What’s next for the new mayor and council

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Good morning!

Yesterday was a bit of a late night as we worked to get you as much information as we could on the election. You will not be surprised to find out I had to take an afternoon nap today. Elections are a busy time, and I kind of forgot how draining they can be.

We hope our coverage of the campaign was useful. It’s been a lot of fun, if at times a bit challenging, to keep you up to speed with what was a really substantive race, particularly for mayor.

Now, over the days and weeks ahead, we get to all figure out what this all means. Thanks for sticking with us!

Newsletter time.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 22 🌡️ 5 | 🌧

Thursday: 11 🌡️ -3 | ☀️

Friday: 8 🌡️ -1 | ☁️

ELECTION

Mark Sutcliffe is the new mayor, what comes next?

What’s next: The new council and mayor won’t be sworn in until Nov. 15. For the next few weeks, all the new faces around the council table will be getting themselves oriented for the next term at council. 

The numbers: Incoming mayor Mark Sutcliffe won over McKenney by a large margin but ended up with fewer votes than outgoing Mayor Jim Watson in 2018. 

Sutcliffe received 161,679 votes, compared to Watson’s 188,960. Turnout rose slightly to 43.79 percent from 42.55 in 2018. Still, with 51.37 percent of the vote, Sutcliffe enters office with a solid mandate.

• Catherine McKenney, meanwhile, was able to almost exactly double the progressive vote to 119,241 from 59,156 for Clive Doucet in 2018.

Incumbents win: Every councillor who ran for reelection won their council seat back. Even Coun. Allan Hubley, who has been head of the transit commission during a disastrous term for OC Transpo, won with 34 percent of the vote. And Coun. George Darouze, who was reprimanded by the integrity commissioner and challenged by his old mentor, managed to keep his seat in a squeaker, winning by just 238 votes with 41 percent.

Council refresh: In all there will be 11 new faces around the council table, when you include Sutcliffe, and one returnee after an eight-year hiatus in Steve Deroches. They’ll all be replacing people who decided not to run again. 

• It gives the opportunity for a reset after a council term that ended in acrimony, particularly this term as Watson turned to a strategy of strong arming council to get his way and rewarding allies with committee seats.

Out of council’s hands: The Ontario government announced a plan to eliminate or reduce development charges for rental construction and developments with affordable housing, The Canadian Press reported. Three residential units will be allowed to be built on any property without needing council’s approval. And the foreign buyer’s tax is being raised to 25 percent from 20 percent.

We’ll bring you more on these important housing rule changes later this week.

Election headlines you might have missed

• The challenges: Both the Ottawa Citizen and CTV have a breakdown of five things facing the new council. Transit, policing, and finding budget efficiencies are all among the big problems that need to be tackled.

• The signs: All the campaigns have until the end of Thursday to pick up their election signs. [Ottawa Citizen]

• The new mayor’s challenge: Mark Sutcliffe won the election, now comes the hard part: governing. [CBC]

• Business leaders react: Executives from major business associations across town told the OBJ they’re looking forward to working with the new mayor.

• Those other races: Here’s who won school board seats. [CTV]

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

⬆️ 53%: The turnout in Kitchissippi Ward, the highest in the city.

⬇️ 37%: The turnout in Rideau-Vanier Ward, the lowest in the city.

🗳 316,260: The number of ballots cast, out of 722,227 eligible voters (43.8 percent) Turnout was up very slightly from 2018, when 43.1 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

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Comment mettre sur un pied d'égalité les entreprises médiatiques étrangères ?

Chaque année, une nouvelle saison de votre émission préférée sort. Mais les règles régissant la production cinématographique et télévisuelle, la loi sur la radiodiffusion, n'ont pas été mises à jour depuis plus de 30 ans! 

Le problème : Maintenant nous avons la diffusion continue. Mais les lois régissant les géants du web basés à l'étranger, qui dominent la télévision, les films et la diffusion continue au Canada, n'ont pas changé. 

La solution : Le projet de loi C-11, la Loi sur la diffusion continue en ligne, mettra sur un pied d'égalité les géants étrangers du Web, en veillant à ce qu'ils investissent dans la production canadienne.

Apprenez-en plus dès aujourd'hui et découvrez pourquoi 87 % des Canadiens sont d'accord pour que les sociétés de production étrangères respectent les mêmes règles que les sociétés canadiennes.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

CONVOY

Premier Ford fights inquiry summons

What happened: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is going to court to fight a summons demanding he and former public safety minister Sylvia Jones testify at the convoy inquiry. 

Ford is fighting the request on the basis of parliamentary privilege. Ford skipped question period at Queen’s Park to duck questions on the decision, CTV reported.

• Dig deeper: Parliamentary privilege? How Ford is refusing to testify on Emergencies Act [Global News]

Ford had earlier denied he was asked to appear at the inquiry, but that proved not to be true according to the summons. The role of the provincial government has come up repeatedly at public hearings.

• One view: Show up and testify, Premier Ford [TVO] 

Changing story: MPs on a federal House of Commons committee are bringing back representatives of the OPP, after testimony at the inquiry from the force has conflicted with earlier testimony given to them. 

The committee had heard from OPP representatives that the convoy was deemed a “threat to national security,” while testimony and documents at the inquiry have directly contradicted that, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Making choices: The Ottawa police thought that moving convoy protest trucks onto Wellington Street would protect the rest of the city, CBC reported. The force didn’t believe making the street more crowded would make Parliament any less safe.

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🔥 Two people lost their home in Gatineau after an extension cord fire. [CTV]

🗳️ Community safety tops the list of issues for municipal election candidates in Kanata South. [Capital Currents]

💼 Lisa MacLeod, who represents Nepean in the provincial legislature, revealed she has been diagnosed with bipolar and metabolic disorders. [CityNews]

🚂 A VIA train hit and  dragged a car 1,500 metres in Carlsbad Springs. Miraculously, no one was injured. [CTV] 

🗳 Here’s how the Ottawa Valley voted in local elections throughout the region. [CTV]

🚔 A 51-year-old Stittsville man lost his job last week for a pot possession conviction he received when he was 18, and has had no help from the federal pardons process. [CBC]

🚨 Police are investigating hate graffiti in Stittsville, and are looking to talk to anyone with information. [CityNews]

🦺 The new Amazon warehouse in Barrhaven is the city’s largest building. [CTV]

🏚 A woman who bought a home in Orléans to live in has yet to step foot in the house because a tenant refuses to leave. [CBC]

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

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See the price at the listing.

A Mediterranean night with the Lookout team

A few weeks ago Insider members got early access to our very first Lookout event.

Luckily for everyone else, there are still three tickets remaining to our Mediterranean dinner and wine event on Nov. 5 at 7pm.

Hosted at Bistro Ristoro, you’ll take part in a five course dinner and wine pairing where a team of wine experts, including Lookout food editor Ralf, will walk you through each pairing.. It’s a unique event you won’t find anywhere else in Ottawa.

Tickets are $150 + tax. Click the link to reply and reserve your spot.

 But hurry, these last three will go fast! But fear not, we’ll be hosting more events, including more affordable ones, soon. 

QUICK HITS

🥅 Local hockey leagues are grappling with the fallout of the ongoing Hockey Canada sexual misconduct scandal, and worry it may turn parents away from hockey for their kids. [CBC]

💰 Shopify results are going to be released tomorrow, and the broader difficult economic picture is expected to weigh them down. [OBJ]

🥵 This October heatwave even had a humidex of 25 recorded by Environment Canada. It’s expected things will cool down tomorrow. [CTV]

😷 COVID levels in the city seem to have stabilized after rising earlier this month. [CBC]

⛽️ Gas prices in the region are set to rise today by as much as seven cents. [CTV]

Canada's Role in Global Democracy

The Open Canada Podcast, published by the Canadian International Council, aims to put citizens at the heart of global affairs.

Season Two begins in November. As Canada and fellow democracies face growing threats in the international system, we explore the contribution Canada can make to advance democracy. The Open Canada Podcast is hosted by veteran diplomat Ben Rowswell and international communications expert Ruth Mojeed Ramirez.

Listen on iTunes, Spotify or your favourite platform.

Hot noodles in a cold city

From the opening lines on their website: “Our broth is freshly made every day and cooked for more than 20 hours by using 15 chickens and 40 kg of beef. No artificial colorings, additives or preservatives, only pure deliciousness.” 

Well that seems about right. The flavours at 98 La La Noodle are bold and with each dish it’s clear — you’re getting your money's worth. 

This is my go-to spot in the ByWard for Asian noodles and for many years now, they’ve not disappointed. The service can at times be forgetful but don’t let that test your patience, the food is worth it and you won’t wait long. 

What’s on your mind?

What’s on your mind? Every week we ask readers to share something local — a new neighbourhood business, cool spot they visited, or a question you desperately need answered.

The answer: We’ll share it in next week’s edition of the newsletter. Submit you question here. 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sens legend Daniel Alfredsson is getting set for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. [CTV]

• Algonquin College is going to host its first in-person convocation since the beginning of the pandemic today. [Ottawa Citizen]

• The folks at Apt613 have you covered for all the arts and culture jobs across town. [Apt613]

• The Imperial rolls at Pho Tuan are a must try starter, and don’t miss the Bun Cha Ha Noi.

• Just in time for Halloween, the psychological thriller Painted Sharks, filmed in the Ottawa Valley, was released this month. [Apt613]

• Insiders got a look at a Gatineau beer tour of four great breweries running this fall and winter.

• Fill out this form to have you event or announcement featured in community highlights

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from Michele Lanoue, who took this one recently in Sandy Hill.

Have you got a photo from around town you’d like to share with Lookout readers? Send it our way!

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