The Ottawa city councillor representing the Ontario Liberals in the upcoming Orléans byelection says he has resigned as chair of the city’s transportation committee and stepped down from Hydro Ottawa’s board of directors as he gears up to campaign over the next month.
Stephen Blais, the councillor for the east-end ward of Cumberland, confirmed he’s also renouncing his salary while he vies for a seat in the Ontario legislature because he won’t routinely be at city hall.
Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford called both the byelection in Orléans and the one in Ottawa-Vanier for Feb. 27.
Blais said he isn’t required to formally resign from Ottawa city council to run in the byelection but in his absence, his staff will remain in his office “to assist residents with their needs.”
“This was all worked out in co-ordination with clerk’s office at the mayor’s office to ensure that the residents of Cumberland continue to get good service from the staff that work in the office and I’ll be available to handle anything that requires personal intervention,” he said Friday morning.
“And it will continue to allow the transportation committee to move forward with the transportation master plan and the other things that are on its agenda for the spring.”
While he campaigns, Blais said he may attend meetings of the other committees he sits on, “depending on the agenda items.”
Blais has served on Ottawa city council for nearly a decade – he was first elected in 2010 – and formerly chaired the transit commission, which oversees the city’s public transit agency.
The Liberals nominated him as their candidate for Orléans in November.
The city clerk has already requested expressions of interest from council members to fill the two positions from which Blais has stepped down, the City of Ottawa confirmed Friday afternoon.
A joint meeting of two city committees will consider appointments for the roles on Feb. 4 and then make recommendations to city council for approval at council’s next meeting on Feb. 12, said a statement attributed to Caitlin Salter-MacDonald, manager of council and committee services.
In the Ottawa-Vanier byelection, the provincial Liberals are running Lucille Collard.
The governing Progressive Conservatives have named Natalie Montgomery and Patrick Mayangi as their candidates in Orléans and Ottawa-Vanier.
For the New Democrats, Manon Parrot is running in Orléans and Myriam Djilane is running in Ottawa-Vanier.
Both ridings have long been held by the Liberals.
-With files from The Canadian Press