‘We are making progress’: Sutcliffe makes his case for a second term

When incumbent Mayor Mark Sutcliffe talks about the direction the City of Ottawa has taken over the last four years, he sums it up simply, in a calm demeanour: "We are making progress." 

His positive outlook that the city is heading in the right direction has also been reflected in a more collaborative tone around the council table. When Sutcliffe took office, he inherited a council that had often been divided over some of the city's biggest issues. The downtown core had just finished navigating the impacts of the 2021 "Freedom Convoy." There was friction over the handling of the Ottawa Police Services Board. COVID-19 was in its third year. And an inquiry into the city's flawed light rail system was just commencing. 

Now, the heated debates previously seen between what was branded "the Watson club" and the other councillors, who'd typically vote more politically left, are over. Sutcliffe believes that's thanks to his leadership style and ability to work with opposing sides to get tasks done. 

That's not to say the city isn't without its challenges: major infrastructure deficits, insufficient funds to repair aging community amenities, a transit system that has struggled for nearly a decade to recover, rising crime, and a downtown that lacks an identity. 

Sutcliffe, who won with a small majority of about 51 per cent of the vote in 2022, is seeking a second term as mayor. He says his name will be on the ballot again because there is still work to be done, and he's the man for the job. 

"In the last four years, we've dramatically increased our investment in public transit, in fixing our roads and sidewalks, and in affordable housing. We've hired more police officers and paramedics. We've virtually eliminated the ambulance shortage, so there are no more level zero events or very few," Sutcliffe said of his record in an interview with the Ottawa Lookout. 

"We kept taxes low to respect people's affordability. We found savings and efficiencies at city hall. I secured more than $5 billion in funding commitments from the other levels of government. We made a lot of progress. I got everybody working together, and I want to continue to move Ottawa forward," he said. 

Whether Ottawa residents agree or not will become apparent when voters head to the polls on Oct. 26, but early polling data shows a two-way race between Sutcliffe and current Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper.  

An ElectRight poll conducted between Sep. 17-18 found 35 per cent of respondents would back Sutcliffe if the election were held today, compared to 19 per cent in support of Leiper. Economist Neil Saravanamuttoo came in third at 10 per cent, with homebuilder Alex Lawson trailing at four per cent. Another 28 per cent surveyed said they were still unsure. 

A separate poll conducted by Liaison Strategies in late July found different results. Sutcliffe remained in the lead at 24 per cent, followed by Leiper and Lawson tied for second place at 17 per cent. Those results also showed Saravanamutto behind at seven per cent. 

Perhaps at the top of every mayoral campaign is the desire to invest in public transit. Sutcliffe said OC Transpo statistics prove the system is more reliable than it was four years ago, "but it's still not good enough." 

To improve on that, Sutcliffe said the city has already purchased 500 buses, with new electric buses regularly entering the fleet. To get more people out of their cars and onto public transit, he's looking to lower fares. 

If re-elected, Sutcliffe is committed to lowering the cost of a monthly pass from 138.50 to $95. The difference would be covered by using $4 billion in proceeds saved when the Ontario government transferred control of the city's light rail system to Metrolinx. Details and a timeline for the area mint have not been finalized. 

"It'll be the lowest transit fare in any major city in Canada," said Sutcliffe. "And it will put $500 a year back into the pockets of regular transit users during a time when it's tough to make ends meet."

Sutcliffe is also looking for other ways to make transit more affordable. He's proposing to extend the transfer window while also imposing a $10 daily price cap. He also wants to build on the UPass program and negotiate a Major Employer Pass Program, including bulk pass purchasing for federal employees. 

The hope is that it would help get more people back onto public transit. Statistics from July 2025 to July 2026 show the light rail and bus system carried around 67.9 million trips — roughly 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.  

Over the past year and a half, transit riders have complained about 'New Ways to Bus' — the biggest overhaul in OC Transpo's history — which changed over 100 routes and reduced some services. 

Sutcliffe said he's looking to reverse some of the more controversial decisions, including reintroducing express buses at the east, west, and south ends of the city. He also wants to purchase 200 new buses by 2030 and hire 250 new drivers and mechanics. 

But for transit riders who have been told since the light rail was launched in 2019 to have some patience, they are fed up. Sutcliffe said he understands their frustrations as a transit rider himself and that rebuilding confidence in the system is one of the key reasons he first ran for mayor. 

"I was very skeptical about the decisions that were made around LRT when the project was launched. I wrote columns in the Ottawa Citizen about that and talked about it on my radio show," he said. "These are big problems that took years to create, and we're not going to fix them overnight. I know that passengers are fed up with being asked to be patient. But I will say we are finally turning the corner and putting the building blocks in place to have a much better transit system in Ottawa."

Sutcliffe said the Western and Eastern light rail extensions will no doubt help by freeing up buses and improving connectivity. The extension out to Orléans could open as early as later this year, with the western extension coming in late 2027 or 2028. Flooding from the Canada Day storms could delay at least a portion of its opening. 

There is also hope, said Sutcliffe, in new OC Transpo general manager Rick Leary, who he said is "doing an outstanding job."

"H used to run the Toronto Transit Commission, a much larger transit service, one of the largest in North America. He knows what he's doing. None of our problems are ones that he hasn't seen before," said Sutcliffe.  

There are parts of Sutcliffe's platform that might look familiar. He has committed to capping property tax increases between two and 2.5 per cent over two years — the same commitment he made back in 2022. He stuck to his word, but the increases then rose to 3.9 per cent in 2025 and 3.75 per cent for 2026. 

Despite calls from some of his opponents for larger tax increases, Sutcliffe said he will be able to find the savings by seeking efficiencies and attracting further investments from other levels of government. 

Another reused commitment from 2022 concerns public transit.  Sutcliffe has again pledged to have Stage 3 light rail built out to Kanata, Barrhaven and Stittsville. That would require funding from upper levels of government, which have been reluctant to invest further in the rail system anytime soon. 

Updated figures in the city's Transportation Master Plan (TMP) indicate that the Barrhaven expansion would cost $4.2 billion, with an additional $3.2 billion needed to extend the rail line to Kanata and Stittsville. 

Sutcliffe said he'd like to see a ring road built in Ottawa one day, but there is a problem: City council did not approve adding a ring road to the TMP. 

The plan has been discussed for decades, dating back to the 1980s. If built, the ring road would act as a southern bypass around Ottawa, creating a higher-capacity connection between Highway 416 and Highway 417 in the east end. It would be particularly beneficial for diverting transport truck traffic out of rural villages like Manotick, Greely and Osgoode. 

It most likely would have the support of the provincial government, which included a ring road in its draft Transportation Plan for Eastern Ontario. When the council decided not to make it a priority, Osgoode MPP George Darouze — the only PC representative in the city — called it a "missed opportunity." 

Sutcliffe said he'd work with the upper levels of government to secure funding for the ring road. 

"There are a lot of people who are travelling through Ottawa, but not stopping in Ottawa, including trucks. We need a route for them to take so that they're not creating congestion and creating safety risks on our roads and major arteries," he said. "It's an idea whose time has come." 

The incumbent Mayor would also like to find ways to keep revitalizing the ByWard Market. Sutcliffe said he's feeling "encouraged" by recent stats showing more people are visiting the historic district. 

In 2025, 25,571,844 visits were recorded — up 16 per cent from the previous year. 

As Mayor, Sutcliffe brought forward the ByWard Market Action Plan. Under it, William Street would become more of a pedestrian promenade connecting Rideau Street to its main hub. In the main ByWard Market Square, there are plans for more trees, gathering spaces, and programming opportunities. 

The main market building would also undergo a massive transformation, becoming a food hall. That has irked the current tenants, who fear being evicted. They have tried to meet with the mayor to address their concerns, but to date, a meeting hasn't taken place.  

Sutcliffe defended the plan, saying the market would be transformed into the "vibrant destination" Ottawa residents might recall from decades ago. 

"There are new hotels opening, new restaurants opening, and the new history Ottawa concert space has opened. So lots of positive things are happening in the ByWard Market, but there's still more work to do," he said. 

One of the largest components of revitalizing the market or any part of the downtown core is investing in public safety, said Sutcliffe. 

As Mayor, Sutcliffe is defending his record by stating he's helped hire 340 more police officers and paramedics, helped open a neighbourhood police operations centre on Rideau Street, and introduced an expanded neighbourhood policing model. 

To expand on that work, he wants to hire 200 more police officers, 100 more firefighters, and 50 additional paramedics. He also wants to expand neighbourhood watch programs, fight to restore automated speed enforcement, and increase cleaning, lighting, and camera coverage. 

At a time when social disorder issues are worsening along with the toxic drug crisis and homelessness, Sutcliffe wants to activate the Emergency Coordination Centre and appoint a downtown safety czar. Investment in alternative response programs such as ANCHOR would be doubled under a second Sutcliffe term, and efforts would be intensified to clear witness reports within days of their reporting. 

"We need to hire more police officers. We need to have more people on the ground. We need to keep our neighbourhood safe.  We need to go after the people who are selling toxic drugs to these individuals. We need stricter bail conditions so that they're not just let out again and back on the street selling drugs and preying on vulnerable people," concluded Sutcliffe. "And we need to take a firm, public safety approach to make sure that small businesses are not being hurt by the effects of this drug crisis."