Mark Sutcliffe was back at his office in city hall this week, after winning his second term as Ottawa’s mayor, and he’s focused on transit and affordability.
The newly reelected mayor sat down with RogersTV in an exclusive interview where he laid out what his priorities are for this term after a low voter turnout. Of the eligible voters in the nation’s capital only 36.21 per cast cast a ballot in the municipal election, one of the lowest turnouts in city history.
“We did everything we could to talk about the future of Ottawa and encourage people to get involved,” Sutcliffe said. The mayor noted that he’s not sure what the solution is to increase voting participation, but that is not a focus for him at the moment.
“My job right now is to deliver the plan I was elected on and to get back to work for the people of Ottawa,” he said.
Sutcliffe received 44.65 per cent of the vote on Monday, a lower mandate than the just over 50 per cent he received in 2022.
The first thing the mayor mentioned was the number of people he spoke to on the campaign trail that were struggling to make ends meet. The affordability crisis has skyrocketed across the country and impacted communities in the nation’s capital that were already struggling between rent and food.
“People are worried about the local economy,” Sutcliffe said. “They’re just worried about the economy in general because of Donald Trump’s tariffs and because of federal government job reductions and other factors.”
He says his focus going into this term is on planning that preserves the culture of communities while balancing growth and making things more affordable for the everyday Ottawan.
On his first day, Sutcliffe said he already had a meeting about the 2027 budget, which he hopes to improve public transit. The mayor also mentioned a campaign promise, the $95 monthly transit pass, as a key idea he wants to see in the budget.
As council comes back after the election cycle, Sutcliffe says he’s ready to lay the groundwork to implement some of his promises for the city.
Tax limit of 2.0 to 2.25 per cent for the first two years
Montly transit pass lowered to $95
Recreation fees are frozen for seniors and families
Finalize the upload of the Ottawa LRT to the province
Phase 3 started for the LRT
Hire 350 more police, firefighters and paramedics
Expand community policing
Special constables in hospitals
End youth homelessness by 2030
Build 650 new supportive housing units in five years
Healthcare for people experiencing homelessness
Addressing flooding in flood-prone communities
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Photo/The Canadian Press
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