Mayor of Ottawa
Ali Shayvard
Ali Shayvard is a certified candidate for Mayor of Ottawa in the October 26, 2026 municipal election. A Relief Instructor with OC Transpo, he registered his candidacy on the final day of the nomination period, saying his job required him to take a leave of absence before running. He describes himself as a democratic socialist inspired by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's election, and his campaign lists affordable housing, transit reliability, infrastructure repair, community safety, and fiscal transparency as priorities.
What the public record shows
Ali Shayvard is a certified candidate for Mayor of Ottawa in the October 26, 2026 municipal election.
“Ottawa Mayoral Candidate | Ali for Ottawa” aliforottawa.ca
“Candidacy registered: August 21, 2026” en.wikipedia.org
Shayvard works for OC Transpo as a Relief Instructor.
“Today, as a Relief Instructor with OC Transpo, I have firsthand experience with our transit system and the challenges it faces.” aliforottawa.ca
“OC Transpo employee Ali Shayvard” ca.news.yahoo.com
Shayvard registered his candidacy on the last day of the nomination period because, as a city employee, he had to take a leave of absence to run.
“"Because I work for the city, I cannot run earlier. When I do start to run I have to take a leave of absence."” ca.news.yahoo.com
“Candidacy registered: August 21, 2026” en.wikipedia.org
Shayvard describes himself as a democratic socialist candidate inspired by the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Shayvard describes himself as a democratic socialist candidate who was inspired by the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.” ca.news.yahoo.com
“Describes himself as a democratic socialist who was inspired by the election of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.” en.wikipedia.org
Shayvard's stated campaign priorities include affordable housing, reliable and affordable public transit, road and infrastructure repair, community safety, and transparent city spending.
“Make public transit reliable, accessible & affordable." / "Repair deteriorating roads and improve infrastructure." / "Build affordable housing and address homelessness." / "Strengthen community safety and prevention." / "City Hall must spend tax dollars responsibly, transparently, and where they matter most."” aliforottawa.ca
“Campaign slogan: A New Dawn for Ottawa” en.wikipedia.org
Where to hear it from them
Also on this ballot
- Mark Sutcliffe (incumbent)
- Jeff Leiper
- Alex Lawson
- Neil Saravanamuttoo
- Zed Chebib
- Peter Westaway
- Suraj Harish
- Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi
- Jacob Solomon
- Bernard Couchman
- 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 Ali Shayvard, 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 Ali Shayvard, or you have spotted an error, tell us and we will fix it. We would rather correct it than leave it.