Mayor Sutcliffe campaigns on transit fixes and affordable housing

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is running for a second four-year term on a record of tackling inherited transit problems, boosting public safety, and expanding affordable housing.

At the unofficial launch of his campaign on May 25, Sutcliffe said he "inherited a mess" when elected in 2022. "After the trucker convoy, the pandemic, the light rail inquiry, Ottawa was struggling, and city council was toxic and dysfunctional," he said. "So we got to work, we got everybody working together in the community and at city council, and we went from division to collaboration. We went from gridlock to real progress."

On transit, Sutcliffe touted the purchase of 500 new buses—including a fleet of hybrid electric buses—and the launch of LRT Lines 2 and 4, along with a nearly 30 per cent boost to OC Transpo investment during this term. He hired general manager Rick Leary in March and signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in April to reaffirm the province's commitment to uploading LRT costs to Metrolinx, a deal Sutcliffe called a "game changer" worth $85 million a year in savings.

Many transit problems—from aging diesel buses to mechanical issues that forced 41 train cars out of service in January—stemmed from decisions by previous councils, Sutcliffe said. "It took us years to get into this situation. It's going to take time to get out of this situation." He noted positive progress with e-bus onboarding and gradual improvements to bus reliability, alongside plans to extend the rail line east to Orléans and eventually west.