Mark Sutcliffe Incumbent
Running for Mayor of Ottawa · in office since 2022
Campaigning on continuity. Our research finds the housing built is overwhelmingly for-profit and transit riders are paying more for less.
Where they stand
Each position pairs what they say with what they did.
Environment
Underfunded
What they did:
Promised to plant one million trees during the term. Forestry staff planted roughly 104,000, and the budget does not keep pace.
Housing
Opposes non-profit targets
“Cutting red tape and fees is how we get homes built.”
What they did:
Cut development charges and fees. 38% more units built, almost all for-profit. No dedicated non-profit housing target.
Policing
Expanded
What they did:
5% police budget increase and over 200 new officers, with expanded presence in the ByWard Market. Opposed by local businesses and community health advocates.
Public funds
Championed Lansdowne 2.0
What they did:
Drove the $419M rebuild through council 15-10, alongside $104M for roads and sidewalks and a doubled roads budget. Critics point to arena and community-facility closures and condo mortgage costs at Lansdowne.
Transit
Raised fares
What they did:
Raised the OC Transpo budget to $856M and bought 500 buses, while raising fares 2.5% and handing LRT ownership to Metrolinx. Para Transpo riders continue to report vague pickup windows, hours-long waits and missed appointments.
OAC flags
OAC opinion · evidence-based, not neutral
- Public money, private profile. City-funded advertising raised the mayor's own profile during a pre-election year.
- Protest ignored. ACORN, Horizon Ottawa and community groups warned about for-profit housing expansion and policing costs, and the response was to proceed.
- Pride cancelled. The 2025 city Pride event was cancelled over pro-Palestinian protest, rather than negotiated.
Sources
- City of Ottawa Budget 2025 https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/budget-and-taxes
- Council minutes, Lansdowne 2.0 rebuild vote 15-10 https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/council
- OC Transpo and Metrolinx operating agreement https://www.metrolinx.com/
- CBC News, tree planting commitment versus budget https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa
- Ottawa Citizen, ByWard Market policing spend https://ottawacitizen.com/
- OAC interviews with Para Transpo riders, 2026
