About Ike Awgu
Born and raised in Ottawa, in 2003 at the age of 19 Ike ran for Mayor, finishing third in a field of 8 with over 5,300 votes. Ike has written editorial columns for the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Sun and hosted the nationwide public affairs program ‘X-Factor’ on CPAC. He has also served on Ottawa’s Budget Advisory Panel creating guiding principles for spending the city’s $2 billion budget.
Ike wants to reinvigorate Ottawa, creating a city where private enterprise and creativity can flourish. He has worked tirelessly to help make our city a better place. Ike's initiatives have collected more than a thousand pounds of food for the Ottawa Food Bank. He has worked with the United Way to allocate over $50 000 to deserving youth projects. He volunteered with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for over a decade.
Ike is a lawyer and Vice President of LIKO Corporation, a multi-million dollar real estate and property development company based in Ottawa. Prior to working with LIKO Corporation, Ike spent a year working at a large law firm in downtown Toronto.
I've known Ike for a long time. Simply put, he has a way with people. He listens to them, engages them, and makes them think. Whether delivering a speech to high school students or in a one-on-one discussion, I've never seen anyone develop a connection so easily with other people. Most importantly, he has a vision for our city and the determination to make it a reality.
I like Ike. You will too. Make him your choice as new city councilor in the Bay Ward.
Sincerely,
Stephen Hutchison, supporter.
In his own words:
My Life
With looks like this you
can tell how popular I
was in high school
I would like to thank Steve for his very touching endorsement. I have spent most of my life growing up in the area around Bay Ward. In many respects, my story is typical of a growing segment of our community.
My parents, both immigrants, arrived in Canada as students. In a story my mother told me that my father would no doubt be embarrassed I am now making public, they first met on the bus (thankfully there was no bus strike that winter!) when my father asked my mother, Alberta, if he could walk her to her door. My mother (who has since passed away) told me that at first she was hesitant and thought it an odd request, but my father’s persistence won her over. She set aside her suspicion and allowed him to walk her home. The couple eventually fell in love, got married and had two children, one very beautiful (my sister Lisa) and one not so much (me). Ever since I was told this story I've been terrified of two things: the first, missing the bus, and the second our city's troubled transportation system.
Inspiration
From a very young age I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to public service. When I was in primary school (Leslie Park Elementary), my father, a teacher, invited me to a meeting he would regularly attend to discuss education policy. Originally tempted by the idea of free pizza, I became enthralled with the policy discussion, the give and take of competing interests, the issues that were bigger than anyone in the room and would affect the lives of all the students in class. My interest grew as I grew, there was not a committee at my high school I did not join and not a volunteer group I did not become a member of. I was an excellent student but most importantly, I cared about others.
I excelled in high school, was granted a number of scholarships to Carleton University and eventually completed my law degree at Queens University in Kingston. Steve has been kind enough to point out my other achievements in his endorsement and I will not spend more time on their specifics, but I will point out what they have taught me. I have learned the value of hard work, even when the work you are doing isn't what you enjoy, or isn't perfect (God knows we've all been there). There is something about hard work that refines the human spirit and hones its edge, if you will. I have learned, through many mistakes and a great deal fewer successes, that the one thing you cannot give up on is trying. I promise that I will never give up on you or our city, and my history attests to that.
My Vision
I have a vision, not just for Bay Ward, but for the entire City of Ottawa. I want a city that inspires its citizens the way I was inspired when I was a younger man, by my father’s meetings with other teachers. A city that inspires its citizens to take risks and not to worship secure and safe choices. I have a vision of a city that inspires its citizens to become entrepreneurs, to create something; be it a volunteer organization, a charity, something that survives them and leaves a legacy. My vision is of a city where it is not only safe to raise a family (that is not good enough) but also an exciting place for that family to be raised! I have a vision of a city where we do not lose hundreds of our best and brightest every year to cities like Toronto and Montreal because they cannot find opportunities here. I have a vision of a city with modest taxes that increase with inflation, infrastructure that is modern and functional and where no one believes themselves less capable of big dreams because of their small stature. This is the vision that I have dedicated most of my life towards achieving, not just for Bay Ward but the whole of the City of Ottawa. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help and your vote. Volunteer! I can promise you experience in what will be one of the most energetic, creative and non-conventional campaigns Ottawa has seen in years.
Please explore the site. It will be evolving as the campaign evolves and I would like it to be a place where you can come to talk about your vision for Ottawa. Thank you for your time and best wishes.
Ike Awgu
