Ariel Troster

Ariel Troster (born 1979) is a politician in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is the city councillor for Somerset Ward on Ottawa City Council.

Ariel Troster
Ottawa City Councillor for Somerset Ward
Incumbent
Assumed office November 15, 2022[1]
Preceded by	Catherine McKenney
Personal details
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Toronto
Nationality	Canadian
Spouse	Caitlyn Pascal[2]
Alma mater	University of Ottawa Concordia University (B.J.)

Background

Troster was born in Toronto, the daughter of former Toronto Star finance writer Sheryl Smolkin and Joel Troster. She has a bachelor's degrees in journalism and history from Concordia University and a master's degree in women's studies from the University of Ottawa.

Prior to being elected, Troster worked for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Public Service Alliance of Canada, and The Council of Canadians.^[3] She was a writer and columnist for Xtra Magazine from 2005 to 2009 and sat on the board of various LGBTQ organizations including Egale Canada, the Ten Oaks Project and the Ottawa Dyke March.^[4] She is Jewish.^[5]

Political career

Troster was elected in the 2022 Ottawa municipal election. She was endorsed by outgoing councillor and mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney.^[6] Troster received the majority of the vote, with her support being strongest in the neighbourhood of Centretown.^[7] She is the second consecutive LGBT councillor to represent Somerset Ward.

Throughout her campaign and subsequent term on city council, Troster has placed emphasis on homelessness,^[8][9] community safety,^[10] and expanding pedestrian infrastructure.^[11][12]

In 2023/2024, she opposed the proposal for the City of Ottawa to spend over $400 million to subsidize the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.^[13] Ultimately, city council voted 16-9 in favour of the project, with mayor Mark Sutcliffe voting yes.^[14][15] She also opposed cuts to O-Train frequency that were passed by city council in 2024.^[16][17] Troster has also advocated for the city to adopt bylaws to protect tenants from renovictions; as of 2025, her proposal is being studied by city staff.^[18][19]

Electoral record

2022 Ottawa municipal election: Somerset Ward

Candidate		Popular vote			Expenditures
		Votes	%	±%
	Ariel Troster	8,669	61.28	–	$30,781.77
	Stuart MacKay	4,706	33.29	–	$12,259.65
	Brandon Russell	768	5.43	–	N/A
Total valid votes		14,137	95.31
Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes		695	4.69
Turnout		14,832	45.24	+6.14
Eligible voters		32,787
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.) and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.
Sources: "2022 Election Results". City of Ottawa.