Laine Elizabeth Johnson[4] is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is the city councillor for College Ward on Ottawa City Council. Johnson is the first woman to represent the ward in its history.
Laine Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Ottawa City Councillor | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2022[1] | |
| Preceded by | Rick Chiarelli |
| Constituency | College Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ottawa[2] |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Children | 2[3] |
| Residence(s) | Bel-Air Heights, Ottawa |
| Alma mater | Carleton University |
Background
editJohnson was born in Ottawa, and grew up near Hog's Back Falls. She attended Canterbury High School, specializing in drama. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in philanthropy and non-profit leadership, both from Carleton University.[2]
Prior to being elected, Johnson was the Director of Tenant and Community Engagement the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, a non-profit housing provider.[5] She was also the executive director of Synapcity, a non-profit that provides municipal civics education. Johnson co-founded the Ottawa Community Land Trust. She has also taught at Algonquin College, worked as a researcher for the Public Policy Forum, and was a volunteer for Ottawa Victim Services.
Politics
editJohnson originally planned to volunteer in the 2022 election but, following the sexual harassment allegations against the outgoing councillor, Rick Chiarelli, she was encouraged to run for council instead. Johnson was backed by the progressive Horizon Ottawa group along with politicians Diane Deans and Penny Collenette in her run for council.[3] Johnson's campaign placed particular emphasis on affordable housing and road safety.[6] Johnson won a majority of the vote, with her strongest support coming from Leslie Park and Westcliffe Estates.[7]
During her term on city council Johnson has advocated for stronger public participation in municipal politics.[8][9][10] She has also promoted the expansion of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.[11][12]
She voted against "Landsdowne 2.0" which would provide over $400 million dollars of subsidies for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park. The project was approved by a vote of 16 to 9.[13][14][15] She also voted against reductions in the frequency of the O-Train which were approved by city council in 2024.[16][17]
Electoral record
edit| Candidate | Popular vote | Expenditures | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±% | ||||||||||
| Laine Johnson | 8,899 | 52.64 | – | $46,702.32 | ||||||||
| Pat McGarry | 5,652 | 33.43 | – | $42,760.92 | ||||||||
| Wendy Davidson | 1,338 | 7.91 | – | $6,942.93 | ||||||||
| Granda Kopytko | 649 | 3.84 | – | $3,880.01 | ||||||||
| Vilteau Delvas | 368 | 2.18 | – | $2,264.50 | ||||||||
| Total valid votes | 16,906 | 97.54 | ||||||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes | 427 | 2.46 | ||||||||||
| Turnout | 17,333 | 46.90 | +2.10 | |||||||||
| Eligible voters | 36,958 | |||||||||||
| Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.) and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. | ||||||||||||
| Sources: | ||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Mark Sutcliffe laces up for new political marathon". CTV Ottawa. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Fresh faces at city hall: Jessica Bradley, Laine Johnson and Sean Devine are set to represent Ottawa's inner suburbs". Ottawa Citizen. October 29, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
- ^ a b Crawford, Blair (October 25, 2022). "College ward results: Laine Johnson will be first new face in the ward in 20 years". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Graduations". Ottawa Citizen. August 6, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Friesinger, Sabine (September 8, 2020). "Ottawa Community Land Trust". Community Housing Transformation Centre. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Laine Johnson emerges at top of College ward class". CBC News. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Elections Official Results". City of Ottawa. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ Johnson, Laine (2023-06-01). "Yes, speed up housing development — but ensure an informed public can weigh in". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Johnson, Laine (2023-01-03). "We need stronger public participation at Ottawa city hall". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Johnson, Laine (2022-03-05). "Ottawa Council needs to respect public participation, not spurn it". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Johnson, Laine (2022-09-22). "We need safe, people-centred neighbourhoods". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Johnson, Laine (2024-05-28). "How cycling lanes across Highway 417 will transform Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Skura, Elyse (2023-11-09). "Lansdowne 2.0 gets city council's stamp of approval". CBC News. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Raymond, Ted (2024-04-17). "Council approves crucial procedural step for Lansdowne 2.0 plan". CTV News. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Glass, Marlo (2023-11-10). "How Ottawa's councillors voted on Lansdowne 2.0". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Wilimek, Andrew (2024-09-18). "Ottawa city council narrowly votes down restoration of off-peak LRT service". The Fulcrum. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Crawford, Blair (2024-09-18). "Ottawa city council says no to shorter LRT wait times, here's why". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved 2024-11-10.