Jeffrey Leiper is the current Ottawa city councillor for Kitchissippi Ward. He was first elected in the Ottawa municipal election, 2014.

Leiper was born and raised in Ottawa. He studied History and English at the University of Ottawa, and Print Journalism at Algonquin College. As a youth, Leiper was a member of the youth wing of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, though he is now a committed progressive. He has lived in Kitchissippi Ward since 1995 when he and his spouse Natalie moved into the Julian Apartments in the Wellington West area. Today, he lives in Hintonburg with Natalie and their son.

In this podcast Jeff talks shares his motivations for getting into politics, what are his principles are and what it means to be courageous. He touches on how quality of life should influence policy and planning and some of the Climate initiatives including the recently declared Climate Emergency and the ongoing energy evolution and on the personal side adapting to work and life after his recent heart attack. 

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Episode Links

• https://kitchissippiward.ca​

Social Media

• Facebook​
• ​Twitter 
• Instagram

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• Gingko Promo for Podcast Listeners

Episode Timeline

• 3:30  - Introduction -  Jeff's appreciation for community and his reason for entering politics 
• 10:00  - Mindset and dealing with criticism, what it means to be courageous 
• 18:20 What is quality life and how it influences policy and guidelines 
• 34:00 -  Daily complaints and Issues 
• 43:00 - Climate Emergency 
• 55:00 - Life after a heart attack 

Quote

At the end of the day you just try to be true to a certain set of principles, and when the trolls comes out, if you’ve done your work and stayed true to your principles and been courageous in your pursuit, a lot of the negative comments will roll off. Some of it stings, everyday someone will be hypercritical of something that you are pursuing or a decision you’ve made, or a process that hasn’t turned out the way they want. But if you can go to bed, staying true to your principles, being open minded, did I do the right thing, than ultimately it will roll off, it’s a huge rollercoaster"

--Jeff Leiper 

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