Zed Chebib

Zed Chebib (Born Ziad Chebib, 1955 ) is a Lebanese-born Canadian limousine driver and police reform advocate who is most known for being deported from Australia despite having resided in the country with his family for over a decade. He was a candidate in the 2022 Ottawa mayoral election, finishing in last place with 0.08% or 264 votes.

Biography
Born in Lebanon, Chebib emigrated to Canada in 1976. He resided in Calgary where he operated a limousine business and became a naturalized citizen. He emigrated to Australia alongside his wife and four children in 1999 due to two of his siblings already living there. According to Chebib, 85 members of his extended family live in Australia. He attempted to seek permanent residency in Australia but was rejected because he was unable to meet income requirements of a business visa.

In 2006, immigration authorities informed Chebib that his initial visa had expired, however, he was granted a temporary reprieve from the Australian government. He tried to appeal to Canadian diplomats, but was rejected. While being detained at Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre in 2010 he began a hunger-strike in hopes the Australian government would grant him a visa. Chebib was flown to Vancouver and then Toronto, after ending his hunger strike he claimed to suffer heart palpitations and was denied an ambulance.

On returning to Canada, Chebib protested outside of the Australian Embassy where Ottawa Police allegedly attacked and arrested him. He filed a lawsuit against the officers, claiming that they had breached his civil rights and seeking nearly 2 Million Canadian dollars in damages. After nearly nine years of trial, a judge ordered him to pay each officer $1,000 due to evidence that the arrest did not cause his injuries.

Chebib ran for Mayor of Ottawa in the 2022 Ottawa mayoral election, campaigning on police and housing reform. Not having a campaign website, he sent a website describing solutions to homelessness to media. He finished in last place with 0.08% or 264 votes.