Why I'm Running

      To say Ontario is in a state of crisis would be an understatement. Every single thing within provincial jurisdiction has fallen apart.

      A whole generation of people are beginning to give up on the dream of home ownership entirely. It just feels completely unattainable

      In health care, it's not just long wait times for specialist appointments or surgeries that we've faced for years - it's the fundamentals now. As of 2022, over 17,000 people in Carleton don't have access to a family doctor.

      We are feeling the effects of climate change more and more. Carleton has been ravaged by heat waves, derechos, and tornadoes, each storm leaving many without power for over a week at a time.

      Schools are overcrowded. University and college tuition is skyrocketing. The promised $10-a-day daycare program never got off the ground.

      Ottawa's light rail system is a disaster and our roads are crumbling. The 401 is one of the worst traffic nightmares in the world.

      And in the face of all of this, we have a government choosing to prioritize access to beer. As if that's the most important issue faced in Ontario today. We have a government that thinks it can buy your vote for $200.

      I have been involved in advocacy and policy work for several years now, trying to make a difference. For too long, Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs have been ignoring Ontario's issues and selling this province off to their friends at our expense. I can't sit by and watch my future, and my son's future, withers away under this government.

      Meeting with so many people in Carleton over the last few months gives me hope. I know we can do it. I have seen that many people in Carleton feel this same calling to step up, and help rebuild this province from this state of collapse we find it in.

      Biography

      Brandon Bay is a software developer who has spent the past six years working on innovative solutions to improve healthcare and wellness across North America. In his spare time, he is deeply committed to community service and advocacy, particularly for affordable housing. As President and Chair of Make Housing Affordable, Brandon leads the organization's efforts to address housing challenges in Ottawa.

      Beyond his housing advocacy, Brandon currently serves as the Director of Volunteers for his local community association and as Chair of the Ontario Liberal Party's Eastern Regional Policy Committee, ensuring that local issues remain a top priority for the party.

      Growing up, Brandon was the oldest of three boys. They spent their childhood on the shores of Paudash Lake, near the cottage country town of Bancroft, and gained an appreciation for rural living and spending time outdoors. Brandon spends many summer days paddling his canoe around Ottawa's waterways, and portaging the city's streets and trails between them. He also enjoys cycling, skiing, hiking greenbelt trails with his dog, Timber, and he regularly skates on the canal in the winter (when it opens).

      Brandon has had a passion for civic engagement his whole life. When he was young, he organized a trash pickup drive along Ontario Highway 28, which runs through the centre of Paudash. This was the start of a lifelong passion for helping others. In high school, he worked as a camp counsellor, coached youth sports teams, served on student council, volunteered as a recreation coordinator at a local retirement community, and raised money for countless local causes.

      That passion did not diminish with time - Brandon has been part of Ottawa community associations, joined student governments and clubs at the University of Ottawa, volunteered at festivals, donated to and run campaigns for CHEO, and even founded a charity to channel his philanthropic energy. In 2022, he ran an advocacy campaign during the Ottawa mayoral race, bringing the issues facing the people of Ottawa to the forefront of the city’s political discourse.

      In his only time away from Ottawa since moving here, Brandon worked in Massachusetts for four years, from 2014-2018. While living there, he met his wife, Rachel. They visited Ottawa often, and eventually married and returned for good. Rachel became a Canadian citizen in 2023. She works from home as a graphic designer for a large software company, and now she too very happily calls Ottawa home. They welcomed their first child, Simon, to the world in September 2024, and happily live in Riverside South.