Michael Qaqish ( ; born December 1985) was the

Ottawa City Council The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...

lor for Gloucester-South Nepean Ward. He was elected for the first time in the

2014 Ottawa municipal election The 2014 Ottawa municipal election was a municipal election that was held on October 27, 2014, to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards. The election was held on the same day as ...

. He was defeated by Carol Anne Meehan in the 2018 Ottawa municipal elections. Qaqish was born in Toronto and lived in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

before moving to Ottawa to earn a degree in Psychology from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Worl ...

. Qaqish's background is in journalism. Prior to being elected, he was a contributor to

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

580 CFRA CFRA is a news/talk formatted radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. The station broadcasts on the assigned frequency of 580 kHz. CFRA's studios are located in the Bell Media Building on George Street in Downtown Ott ...

The Hill Times ''The Hill Times'' is a Canadian twice-weekly newspaper and daily news website, published in Ottawa, Ontario, which covers the Parliament of Canada, the federal government, and other federal political news. Founded in 1989 by Ross Dickson and Jim ...

and CHIN Radio. He was the founding president of the Kiwanis Club of

Barrhaven Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 10 ...

. He lives in the

Chapman Mills Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 103 ...

neighbourhood of

. From 2008 to 2012, Qaqish worked as an assistant to Gloucester-South Nepean councillor

Steve Desroches ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve A ...

, and then worked for Capital Ward councillor David Chernushenko. Before that, Qaqish worked for a number of

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

politicians such as now mayor Jim Watson when he was an MPP, MP Derek Lee and MP

Ruby Dhalla Ruby Dhalla (born February 18, 1974) is a Canadian chiropractor and former politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Brampton—Springdale in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2011 as a member of the Liberal Party. Dhal ...

. After the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Qaqish indicated to the Hill Times that he was encouraged by senior

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

to seek the party's nomination in Nepean, but declined on the grounds that he had only been recently elected to Ottawa City Council.

City Council

Michael Qaqish worked directly with

since 2008 and was a City Councillor for Ward 22 Gloucester-South Nepean Ward from October 2014-December 2018. As councillor, he worked on the following committees: * Environment Committee - Member * Transit Commission - Vice Chair * Community and Protective Services Committee - Member * Ottawa Board of Health - Member * Transportation Committee - Member Qaqish's expenses were drawn into question when the CBC conducted an investigation into Ottawa councillors' spending. It was found that he devoted more on promotional material than his colleagues. As a new councillor, however, this was expected. Moreover, he is acknowledged for being one of only two councillors who declined the annual car allowance. As of 2019, Qaqish is working in government consulting and may still have his sights on a run for office in the coming years.

Work with Refugees

Michael Qaqish was appointed to Special Liaison for Refugee Resettlement in January 2016 and will be in this additional role until the end of this Term of Council. In May 2016, Qaqish co-hosted a welcome party for approximately 1,500 Syrian refugees with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson at the Aberdeen Pavilion in

Lansdowne Park Lansdowne Park is a urban park, historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located on Bank Street adjacent to the Rideau Canal in The Glebe neighbourhood of central Otta ...

. Michael Qaqish was inducted to United Way's Wall of Inspiration with a Community Builder of the Year award on March 2, 2017 due to his work with refugee resettlement efforts.

References

External links

Personal site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaqish, Michael Ottawa city councillors Living people 1985 births Journalists from Toronto Canadian people of Jordanian descent Politicians from Toronto