Yvette Ashiri. Photo courtesy of the Yvette Ashiri campaign
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 Orléans East-Cumberland Council candidate Yvette Ashiri.
1. Who are you? Where are you from? What relevant experience do you have for the job?
My name is Yvette Ashiri. Over the last two decades, I have lived here in Orléans with my spouse and our two daughters. Some of you will recognize me from the 2020 Cumberland Ward 19 by-elections and the 2022 Orléans-South-Navan Ward 19 elections.
I am a federal public servant and community leader dedicated to women’s empowerment, education, youth development, and inclusive community building across the city, from Orléans East-Cumberland to West-Carleton and Osgoode. Since moving to Orléans from Paris, my journey has always been guided by service, integrity, and the belief that strong communities are built when everyone has a chance to thrive.
I currently sit on the board of directors of the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Center and Counseling Family Service Ottawa (CFS), and have had the privilege of serving on several boards and community organizations, including La Cité, Montfort Hospital, Collège Catholique Mer Bleue Parents’ school council, Radio Unique FM, Les Éditions Interlignes, RAF (Regroupement Affaires Femmes), Communauté Congolaise, ACAO (African Canadian Association of Ottawa), and Canadians of African-Descent Health Organization (CADHO). I also represented Canada as National President of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Canada.
Through these roles, I have worked with partners across the region to strengthen services, support families, and ensure that organizations remain accountable and connected to the communities they serve.
I am also bilingual, and I understand how important it is for residents of Orléans East-Cumberland to receive quality municipal services in both French and English.
I am not coming to Council with ideas alone. I am bringing years of governance, strategic planning, community leadership, and lived experience in Orléans, and a commitment to listen, work hard, and deliver results for the people who live here.
I’m running because our community is facing serious pressures. Too many families, young adults, single parents, and seniors are struggling to find homes that fit their needs and budgets. Small businesses are working hard to survive. People want services that actually work: transit that shows up; parks, paths, sidewalks, and roads that are maintained and safe; programs that are accessible; and a city council that TRULY listens before making decisions that affect us and future generations.
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?
Ottawa residents have already invested heavily in public transit. The issue is not simply how much we spend; it is whether residents are getting the reliable service they are paying for.
In Orléans East-Cumberland, this is a daily issue. Residents deal with delayed buses, canceled trips, and long commutes. And when a bus doesn’t show up, someone can be late for work, miss a class, or miss an appointment.
As a councilor, my first priority would be reliability. I would push for stronger performance measures and greater accountability from OC Transpo, particularly around cancellations, on-time performance, and more frequent service in suburban communities like Orléans and rural communities like Cumberland.
Second, we need to make sure our bus network actually connects residents efficiently to the LRT and other major destinations. Expanding rail is important, but it will not solve our transportation problems if residents cannot reliably get from their neighborhood to the station.
Third, I would advocate for Orléans East-Cumberland to receive its fair share of transportation investment as our community continues to grow.
Residents should not have to plan their lives around whether their bus might show up. They deserve a transit system that is reliable, accountable, and built around the people who actually use it.
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?
Affordability is not an abstract issue. Families feel it every month when they pay rent or a mortgage, buy groceries, pay property taxes, or try to get around the city.
Municipal government cannot control inflation or grocery prices, but we can control some things, and we need to focus on them.
On housing, I would support increasing the supply of housing, including affordable and rental housing, and making the development approval process more efficient so that unnecessary delays do not add costs to new homes. I would work and support not‑for‑profit organizations to acquire land, secure long‑term community ownership, and develop permanently affordable homes that meet the needs of residents across Orléans‑East‑Cumberland.
We also need more housing diversity. Young people, families, seniors, and newcomers do not all need the same type of home.
But affordability also means being disciplined about municipal government costs. Every increase in taxes and fees eventually affects household budgets.
I also want to strengthen our local economy in Orléans East-Cumberland. When we support local businesses and create more opportunities for people to work closer to home, we reduce commuting costs and keep more economic activity within our community.
My approach is simple: build more affordable housing, protect taxpayers, support local economic growth, and examine every municipal decision through an affordability lens.
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?
A responsible city cannot keep asking residents to pay more without first showing it is using their money effectively.
My experience serving on boards has taught me that good budgeting is not simply about cutting spending. It is about setting priorities, measuring results, and making difficult choices when programs are not delivering.
As a councilor, I would support a systematic review of municipal spending to identify duplication, administrative inefficiencies, and programs that are not producing the outcomes residents expect.
For major services facing recurring financial pressures, including OC Transpo, Council needs better forecasting, clearer performance indicators and stronger accountability. When a service consistently misses its financial targets, councilors should understand why and what corrective action is being taken.
At the same time, I would not support across-the-board cuts that simply reduce essential frontline services. Cutting a bus route that residents depend on may make a spreadsheet look better, but it does not necessarily make the city better managed.
Every dollar must have a purpose, every major expenditure should have measurable outcomes, and Council must be prepared to ask whether residents are getting value for their money.
Fiscal responsibility and quality public services are not opposites. Good management requires both.
5. Why are you running for Council? What do you think is the biggest issue facing your ward today?
I am running because Orléans East-Cumberland deserves a councilor prepared to fight for our fair share at City Hall, and leadership that doesn’t wait for a crisis to act.
I have lived in Orléans for almost 20 years. I have raised my family here, served this community, and listened to residents. I know how much potential our community has, but I also hear the frustration.
If I had to identify one issue that captures that frustration today, it would be connectivity, particularly transportation.
Our community is growing, but residents still spend too much time getting where they need to go. Unreliable public transit affects workers, students, seniors, and families, and it also affects our local economy.
But connectivity goes beyond transportation. Cumberland and our surrounding communities must feel fully connected to the services, opportunities, and decisions affecting Orléans East-Cumberland.
That is why I am running: to make sure every part of Ward 1 has a voice, to bring greater accountability to City Hall, and to turn the concerns I have heard at people’s doors into action.
I believe Orléans East-Cumberland is ready to thrive forward together, and I am ready to do the work.
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