The
outcome of the Osgoode ward byelection
may have surprised some, but it didn’t surprise Isabelle Skalski, the rookie candidate in the field of 11 contenders who walked away with a little more than 34 per cent of the vote.
“I felt going in I had really strong support across the board. What surprised me was that the turnout was so low,” said Skalski, a public servant who took a leave of absence at her own expanse to run in the byelection.
Ottawa city council could have decided to appoint someone to the job when
former councilllor George Darouze resigned
after winning the riding of Carleton as a Progressive Conservative in the Feb. 27 provincial election. Instead, council decided to hold a byelection, expected to cost the city more than $522,000.
The
byelection drew 11 candidates
ranging from relative unknowns who were almost invisible during the campaign to veteran Doug Thompson, who was a councillor and mayor of the former Osgoode township for 17 years, then served as Osgoode councillor after municipal amalgamation in 2001 before retiring in 2014.
However, turnout at the polls was underwhelming. Only 24.17 per cent of the 25,742 eligible electors in the ward marked ballots.
Skalski received 2,115 votes. Thompson came in second with 1,405, followed closely by Colette Lacroix-Velthuis with 1,402. The candidate in the last spot, Peter Westaway, who does not live in Osgoode, got only five votes.
Skalski credited her volunteer campaign team for her win, saying it got into every neighbourhood in the sprawling rural ward that included the communities of Greely, Metcalfe, Osgoode, Vernon and Carlsbad Springs.
Among the top issues in the ward were reducing speeding, improving roads and emergency-response times, keeping ditches well-drained and upgrading recreational facilities. There is no indoor pool in the ward, and only Metcalfe and Osgoode have arenas, for example.
But was no broad consensus about how to solve every problem. Speeding was raised as an issue on almost all roadways. Some residents wouldn’t mind more speed cameras, but others were vehemently opposed, arguing for more police presence to act as a visual deterrent to speeders.
“The reality is that everyone has conflicting interests, and you can never satisfy everyone,” Skalski said. “You have to build consensus.”
Since amalgamation in 2001, the ward has had only two previous councillors, Thompson and Darouze, who were once political mentor and mentee, but became bitter rivals.
After Thompson left office in 2014, he had endorsed Darouze, but the two had a falling out, and
Thompson re-entered the political fray in 2022
, running against Darouze and losing by 238 votes.
When registration opened for the byelection to succeed Darouze, Thompson was the first to sign up.
“To me, Thomspon was the one to beat. He has rich experience in the ward,” Skalski said.
But she also believed residents were looking for something new. “I think this was about something different, going in a different direction,” she said.
Skalski and her family moved to Greely 14 years ago. She was president of the Greely Community Association for three years. A Carleton University graduate in public affairs and policy management, she has held a number roles in the federal public service over the past 20 years, most recently as a senior policy adviser in the Privy Council Office.
She wants to see a stronger mandate for the city’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee so rural councillors can take direct decisions on rural projects. She also wants to create a ward advisory table and task teams focused on key longer-term projects.
Skalski has about 16 months to convince the ward she deserves to be re-elected in the next municipal election in the fall of 2026.
“This an important headstart,” Skalski said of her byelection win. “I absolutely intend to run again. I plan to use the next 16 months to show I’m the right person.”
Skalski’s campaign team held a low-key pizza party at the Osgoode Legion on Monday night. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe showed up to welcome her to council. A declaration of office ceremony will be held Thursday at Ottawa City Hall.
On Tuesday morning, Thompson said low voter turnout had an effect on the byelection’s outcome.
“I can’t wrap my head around why people didn’t come out. There were a lot of election signs. We’re still trying to analyze why it happened,” he said. “It was a disappointment for the team, and for me. I have the experience. I could have started the day after tomorrow.”
In politics, you can’t take anything for granted, Thompsons aid. “People said it was going to be a close race.”
Skalski ran a good campaign and will make a good councillor, he said.
“I’ve seen her community work, which is a big part of representing a ward. It’s a big learning curve, but she has experience. I think she’s up to the job.”
Thompson said hadn’t had time to think about running again in 2026, but he didn’t rule it out.
“I enjoy politics. Part of it is being active in the community.”
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
