Ottawa “Mark”-ed their ballots and the pollster got it wrong.

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse Ottawa’s 2022 election was the first real competition for mayor in eight years. The vote was Catherine McKenney’s to lose. Until election day, Mayor-elect Mark Sutcliffe seemed to be playing a game of catch-up. The results, however, were a surprise in the least, with Sutcliffe taking

The top three mayoral candidates squared off during a CTV-hosted debate

 The frontrunners in Ottawa’s mayoral race, Bob Chiarelli, Mark Sutcliffe, and Catherine McKenney, met last night in a debate hosted by CTV News. With the remaining 11 candidates not included, the trio had time to share their visions for the city and why they are the best candidate to take Ottawa into the

Bob Chiarelli’s serious platform but strange campaign

 The deadline to register for municipal election is almost upon us. Only three candidates are resonating with the electorate among the thirteen competing for the top job in Ottawa.  As it stands, the campaign of mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney hits at the heart of their support base — young people, university educated,

Freedom convoy highlights differences between mayoral candidates

 FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine McKenney, Diane Deans and Bob Chiarelli. (Photos: ottawa.ca, @bobchiarelli) The last two weeks in Ottawa have been some of the most memorable in recent history, albeit for all the wrong reasons. The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has received at best-irritated condemnation for its handling of

Adieu Jim Watson, hello . . . Bob Chiarelli?

 Ottawa will be saying adieu to Mayor Jim Watson this fall; that much is now a certainty. Watson, the popular mayor at election time in runs previous, has been more polarizing in his last term. He leaves behind the legacy of Ottawa’s longest-serving mayor. He has been at times both progressive

Jim Watson at 30—the ups and downs of public service and his LRT legacy

 ABOVE: Former Ottawa Mayor Jacquelin (Jackie) Holzman, Jim Watson, and Brian McGarry after Waston’s win in 1997. (PHOTO: OLM FILE PHOTO) Jim Watson first ran for municipal office in 1991, becoming the councillor for the Capital Ward after successfully running on a platform of curbing city spending and freezing taxes. In 1997, at the

Conservation First, Results Later

 The rallying cry of many contemporary environmentalists is “conservation” – emphasizing the need for the preservation and restoration of our natural resources. Critics have often accused the Ontario Ministry of Energy of ignoring the importance of conservation. For the Hon. Bob Chiarelli, Ontario’s recently appointed Minister of Energy and current

Ontario Energy Conservation: Finally Heading in the Right Direction

 Kathleen Wynne was thinking about energy conservation in Ontario long before she became Premier of Ontario. The ideals associated with the Green Energy Act mirrored Wynne’s determination to champion clean and renewable energy in the province. Although controversy was raised by the Green Energy Act under then-Premier Dalton McGuinty, Wynne

A rural revolution: The farmers are revolting

 By Trevor Tucker Is cutting down a 200-year-old elm tree in the Glebe the same as felling one for firewood to heat a farmhouse in the winter? If the City of Ottawa expropriated the whole front yard of your home, wouldn't you expect some form of compensation? Would you still