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Meet Lyra

I’m an award-winning community advocate, twice elected public school board trustee, and former chair of the Ottawa School Board.

I grew up right here, in Ottawa, where I was a homeless teenager for four years before getting clean and sober, and working at the Youth Services Bureau for over 5 years to help other homeless LGBTQ teens and youth. During this time, I was on the steering committee of the Ottawa Dyke March, the organizer of the Trans Day of Remembrance annual ceremony, and the organizer for CafeQ and Pink Triangle Youth. Work for which I was given the Youthline Community Empowerment award in 2017, and an Ottawa Femmy (feminist Emmy) in 2016. 


I then went to university for Environmental Chemistry, where I focused on renewable and sustainable energy sources and wrote my thesis on fine chemical renewable feedstocks, before starting a masters in Science and Policy at the University of Ottawa when I was elected the Chair of the Ottawa Carlton District School Board. I was also briefly the interim executive director of Planned Parenthood Ottawa.


I was driven to electoral politics when I realized that the pot of money that funded services, like the Youth Services Bureau, like the LGBTQ community centre, like Planned Parenthood Ottawa, was fundamentally limited by those in power.


What I bring with this experience: responsible, principled leadership, and a community voice. 

In the press

Faces of change: Lyra Evans pushes for progressive policies as an Ottawa public school board trustee


"I firmly believe that public education should be a universal equalizer," Evans says. 

Public school trustees vote to end participation in police-in-schools program


The vote, the first of a seven-part motion brought by trustee Lyra Evans, passed 13-1, with only trustee Donna Blackburn opposed.

Public school board trustee critical of book removal


Lyra Evans, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee says removing the book Drama sends the wrong message to young kids.

A history of serving the community

2011-2017

Homelessness advocate

My housing advocacy began at the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa after my time as a homeless teenager gave me first hand insights into the shelter system, the causes and impacts of homelessness, and the solutions we need to take to work towards solving the problem.

2025

Planned Parenthood Executive Director

In the autumn of 2025, I was asked by the Board of Planned Parenthood Ottawa to step into the interim for position to resolve a looking insolvency caused by the delta between funding coming in, and funding being spent. Over my seven month tenure we went from a projected deficit of $50 000 to a projected surplus.

2018-2026

OCDSB Trustee

First elected in 2018, I successfully passed motions to stop spending education dollars paying for police in schools and redirect that funding to special education supports; created a green climate fund, to allow the Board to prioritize long term sustainability when making capital project descisions, and championed low income and special education students throughout my 8 years on the Board.

Formal Education

I got my BSc in chemistry, with a focus in environmental chemistry, because climate change is a slow moving disaster, rapidly accelerating, that we need to be aware of, and keep in mind when making decisions. 


I started a masters of science and policy which I put on hold when I was elected chair of the OCDSB. 

2SLGBTQIA+ Community organizer

For more than 15 years, I have organized events and groups for the Queer and Trans community since 2011 including with Etc. Youth (formerly Capital Pride Youth), *kindspace Ottawa (formerly Pink Triangle Services Ottawa), the Ottawa Dyke March, The Ottawa Trans March, and the Ottawa Trans Day of Remembrance.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about policies, values, upcoming events, or would like to get involved in Lyra's campaign, send us an email at Lyra.Evans.Ott@gmail.com

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