Blais stepping down from chair's role to focus on byelection
Cumberland councillor running for provincial Liberals in Orléans byelection Feb. 27
Coun. Stephen Blais has resigned as chair of Ottawa's transportation committee to turn his attention to his campaign in an upcoming provincial byelection.
The Cumberland ward councillor said he has also stepped down from the board of Hydro Ottawa.
Blais is running for the Liberals in the provincial riding of Orléans in a byelection to be held Feb. 27. He faces Progressive Conservative candidate Natalie Montgomery, Manon Parrot of the NDP and Andrew West of the Green Party.
Blais said he has also chosen to forgo his councillor's paycheque for the coming month.
"My staff remain in the office to help residents with their day-to-day needs and on large files that require my intervention, I'll still be available to do that," said Blais, who has represented the east-end ward since 2010.
Voters in Ottawa–Vanier also go to the polls Feb. 27. The two Ottawa seats became vacant when former Liberal MPPs Marie-France Lalonde won the federal seat in Orléans, and Nathalie Des Rosiers became principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto.
The process for replacing Blais as head of the city's transportation committee hasn't been communicated.