Mark Sutcliffe
Canadian politician (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Mark Sutcliffe | |
|---|---|
Sutcliffe in 2022 | |
| 59th Mayor of Ottawa | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Watson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 14, 1968 |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Ginny Sutcliffe (m. 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Carleton University (no degree) |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | marksutcliffe |
Early life
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][5] 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.[6]
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[6] 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.[6]
Political career
Sutcliffe was elected mayor of Ottawa in the 2022 municipal election.[7] Described as a centrist, Sutcliffe defeated Catherine McKenney, a progressive councillor supported by many New Democratic Party and some Liberal figures.[8] Sutcliffe was supported by many sitting Liberal and Conservative politicians.[9][8]
During his term as mayor, he has had a strong focus on reducing government spending.[10] Sutcliffe has particularly concentrated his cost-cutting initiatives on OC Transpo, Ottawa's public transit agency, including fare increases,[11] reducing O-Train frequency,[12] and eliminating fare discounts for youth.[13]
Another project undertaken during Sutcliffe's tenure is Lansdowne 2.0, a project to redevelop Lansdowne Park. The project was initially planned under Sutcliffe's predecessor Jim Watson, with Sutcliffe becoming a strong proponent of it after he was elected mayor. The city of Ottawa is expected to spend approximately $500 million on Lansdowne 2.0, which will include a redevelopment of TD Place Stadium, a total reconstruction of TD Place Arena, and a new event centre adjacent to the stadium.[14][15]
In August 2024, Sutcliffe declined to participate in Ottawa's annual pride parade and other Capital Pride events, citing a statement the organization had released that expressed solidarity with Palestinians and described Israel's actions in the Gaza war as a genocide.[16]
Personal life
Sutcliffe is a long-distance runner and has written two books about his experiences: Why I Run and The Road to Boston.[17]
Electoral record
| 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[18][19] | ||||||||||||