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Mark Sutcliffe

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His Worship
Mark Sutcliffe
Sutcliffe in 2022
59th Mayor of Ottawa
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 15, 2022
Preceded byJim Watson
Personal details
Born (1968-07-14) July 14, 1968 (age 58)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
PartyIndependent
Spouse
Ginny Sutcliffe
​
(m. 2008)​
Children3
Parents
  • John Sutcliffe (father)
  • Florence Ng-Yelim (mother)
Alma materCarleton University (no degree)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • journalist
Websitemarksutcliffe.ca

Mark Sutcliffe (born July 14, 1968)[1][2] is a Canadian politician who was elected the 59th mayor of Ottawa in 2022.[3] Before entering politics, he hosted Ottawa Today on 1310News radio.

Early life

[edit]

Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospital in Ottawa on July 14, 1968, the son of John Michael Sutcliffe and Florence Ng-Yelim.[4][2] Sutcliffe's maternal grandfather, Xavier, was born to a Chinese family in Mauritius in 1902. Sutcliffe's maternal grandmother, Yolande, was French, and the two moved to Shanghai. The family moved to Canada during the Chinese Civil War. John Sutcliffe was also an immigrant, coming from Yorkshire in England. John and Florence met while working at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.[5]

Sutcliffe grew up in McKellar Park in the city's west end. He graduated from St. Pius X High School, and then studied political science[5] at Carleton University for one year before dropping out to take a job at radio station CHEZ 106.[1] At the same time, he started working as a news reader at CFRA, and then became a news reporter for the Ottawa Business News, and was the first play-by-play announcer for the Ottawa Lynx baseball team. He then founded the Ottawa Business Journal, where he met his wife, Ginny.[5]

Political career

[edit]

Sutcliffe was elected mayor of Ottawa in the 2022 municipal election.[6] Described as a centrist, Sutcliffe defeated Catherine McKenney, a progressive councillor supported by many New Democratic Party and some Liberal figures.[7] Sutcliffe drew support from sitting Liberal and Conservative politicians.[8][7]

As mayor, Sutcliffe has emphasized affordability, housing, public safety, public transportation, and reducing government spending.[9] His council budgets have generally passed with wide margins, a shift from the more contentious dynamics of previous terms.[10][11][12][13]

Sutcliffe’s first budget, in 2023, passed unanimously and kept property tax increases capped at 2.5% for 2023 and 2024, as he had pledged during the campaign. It also froze OC Transpo fares (though, OC Transpo fares would increase in subsequent budgets), added $15 million to police funding, and increased funding for social service agencies.[10] Subsequent budgets in 2025 and 2026 raised property taxes by 3.9% and 3.75%[14][15]

Sutcliffe introduced a housing plan aimed at speeding up approvals, lowering development costs and fees, and encouraging urban intensification and transit-oriented development.[16] In December 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Sutcliffe announced a $400 million federal-municipal agreement to build up to 3,000 homes in Ottawa, including more than 1,000 units through the city's affordable housing pipeline.[17] By April 2026, the city said this target had been surpassed, citing eight projects producing more than 1,100 affordable units.[18] That same month, council unanimously passed a Sutcliffe-introduced motion to double the rate of supportive housing construction.[19]

One major initiative started by Jim Watson and continued under Sutcliffe has been Lansdowne 2.0, a redevelopment of the City-owned Lansdowne Park. The project carries a total projected cost of $418.8 million, with the City claiming it's net share will be estimated at $130 million. It includes renovations to the north-side stands in TD Place Stadium, reconstruction of the 57-year-old TD Place Arena, a new event centre adjacent to the stadium, and two residential towers. It also includes $14.4 million for affordable housing.[20][21][22][23] The project has drawn objections from The Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League, which stated it would not play at the renovated arena if seating capacity is reduced from 8,585 to 5,500, opting instead to play at the Canadian Tire Centre for the 2026–27 season.[24][25]

The 2024 budget passed 20–5 and maintained the 2.5% property tax cap. It allocated $214 million for housing, $140 million for road and bridge repairs, $13.4 million police funding increase, and further spending on infrastructure, sidewalks, parks, and community safety.[11]

In August 2024, Sutcliffe was among several organizations, including Ottawa hospitals, school boards, and the federal Liberal Party,[26] that declined to participate in the city's pride parade, citing a statement from event organizers that characterized Israel's actions in the Gaza war as genocide.[27] In 2025, after the organization removed that statement from its website, a group calling itself Queers for Palestine blockaded the parade, which was ultimately cancelled. Organizers said they had tried for over an hour to resolve the blockade and accused the group of negotiating in bad faith.[28]

The 2025 budget passed 22–3 and funded transit, roads, sidewalks, and affordable housing, along with new hires, 50 police officers, 22 firefighters, 23 paramedics, and 10 bylaw officers. Fuel-cost savings identified by the city were redirected toward transit, park amenities, and food security organizations, including the Ottawa Food Bank.[12]

In September 2025, Sutcliffe pledged to end youth homelessness by 2030, calling it a first step toward ending homelessness generally. Several homelessness-focused organizations, including the Alliance to End Homelessness, Operation Come Home, and Shepherds of Good Hope, expressed support for the goal.[29]

The 2026 budget passed 21–4. It raised OC Transpo's budget by 10.5% to support increased LRT Line 1 frequency, and included a motion, proposed with councillor Shawn Menard, providing free weekend and holiday transit for riders 18 and under, plus up to four free Para Transpo rides monthly for eligible seniors. It also included the largest increase to the Ottawa Police Service budget in 15 years, funding 21 new sworn officers, four special constables, a new district policing model, and expanded body-worn camera use.[13][30]

Personal life

[edit]

Sutcliffe is a long-distance runner and has written two books about his experiences: Why I Run and The Road to Boston.[31]

Electoral record

[edit]
2022 Ottawa municipal election: Mayor
Candidate Popular vote Expenditures
Votes % ±%
Mark Sutcliffe 161,679 51.37 – $537,834.79
Catherine McKenney 119,241 37.88 – $542,847.97
Bob Chiarelli 15,998 5.08 – $96,844.84
Nour Kadri 7,496 2.38 – $71,062.45
Mike Maguire 2,775 0.88 – $5,500.00
Graham MacDonald 1,629 0.52 – $5,334.50
Brandon Bay 1,512 0.48 – $9,478.02
Param Singh 1,176 0.37 – $13,650.40
Celine Debassige 867 0.28 – none listed
Ade Olumide 636 0.20 – $1,966.25
Gregory Jreg Guevara 584 0.19 – $2,349.61
Bernard Couchman 471 0.15 -0.21 none listed
Jacob Solomon 432 0.14 – none listed
Zed Chebib 264 0.08 – none listed
Total valid votes 314,760 99.53
Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes 1,500 0.47 -0.92
Turnout 316,260 43.79 +1.24
Eligible voters 722,227
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.
Sources: City of Ottawa[32][33]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Steele, Alistair (October 12, 2022). "Mark Sutcliffe running a different kind of race". CBC News. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Sutcliffe". Ottawa Citizen. July 16, 1968. p. 26. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Deachman, Bruce (October 25, 2022). "Deachman: Ottawa makes a bet on the inexperienced, but safe Mark Sutcliffe". ottawacitizen. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ Bishop, Heather (March 13, 1982). "Carriers fly to Florida Friday". Ottawa Citizen. p. 33. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Duffy, Andrew (October 20, 2022) [13 October 2022]. "Running Man: The politics, marathons and luck of Mark Sutcliffe". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ Pringle, Josh (October 25, 2022) [October 24, 2022]. "Mark Sutcliffe elected mayor of Ottawa". CTV News. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Platt, Brian (October 25, 2022). "Sutcliffe Wins Ottawa Race After Campaign That Divided Liberals". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ Nerenberg, Karl (October 20, 2022). "Mayoral race in Ottawa splits federal Liberals". rabble.ca. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Blewett, Taylor (February 2, 2023). "Mayor Sutcliffe says proposed city 'service review' is about priorities and value for money — not austerity". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Raymond, Ted (March 1, 2023). "2023 City of Ottawa budget passes unanimously". CTV News.
  11. 1 2 Raymond, Ted (December 6, 2023). "Ottawa city council votes 20-5 to approve $5.8B budget for 2024". CTV News.
  12. 1 2 White-Crummey, Arthur (December 11, 2024). "Council passes 2025 budget with 3.9% tax hike". CBC News.
  13. 1 2 Pringle, Josh (December 10, 2025). "Council approves 2026 City of Ottawa budget with 3.75% tax hike, pledge for more frequent LRT trains". CTV News.
  14. ↑ White-Crummey, Arthur (December 11, 2024). "Council passes 2025 budget with 3.9% tax hike". CBC News. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  15. ↑ White-Crummey, Arthur (November 12, 2025). "City budget would raise taxes by 3.75%, hike transit fares 2.5%". CBC News. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  16. ↑ Beauchemin, Adam (September 19, 2025). "Ottawa's mayor announced plan to lower housing feed, increase downtown development". CTV News.
  17. ↑ "Carney delivers more details on $400M housing plan for Ottawa". CBC News. December 5, 2025.
  18. ↑ Raymond, Ted (April 23, 2026). "Prime Minister announces 8 housing projects in Ottawa through Build Canada Homes partnership". CTV News.
  19. ↑ Payne, Elizabeth (April 10, 2026). "Ottawa wants to lead the country in supportive housing to combat homelessness". Ottawa Citizen.
  20. ↑ Pringle, Josh (June 16, 2025). "City of Ottawa to issue construction tender today to build new 5,500 seat arena, north-side stands at Lansdowne". CTV News. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  21. ↑ Glass, Mario (June 21, 2024). "Lansdowne 2.0 cost closing in on $500 million, city auditor says". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Investing in a City-owned landmark". City of Ottawa.
  23. ↑ Pringle, Josh (October 20, 2025). "Here's what you need to know about Lansdowne 2.0". CTV Ottawa.
  24. ↑ Weller, Emma (November 18, 2025). "Ottawa Charge won't play at smaller Lansdowne arena, PWHL says". CBC News. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  25. ↑ Pringle, Josh (July 9, 2026). "Ottawa Charge to play at Canadian Tire Centre next season". CTVNews. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  26. ↑ Quenneville, Guy (August 22, 2024). "More fallout, and support, for Capital Pride as parade nears". CBC News.
  27. ↑ "Ottawa mayor says he won't attend Capital Pride events following pro-Palestinian statement". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. August 16, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  28. ↑ Huston, Gabrielle (August 24, 2025). "Pride parade cancelled after being halted by pro-Palestinian protesters". CBC News.
  29. ↑ Fung, Nathan (September 16, 2025). "Mayor Sutcliffe pledges to end youth homelessness by 2030". CBC News.
  30. ↑ Raymond, Ted (December 5, 2025). "Ottawa Police Service Board approves 2026 budget". CTV News.
  31. ↑ Pritchard, Trevor (October 24, 2022). "Mark Sutcliffe elected as Ottawa's next mayor". CBC News. Ottawa, Ontario. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  32. ↑ "2022 Official election results". City of Ottawa. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Financial statements for the 2022 Municipal Elections". City of Ottawa. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
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