Ottawa Coun. Jeff Leiper, who is running for mayor this fall, fell off track Friday in a late-morning scooter crash that landed him briefly in the hospital for minor bruises. The incident occurred on May 29, just a day after Leiper had joyfully announced the arrival of his new scooter on social media.
Details of the accident
Leiper was taken to The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus after what he described on X as a “gnarly” scooter accident. According to his mayoral campaign media representative Heather Badenoch, Leiper is “sore and a little bruised.” Badenoch confirmed that Leiper was taking the weekend to rest and recover from his injuries and will not be able to comment further until next week.
In a Bluesky post the day before the crash, Leiper wrote: “My new scooter arrived and I’m in my happy place.” Following the crash, Leiper took to social media to express his gratitude to those who helped him along the way.
Community support and helmet reminder
Online, dozens expressed their well-wishes for the mayoral candidate. Leiper used the opportunity to remind Ottawa residents to wear helmets. “Today, I was reminded of the kindness and care that define who we are, Ottawa,” Leiper wrote in a May 29 afternoon post on X. “I was riding alone, but within moments, two drivers stopped to check on me, to help, and to take me to the hospital.”
Leiper’s campaign has confirmed that no other vehicles were involved and the councillor was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. He extended his thanks to the Ottawa hospital staff and the strangers who treated him “like a friend and neighbour.”
Continued mayoral campaign
Despite the crash, Leiper’s spokesperson confirmed that he will continue his run for the mayor’s job. The councillor announced his candidacy for mayor of Ottawa on May 1. The scooter crash has not deterred his campaign, and he is expected to resume activities after a brief recovery period.
