Saravanamuttoo pitches 'open books' to challenge city spending

Neil Saravanamuttoo, an economist and community organizer, is running for mayor on a platform of reining in City Hall spending he says favors developers over residents.

"The big spending decisions are lining up with the priorities of powerful developers, not ordinary residents," Saravanamuttoo said. He pointed to two recent contentious approvals: Lansdowne 2.0, which passed by a narrow 15-10 margin in November, and the Tewin community development in the rural southeast, where a motion to halt it failed 7-5 after concerns over lack of consultation with First Nations, missing transit infrastructure, and the costs of extending municipal services.

Saravanamuttoo's campaign centers on three pledges. First, an initiative called Open Books 100 Days would make city financial accounts "much more transparent" to show how Ottawa spends on basics from speed bumps to commemorative benches. He argues the city overpays compared to neighboring municipalities, and public scrutiny would expose larger inefficiencies.

Second, he's pitching a "buck-a-ride" transit fix as part of a four-point plan to make OC Transpo reliable, frequent, and affordable. "Right now, OC Transpo is none of" those things, he said.

The 2026 municipal election takes place October 26. The Ottawa Citizen is profiling each of the four mayoral candidates and their platforms ahead of voting day.