Ottawa Now - Ladies and gentlemen, start your campaigns!

Ottawa’s municipal election cycle is officially underway! As of Friday morning, councillor and mayoral candidates were allowed to submit their candidacy paperwork, as opposed to just verbally declaring their intentions to run for office. Kitchissippi councillor Jeff Leiper will be trading in his ‘councillor card’ for a shot at becoming the Mayor of Ottawa. However, he will have to dethrone his colleague Mark Sutcliffe in order to complete his mission, as the former CFRA host intends to run again. What topics should be top-of-mind during this year's election process? And given the tense dynamic with the Ford government in recent months, how many school board trustees will be running for office in 2026?

Kristy Cameron conducts a special edition of the Municipal Heat Panel on today's Ottawa Now. She is joined alongside...

• Maria McRae, a former councillor for River Ward
• Doug Thompson, a former Mayor of Osgoode and the present-day councillor for Osgoode Ward
• Alex Cullen, a former councillor for Bay Ward