Former Equal Voice chair to run in Alta Vista

With the municipalelection now less than a year away, Ottawa has its first confirmed challenger for a seat at the council table.

RayleneLang-Dion plans to run for office in Alta Vista afterreceivingpermission last month from the Public Service Commission of Canada to take an unpaid leave of absence from her federal governmentjob.

Lang-Dion is aformer chair of Equal Voice, anational organization dedicated to encouraging women to run for elected office at all levels ofCanadian politics.

Candidates planning to stand for the Oct 22, 2018, city election cannot officially register until May 1. Until then, they are not allowed to raise or spend any money on a campaign.

But there's nothing to stop potential candidates from speaking to people about their intention to runfor office, going door-to-dooror holdingcoffee parties, as long as they don't give out pamphlets or buttons or anything else that costs money.

And that's exactly what Lang-Dion is doing.

Incumbent also running

"I know what I think the issues are, but I want to hear what others have to say about what matters to them," shesaid in a brief interview.

Lang-Dion was twice national chair of Equal Voice, and was co-founder of the organization's local chapter. Both were volunteer positions.

AltaVista incumbent Jean Cloutier also plans to run next year.

"I've enjoyed my first term of council tremendously," Cloutier wrote in an emailed statement sent from his personal account, as incumbents are not allowed to use city resources fortheir re-election campaigns.

"It is a privilege to serve residents of Alta Vista, many of whom have encouraged me to seek re-election."