Mayor of Ottawa
Alex Lawson
Alex Lawson is a candidate for Mayor of Ottawa in the October 26, 2026 municipal election. He owns a home framing/construction company and registered his candidacy on May 1, 2026, after previously voting for incumbent Mark Sutcliffe in 2022. His platform includes eliminating the vacant unit tax, rural infrastructure assessments, and a Google partnership to test smarter traffic signals. CBC News reported he sent unregistered lobbying emails to councillors before accusing Sutcliffe of similar conduct.
What the public record shows
Alex Lawson is a candidate for Mayor of Ottawa in the October 26, 2026 municipal election.
“Lawson promises 'smarter traffic lights' through Google partnership if elected mayor of Ottawa” ctvnews.ca
“Homebuilder Alex Lawson plans to run for Ottawa mayor” cbc.ca
Lawson owns a home framing/construction company and has worked in residential framing.
“Lawson grew up in Heron Gate and lived in neighbourhoods across Ottawa — from Lowertown to Centretown to Kanata — as he built a career framing houses.” ca.news.yahoo.com
“After Ridgemont High School, I got a job framing houses. I stuck with it.” votealex.ca
Lawson registered his mayoral candidacy with the City of Ottawa on May 1, 2026.
“Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson poses at the City of Ottawa Elections Office after registering for the 2026 municipal election. May 1, 2026.” ctvnews.ca
“formally registered May 1, 2026” en.wikipedia.org
Lawson has stated he voted for incumbent Mark Sutcliffe in the 2022 election but says city services have since declined.
“Lawson stated he voted for Sutcliffe in the last election, but says city services have declined.” en.wikipedia.org
“In 2022 we were promised a safer, more affordable, more reliable Ottawa. We got none of the three.” votealex.ca
Lawson has pledged that, if elected, he would introduce a motion at the first council meeting to eliminate Ottawa's vacant unit tax.
“Lawson pledges to end vacant unit tax at first council meeting if elected mayor of Ottawa” ctvnews.ca
“Repealing the vacant unit tax” votealex.ca
Lawson has proposed a rural platform involving rural assessments for council decisions and improved rural infrastructure maintenance.
“Alex Lawson unveils rural platform, promising to improve infrastructure maintenance and rural assessments” ctvnews.ca
“Rural Ottawa improvements addressing roads, zoning, and property rights” votealex.ca
Lawson has proposed a partnership with Google to test adaptive/'smarter' traffic signal timing if elected.
“Lawson promises 'smarter traffic lights' through Google partnership if elected mayor of Ottawa” ctvnews.ca
“Infrastructure: ring road construction, parking reform, traffic management” votealex.ca
CBC News reported that Lawson, who accused incumbent Mark Sutcliffe of unregistered lobbying, had himself sent emails to city councillors in January 2025 seeking support for a proposed construction training centre without registering those communications in the city's lobbyist registry.
“When Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson recently accused incumbent Mark Sutcliffe of having a 'cozy relationship' with a government relations firm, his complaint focused in part on allegations of unregistered lobbying. However, CBC News has learned that Lawson himself previously sent emails to several city councillors without registering the communications.” cbc.ca
“Alex Lawson, 38, is a lobbyist and home builder, who owns a local framing company.” en.wikipedia.org
Where to hear it from them
Also on this ballot
- Mark Sutcliffe (incumbent)
- Jeff Leiper
- Neil Saravanamuttoo
- Zed Chebib
- Peter Westaway
- Suraj Harish
- Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi
- Jacob Solomon
- Bernard Couchman
- Ali Shayvard
- Amjad Ali Syed
- Josh Rachlis
- Geoff Nicholas
How this page was put together
This is compiled from public sources, not independently or personally researched by ottown. We have not interviewed Alex Lawson, attended their events, or verified anything beyond what the sources quoted above actually say. Every statement here needed two independent public sources before it was included, and both are linked so you can read them yourself.
It is not an endorsement, a ranking, or a complete account of the candidate or their platform. For the ballot itself, the City of Ottawa's certified list is the authority, not this page. Ottawa votes on Monday, October 26, 2026. Last checked 2026-09-28.
Something wrong here? If you are Alex Lawson, or you have spotted an error, tell us and we will fix it. We would rather correct it than leave it.