Ottawa votes on Monday, October 26, 2026, and we wanted to hear from the people on the ballot in their own words. So we sent the same six questions to every certified candidate in the city, with one promise: we publish what you send back, unedited.
Tanya Hein is running for councillor in Stittsville Ward. Here are the answers, exactly as they arrived.
Why are you running?
I'm running mostly because I can do a great job representing Stittsville at City Hall. I have a strong skill set based on years of education and professional experience in the fields of journalism, administration, legislative analysis, and legal services, and as a community advocate focussed on planning and development issues. I understand municipal process, am comfortable speaking at council, and I am diligent in my work habits. There is only so much one can achieve as a volunteer, and I want to move my advocacy to the next level by serving on council and representing my community.
What is the single biggest issue facing the people you want to represent, and what would you do about it?
Stittsville is a community in transition. We have a lot of high-density low- or no-parking development moving in, but we don't have adequate transit to support those future residents or even the population already living here. Fixing transit is going to be a one-and-done solution, but we can start by addressing some of the common-sense recommendations in the Auditor General's report on transit released over the summer. I think step one is to revise the schedules to be more realistic. Stating the obvious: if we expect residents to rely on transit, then transit must be reliable.
Name one specific thing you would work on in your first year in office.
The transit scheduling needs to be addressed asap, but aside from that, I will also be taking deep dives into asset management plans and master plans and looking at the big picture of what our infrastructure needs and realistic possibilities are.
What is something the City gets wrong today that you would change?
There is a lot of what feels like unnecessary secrecy at City Hall. For example, why can't residents know more about the LRT maintenance contracts and how deficiencies are being addressed. I will be pushing for maximum transparency.
What should residents know about you that would not appear on a campaign flyer?
I'm not flashy. I don't enjoy fanfare or the performance part of politics, but what I lack in campaign/self-promotional savvy, I more than make up for in substance. I will do my best every single day to be approachable and informed, to ask intelligent questions, to communicate clearly, and to ensure residents in Stittsville and across the city are getting the representation they deserve.
Anything else you would like voters to know?
In addition to professional and volunteer qualifications, I also bring a lot of human perspective to the role of councillor. I live comfortably in the suburbs now, but I grew up in poverty. My father was blind and my mother struggled with addiction. I was the first person in my family to pursue post-secondary education. I am a single mother raising four sons and getting ready to see them launch into a tough world. I am a small business owner and know the challenges of keeping the doors open in a tough economy. I carry these experiences and they give me valuable perspective in making decisions that will have an impact on residents across the city.
Who else is running in Stittsville
Stittsville is Ward 6: A suburban ward centred on Stittsville, plus a small slice of former Kanata around the Canadian Tire Centre, and the Blackstone subdivision. Open seat, the incumbent is not running again. 9 people are on the ballot here. Alongside Tanya Hein: Marie-Ange Yindaki Ahinful, Kevin Hua, Paul Meek, Sheetal Narwal, Devin Michael Fitzgerald O’Brien, Theresa Qadri, Mani Sharma and Chelsea Walton.
They have all had the same six questions. We publish each set of answers as it comes in.
When you can vote
Ottawa votes on Monday, October 26, 2026, with advance voting before then. The City's certified candidate list is the authority on who is on your ballot.
About this piece
These are Tanya Hein's own words, published as sent. We have not fact-checked the claims in them, and running them is not an endorsement. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Tanya Hein's ottown page: https://www.ottown.ca/elections/stittsville/tanya-hein
