With less than a week until election day, Yasir Naqvi has released a plan for the local economy and community that highlights green spaces, active transportation and the LeBreton Flats project.
The announcement follows his healthcare and housing platforms and comes days after Joel Harden, his NDP opponent in Ottawa Centre, released a downtown revitalization plan.
The plan highlights support for public destinations, namely at Dows Lake, the Arboretum and the Experimental Farms, active transportation systems and routes, and a “one-stop shop” for the Ottawa Senators in LeBreton Flats.
This will include new investments, like walking trails, seasonal programming and support for small businesses in Dows Lake, the Arboretum and the Experimental Farm, according to a news release.
In the release, Naqvi called these green spaces “iconic” and said they’ve been “underused for far too long.”
The plan also pushed for the expansion of active-use corridors with permanent infrastructure like maintained paths, improved lighting, better snow clearing and full wheelchair accessibility across core routes.
This would also prioritize segregated pathways to separate pedestrians from cyclists and e-scooters.
“As a lifelong runner, I use these paths daily — and I see the potential to do more,” said Naqvi. “Active transportation should work year-round, for everyone. Whether you’re walking, biking, rolling, skiing, or using a mobility device, our federal lands should serve you.”
As for LeBreton Flats, Naqvi promises a walkable, “transit-connected hub” with affordable housing, Indigenous art, a French-language public secondary school and retail, in addition to a “new home” for the Ottawa Senators.
The LeBreton Flats project is underway under the purview of the National Capital Commission (NCC) and was approved in April 2021.
This plan works in conjunction with Naqvi’s housing platform, which prioritizes converting federal land into affordable and accessible housing.
This includes converting federal properties like the Jackson Building at 122 Bank St. into housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and building affordable homes on public lands like LeBreton Flats, Tunney’s Pasture and Confederation Heights. The Jackson Building has already been released for conversion by the federal government.
Naqvi’s housing plan also commits to ensuring a minimum of 30 per cent community housing in neighbourhoods.
Notably, Naqvi launched and chaired the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force throughout 2023 and 2024 in efforts to develop community-led plans for the downtown core.
Harden’s downtown revitalization plan centered mental health and the addiction crisis that he said is causing conflicts between “neighbours”, small businesses and other community members/ His plan pitched using federal, public or vacant properties as areas of “respite” for individuals suffering from substance use or a mental health crisis.
Naqvi’s platforms don’t specifically mention the ongoing mental health and addiction crises, but during his term as MP has secured funding from the federal government to support ongoing treatment programs and initiatives in downtown Ottawa — this includes almost $4 million, announced in March, from Health Canada for an outreach program to address the toxic drug crisis.
