Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson is promising to freeze property taxes in 2027 if he wins the municipal election on October 26, putting a hard number on the tax debate in the final weeks of the campaign.
The plan
According to Le Droit, Lawson would hold property taxes flat in 2027, then limit increases to 1% in 2028 and 2% in each of the two years after that. His campaign site lays out the same schedule in plain terms: "Zero per cent increase in 2027. Then one, then two, then two."
How he says he would pay for it
Lawson says he has identified between $77 million and $148 million in potential annual savings. That is a wide range, and the sources reviewed for this story do not break the figure down line by line, so where the money would come from is not yet clear.
What the campaign does say is what the plan would not touch. Lawson pledges not to cut any bus routes, and his campaign site states: "No bus routes cut, no reserves drained, no fees raised to pay for it."
The plan also includes an incentive for city departments. Under Lawson's proposal, municipal services could keep 25% of unspent funds at year end. The sources do not explain how that rule would work in practice or which services it would cover.
How the other candidates compare
Property taxes are already a theme in the race. Incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe promises to cap property tax increases at between 2% and 2.5% for the first two years of a possible second term. Jeff Leiper takes a different approach: he proposes an extra 1% contribution to fund municipal infrastructure, rather than a general cap.
That gives voters three distinct positions. Lawson offers a freeze followed by small increases, Sutcliffe offers a capped increase, and Leiper offers a dedicated infrastructure charge on top of the regular bill.
What led here
The tax pledge fits the pitch Lawson has made since earlier in the campaign. You can read that in ottown's earlier report.
He has also floated other ideas aimed at household costs. In September, he said he would remove every parking meter and pay station in the city and offer free on-street parking. See ottown's earlier report for that proposal.
What happens next
The municipal election vote takes place on October 26. Between now and then, expect more detail to be demanded of all three tax plans, particularly on how a freeze or a cap would be balanced against transit service and city infrastructure.
For now, the main open questions on Lawson's plan are how the $77 million to $148 million in savings would be found and how the 25% carry-over for unspent funds would be managed. Neither is spelled out in the material available so far.
Sources: Le Droit, Alex Lawson campaign
