Donna Dickson

My name is Donna Dickson, I’m running for City Council in Ward 10, Gloucester Southgate.

My family is originally from Jamaica, but I’ve called Ottawa my home for the last 55 years, and 25 of those years I lived in Ward 10. I’m running for office because I don’t think enough is being done to support the community of Ward 10. My family and grandchildren live here and what I’ve been seeing these last few years has been very concerning.

There’s a big community safety issue in Ward 10, with crime rates skyrocketing, and people driving dangerously through residential streets and near schools. We’ve had a 12.5% increase in crime just in 2025, as well as an increase in hate crimes in the ward. We need to address these rising crime rates, allocate policing where appropriate, and look at addressing many of the root causes of crime and 911 calls. This would include things like giving better access to mental health services and support, and investing in community centres and extracurricular programs to give youth access to positive outlets and mentorship. But apart from just issues of crime, certain roads in the ward are becoming dangerous at high traffic areas. I would add in more effective traffic calming measures like stop signs and speed bumps near intersections and long straight roads close to schools, community centres, and places of worship, as well as put on a traffic calming request form to my constituent website if elected, so I can keep up with what the community needs and make sure nothing falls thought the cracks.

Affordable housing is also something that Ward 10 desperately needs. The current housing market makes it harder and harder for families, new immigrants, and young people to thrive in the city. I want to look at municipal zoning and vacant lots to schedule the building of several new developments over the next few years. Ward 10 is a massive space that still has room for more homes. I would like to work to make many of these new homes affordable units. With a focus on higher density housing, and mixed unit housing, we can make a big impact without continuing to drive up the housing market. I would also like to look at increasing the percentage of mixed unit spaces if elected to council, and look at alternative housing solutions like some kind of modern modular housing to help keep build costs down. I would also work on council to secure zoning approval to break ground on multiple new communities of traditional homes, and fight to get council to commit to new housing mandates on a schedule to better hold us accountable for our promises on housing. No more waiting over 10 years for some projects in committee meetings.

Transit in and out of Ward 10 is a unique issue, in that there is no central way to get in and out of the ward, and the bus service is notoriously unreliable. We have no easy highway access, and almost all traffic has to go through Hunt Club, Bank, or Walkley. More than anything, we need better bus services in and out of the ward. The more viable we can make our bus services, the more riders we have, the more cars we can take off the road and aid against the congestion of rush hour traffic. More drivers and new and updated bus routes, based around getting to and from the south to downtown will let more residents get back and forth to work with more ease and put hours back in their day. Right now a bus trip to downtown takes more than an hour and a half with 2, 3, or sometimes more transfers. This wasn’t the case 10 years ago, when it would only take 30 minutes to an hour depending on the route, and with only 2 transfers maximum. The city has left Ward 10 behind and it’s time to make things easier for everyone. Offering longer, and more secure contracts to OC Transpo drivers to help keep them happier in their role, and working to improve response times for safety incidents during rides will help to make bussing more viable. 

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