The following are 5 questions that we sent out to every Ottawa City Council candidate in hopes of getting to know them better. We publish the responses exactly as we receive them, in the order that they were sent to us. Here are the responses from Barrhaven East Council candidate Adam Zahy.
1. Who are you? Where are you from? What relevant experience do you have for the job?
I am a father, entrepreneur, and a healthcare specialist. I am originally from Egypt, lived in The Netherlands and USA but moved to Ottawa with my family to build a new life and contribute to our community
For 35 years, my life has been about dedication, hard work, and family. I’ve always juggled multiple demanding roles—whether leading complex engineering projects across 15 countries or working as a medical sterilization technician on the front lines at CHEO and Queensway Carleton Hospital, as well as serving as Vice President of the Medical Device Reprocessing Association of Ontario (MDRAO) to protect patient care.
Canada has been my home for a very long time, and Barrhaven is where my heart is. This is where my children grew up, went to school, and thrived. I care deeply about this neighborhood because it’s where my family’s roots are planted.
I’m Adam Zahy. I’m running to bring my decades of experience in global engineering, healthcare, small business, and community board governance to City Hall so we can deliver visible, accountable, and experienced leadership for Barrhaven-East.
2. The city spends nearly $1B/y on OC Transpo, though many constituents remain dissatisfied with the state of Ottawa’s public transportation. What would you do as a councillor to improve the city’s transportation system?
Barrhaven needs reliable transit, not simply more promises. Reliability comes first—a scheduled bus that doesn’t arrive isn’t useful to residents commuting to work or school. As councillor, I will focus on:
- Improving Route Reliability: Prioritizing scheduled feeder bus connections that link suburban neighborhoods directly to rapid transit hubs, rather than focusing solely on downtown-centric routes.
- $1-a-Day Transit Pass Proposal: Advocating for an affordable, low-cost daily fare model to make public transit a dependable and economical choice for everyday commuters.
- Infrastructure Matching Growth: Ensuring transportation planning anticipates suburban development rather than constantly catching up to it, fixing road bottlenecks, and optimizing traffic signal timing across the ward.
3. In a December 2025 poll from Abacus Data, 37% of respondents said that cost of living was the most important issue facing the city; another 19% responded ‘housing affordability.’ What would you do as a councillor to make the city of Ottawa more affordable?
To tackle the rising cost of living and housing affordability, City Hall must focus on practical, cost-saving measures for residents:
- Fiscal Responsibility & Capping Tax Hikes: Capping property tax increases (targeting a maximum of 2.5%) to respect family budgets while forcing the city to find operational efficiencies rather than defaulting to tax hikes.
- Lowering Daily Transportation Costs: Expanding affordable fare options—such as my proposed $1-a-day transit pass—to significantly reduce monthly household travel expenses.
- Smart Housing Growth: Streamlining approvals for a diverse mix of housing types (including middle-density homes, townhouses, and family rentals) to boost supply while ensuring new builds come with necessary road, park, and transit infrastructure.
- Supporting Local Small Businesses: Reducing red tape and cutting municipal permit delays for local small businesses to foster job growth and keep everyday service costs reasonable.
4. Certain city services like OC Transpo and the OPS have run significant deficits in recent years. Is there anything that you would do as a councillor to try to balance the city’s budget?
I believe residents expect two things from their city government: responsible spending and reliable services.
Before looking to taxpayers for more money, I would want to understand where we can operate more efficiently, reduce duplication, improve procurement and make sure city programs are delivering measurable results.
That doesn’t mean blindly cutting services. Some investments save money over the long term, particularly infrastructure maintenance, prevention and technology that improves efficiency.
I would also want stronger accountability around major projects and city agencies. If something isn’t working, we need to be willing to say so, fix it and, where necessary, change course.
If additional revenue is genuinely required, I would consider it, big ‘but’, residents deserve transparency about why, where the money is going and what they can expect in return.
A balanced budget shouldn’t simply be about numbers on a spreadsheet. It should be about making sure taxpayers are getting the best possible value for their money.
5. Why are you running for Council? What do you think is the biggest issue facing your ward today?
I’m running because I believe Orléans East–Cumberland deserves a councillor who is present, accessible and willing to listen, not just during an election, but every day, this is personal.
I’ve been knocking on doors across the ward and having real conversations with residents. I’m hearing about roads, traffic, school safety, transit, housing, development, infrastructure and the cost of living. But underneath all of those issues is something I hear again and again: people want to know that someone is actually showing up and listening and advocating for them.
I don’t think the biggest issue is just one road, one transit line or one development project. It’s making sure our growing community gets its fair share of attention, investment and representation.
Orléans and Cumberland are incredible communities. We have families, seniors, young people, small businesses, volunteers, farmers, athletes and community organizations that make this place special.
I’m running because I want to be the person who brings their voices to City Hall, honestly, transparently and without the political theatre.
My goal is simple: listen, work hard, get things done and make sure our community comes first and not forgotten.
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