Nepean

Nepean is a suburban federal riding in the southern portion of the City of Ottawa, covering approximately 80 square kilometres of established residential communities, newer subdivisions, and commercial corridors. The riding is bounded roughly by Richmond Road and the Canadian National Railway to the north, the Rideau River to the east, Barnsdale Road to the south, and Highway 416 (Veterans Memorial Highway) to the west. It encompasses the communities of Barrhaven—one of Ottawa's fastest-growing suburbs—as well as Centrepointe, Knoxdale-Merivale, and portions of the Greenbank and Merivale Road corridors.

The 2021 census recorded a population of approximately 122,300. Nepean's ethnic composition includes roughly 56 percent White, 9 percent South Asian, 8 percent Chinese, 8 percent Arab, 7 percent Black, and 3 percent Indigenous. English and French are the dominant languages—about 59 percent English and 6 percent French—with Arabic, Mandarin, and Vietnamese among the most common non-official mother tongues. The riding's workforce is heavily oriented toward the federal public service and the knowledge economy, with significant shares employed in business, finance, and administration, as well as natural and applied sciences.

Candidates

Chandra Arya (Liberal) — Born in Dwaralu, Karnataka, India, in 1963, Arya holds a Bachelor of Engineering and an MBA from Karnatak University. Before entering politics, he was an executive in the high-technology sector and served as chairman of the Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber. First elected in 2015, he focused on affordable housing, retirement income security, and Canada's competitiveness in the global knowledge-based economy. He was re-elected in 2019 and sought a third term in 2021.

Matt Triemstra (Conservative) — Born and raised in Barrhaven, Triemstra spent his early career working on Parliament Hill for Conservative MPs Jason Kenney, Rob Moore, and Colin Carrie, and as Manager of Caucus Services with the Conservative Resource Group. He subsequently moved to the private sector in government relations and public affairs, earning inclusion on the Hill Times' Top 100 Lobbyist list. He serves as board chair of the Ottawa Mission.

Sean Devine (NDP) — Born in Montreal in 1970, Devine is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada with an artistic career spanning more than three decades in playwriting, directing, and acting. He served as president of the Trend-Arlington Community Association and led neighbourhood recovery efforts after a tornado struck the area in 2018. He later won election to Ottawa City Council as the councillor for Knoxdale-Merivale Ward in 2022.

Jay Nera (PPC) — Nera is the People's Party of Canada candidate, running on the party's national platform of fiscal restraint, reduced immigration, and opposition to pandemic-era mandates.

About the Riding

Nepean was an independent city until its amalgamation into the City of Ottawa in 2001, and the former municipality's identity remains strong among longtime residents. Ben Franklin Place—the former Nepean City Hall, located in Centrepointe—now serves as a government service centre and is home to a branch of the Ottawa Public Library and the Centrepointe Theatre. Merivale Road, running through the riding's eastern portion, is the commercial spine of the old Nepean, lined with retail plazas, restaurants, and big-box stores.

Barrhaven, in the riding's southern half, has experienced explosive residential growth over the past two decades, with its population surpassing 103,000 by the 2021 census. New subdivisions of single-family homes and townhouses have expanded southward, drawing young families attracted by relatively affordable housing compared to Ottawa's urban core. This growth has strained local infrastructure—traffic congestion along Strandherd Drive, Greenbank Road, and Fallowfield Road is a persistent complaint—and amplified calls for the extension of Ottawa's light rail transit system into Barrhaven.

The riding's economy is shaped by the federal public service, with many residents commuting to downtown Ottawa or to federal offices along the Colonnade Road Business Park on the riding's eastern edge, which houses agencies including the Public Health Agency of Canada. Healthcare access, childcare availability, and vehicle theft were prominent local concerns in 2021, alongside broader pandemic-related issues of economic recovery and public health.