Blais stepping down from chair's role to focus on byelection

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 councillorsaid he has also stepped down from the board of Hydro Ottawa.

Blaisis running for the Liberals in the provincial riding of Orlansin abyelectionto be held Feb. 27. He faces Progressive Conservative candidate NatalieMontgomery, Manon Parrot of the NDP and Andrew West of the Green Party.

• Byelections called in OttawaVanier, Orlans

Blais said he has also chosen to forgo his councillor'spaychequefor the coming month.

"My staff remain in the office to help residents with their day-to-day needsand on largefiles that requiremy intervention,I'll still be available to do that," said Blais, who has represented the east-end ward since 2010.

Voters in OttawaVanier 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 Orlans, and Nathalie Des Rosiersbecame 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.