Candidate collapses after election debate

A lively candidates' debate on women's issues came to an abrupt end Wednesday night in Ottawa after one of the mayoral hopefuls collapsed.

Paramedics were called to City Hall at 8:30 p.m. after Robin Lawrence fell to the ground while he was taking part in the forum.

It's not clear what caused him to collapse.

Paramedics treated Lawrence, a visually-impaired former soldier in his 50s, and carried him out of the council chambers on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance.

He was in stable condition when he arrived at the hospital.

Ten mayoral hopefuls, including Lawrence, had been participating in the forum, one of the final chances for Ottawa voters to hear from the candidates in the lead-up to civic election day on Monday.

Organizer Peggy Taillon organizedthe debate toput issues such as safety, housing and child carefront and centre in the remaining days of the campaign.

Twoof the frontrunners, Jim Watson and Larry O'Brien, were not at the debate.

Watson was attending events at the Overbrook-Forbes Community Resource Centre and with the Boys and Girls Club, according to updates posted on his Twitter account.