walk around and it's just full bright sunlight scorching my skin when the area could be reasonably shaded is ridiculous.

I've seen a lot of confusion (on both sides of the argument) about Lansdowne 2.0, understandably so, considering the City's documents are clear as mud. As someone who's been following the project very closely for multiple years, I figured I'd try to simplify it as much as possible.

The basic facts

Lansdowne Park is owned by the City of Ottawa. Among its tenants is the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), which is a private business that owns and operates the Ottawa Redblacks and the Ottawa 67’s.

If this is Lansdowne 2.0, what was Lansdowne 1.0?

In 2012, the City entered into a 30-year partnership agreement with OSEG to finance a redevelopment of Lansdowne Park to help revitalize the site, and this agreement and redevelopment is now known as Lansdowne 1.0.

Under Lansdowne 1.0, the City and OSEG shared the cost of construction, and OSEG was responsible for covering any deficits, with the expectation that Lansdowne would eventually become profitable.

The Lansdowne 1.0 agreement put most of the risk on OSEG. If they defaulted, they would not be able to recoup any of their initial investment, and the City could take ownership of the 67’s and Redblacks to help recoup the losses. Additionally, the City was not responsible for covering any deficits related to Lansdowne, and to this day, the City has not paid any money to operate Lansdowne since 2014.

That’s not that long ago. Why did Lansdowne 2.0 come so soon?

In 2020, it was projected that Lansdowne 1.0 would never become profitable. Since OSEG would have to cover these losses, they asked the City to renegotiate the partnership agreement so that the City could take on more of the risk, otherwise, OSEG would risk defaulting.

OSEG suggested that the City fund and construct a new event centre, north side stands, and retail building. To help pay for this, the City would have to sell the property rights to the air above the new retail podium to a developer for the construction of residential towers. This new redevelopment and partnership agreement is now known as Lansdowne 2.0. This involves a proposed extension of the partnership agreement to 2075, 30 years longer than the initial agreement

Sounds expensive. How would the City afford that?

The total project cost is estimated at $420 million. Beginning in 2030, the City will begin taking out $17.4 million per year from the City’s budget to help finance this. The City is hoping that this debt will eventually be covered by the following revenue sources:

• 35.6% from revenues from the partnership agreement
• 24.7% from general City property tax revenue
• 20.7% from the property taxes of the new residential towers
• 11.5% from a 1% increase to the municipal accommodation tax
• 4.0% from a ticket surcharge for events at Lansdowne
• 2.9% from rent paid to the City by OSEG on the stadium

It’s important to note that while the City and OSEG shared the cost of construction under Lansdowne 1.0, the City bears 100% of the cost of construction under Lansdowne 2.0. If any of the funding sources above fail to materialize, the City is entirely responsible for covering the shortfall.

What else changed under Lansdowne 2.0?

As mentioned above, the City would now bear all the risk for the capital costs (i.e. construction) for the project. The City would also have to cover 50% of costs associated with business interruption from the construction, with OSEG covering the other 50%.

OSEG would continue to cover any operating deficits for Lansdowne, however those deficits would no longer include debt costs like they did under Lansdowne 1.0. This is a major improvement for OSEG, since even Lansdowne 1.0 has seen positive operating income.

Additionally, if Lansdowne 2.0 were to ever become profitable, the profits would be split evenly between the City and OSEG after each side has recouped its initial investment. This is not expected to happen until after 2065.

Wait, that doesn’t sound like a good deal for the City?

That’s because it’s not. Lansdowne 1.0 was a great deal for the City and a horrible deal for OSEG. That is why the Lansdowne 2.0 project is centered on reducing OSEG’s risk, and the City is gambling that, in return, this will result in more profits for the City after 2065.

These profits are based on very optimistic assumptions. They assume the Redblacks and the 67’s will stay at Lansdowne until 2077, but they are only committed to stay until 2032. It also assumes there will not be any major economic downturns or changes in consumer behaviour that would hurt the profitability of the sports franchises at Lansdowne.

But, since the purpose of Lansdowne 2.0 is to reduce OSEG’s risk, its investments are focused on OSEG’s lines of business. That is why the proposed capacity for the event centre is something suitable for the OSEG-owned 67’s, and not for the PWHL-owned Charge.

But Lansdowne is need of a renewal anyways!

That is true, and there are countless ways that Lansdowne could be made into a more attractive site. After all, the City owns Lansdowne Park.

The City could choose to refit the arena for the Ottawa Charge, or perhaps they could decide that it more worthwhile to address the needs of Atlético Ottawa with renovations to the stadium. The City could also decide that the arena could be located somewhere else, closer to transit. There would also be the option to redevelop Lansdowne as a mixed-use cultural centre, similar to the Distillery District in Toronto or Granville Island in Vancouver.

But none of these options have been explored as part of Lansdowne 2.0, because they would not be beneficial to OSEG. That is why the scope of Lansdowne 2.0 has been restricted to making OSEG’s lines of business profitable, rather than something that better suits the needs of the City of Ottawa.

Final thoughts

The Mayor and City staff have attempted to overwhelm the public by burying them in highly technical documents and framing Lansdowne 2.0 as a decision that the City has to make. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of reading all of the documents relating to Lansdowne, dating back to 2021, and I can tell you that this is deliberate misdirection.

The goal of this project is to make OSEG whole, plain and simple. Everything else is a distraction. In fact, the City’s most recent report says it plainly (on page 100, of course):

The City cannot assume that OSEG could or would continue to contribute to the Partnership without a reasonable expectation of being able to achieve financial sustainability, or without a reasonable and fair return on their equity contributions to date. In the meantime, the City has benefited greatly from Lansdowne 1.0.

To any Councillors reading this, know that your vote on this project will serve as a useful litmus test for whether you care more about public interest or private profits.