1978 Ottawa municipal election
The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on November 13, 1978.
Controller Marion Dewar becomes the second woman and first New Democratic Party affiliated person to become mayor of Ottawa. She defeated former alderman Pat Nicol. This would mark the last elections for Ottawa's Board of Control.
Mayor
Dewar won all of the city's 11 wards. Her strongest ward was Capital, where she won 62.8% of the vote. Her worst ward was Elmdale-Victoria, where she won 48.9%. Elmdale-Victoria was the only ward where she did not get a majority of the vote. Elmdale-Victoria was Nicol's home ward, but Dewar still beat her there by 545 votes.| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Marion Dewar | 51,791 | 54.24 |
| Pat Nicol | 32,033 | 33.55 |
| Bernard Pelot | 8,439 | 8.84 |
| Alphonse Frederick Lapointe | 1,858 | 1.95 |
| Eddie Turgeon | 730 | 0.76 |
| Ian Orenstein | 597 | 0.63 |
[Ottawa Board of Control]
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Don Reid | 50,171 | 17.11 |
| Brian Bourns | 36,363 | 12.40 |
| William Law | 33,220 | 11.33 |
| Ralph Sutherland | 29,716 | 10.13 |
| Roy Bushfield | 26,314 | 8.97 |
| Gerry Trudel | 24,382 | 8.31 |
| Jules Morin | 22,718 | 7.75 |
| Doug Payne | 18,464 | 6.30 |
| David Dehler | 11,245 | 3.83 |
| Cyril Goulet | 11,015 | 3.72 |
| Richard Calagoure | 10,912 | 3.72 |
| Sam MacLean | 8,994 | 3.07 |
| Joseph Louis Paradis | 7,476 | 2.55 |
| George Theckeddath | 2,251 | 0.77 |
[Ottawa Board of Education] Trustees
Six to be elected in each zone| Eastern Zone | Vote |
| Jane Dobell | 16,371 |
| Don Francis | 13,239 |
| Helen Slater | 10,743 |
| Ted Best | 10,696 |
| John Samuel | 8,803 |
| Michael McKenna | 8,491 |
| Herbert Armstrong | 8,019 |
| Marion Atwell | 7,764 |
| Norman MacDonald | 7,381 |
| Marnie Bennett | 6,700 |
| Peg Mathews | 6,421 |
| Rosemary McNarin | 6,015 |
| Allan Simpson | 5,543 |
| Gary Hough | 2,723 |
| Terry Carlson | 2,675 |
| Western Zone | Vote |
| Robert Beatty | 14,064 |
| Mary Gilmour | 13,948 |
| Nick van Duyvendyk | 12,626 |
| Sinclair Abell | 12,614 |
| William Harback | 8,624 |
| Sandra R. Goldstein | 7,856 |
| Wayne Wilson | 7,810 |
| John Wright | 7,794 |
| John Callan | 6,816 |
| Frank Edwards | 6,506 |
| Denis Cooney | 5,261 |
| Richard Bounsall | 4,996 |
| Cal Kempffer | 4,839 |
| John Gorry | 3,996 |
4 to be elected
| Separate school supporters | Vote |
| Jacques Beauchamp | 17,271 |
| Robert Bélanger | 16,873 |
| Dalton McGuinty, Sr. | 16,244 |
| Lucien Bradet | 15,140 |
| Jacques Faucher | 12,850 |
| Thomas F. Kent | 11,407 |
1 to be elected
| Vanier Trustee | Vote |
| Denise Matte | Acclaimed |