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

Catherine McKenney: Ottawa’s “boots on the ground” councillor runs for mayor

 PHOTO: Neon Lilith Photography Catherine McKenney has been representing the citizens of Somerset Ward since 2014. Judging by how well they performed in the 2018 election, McKenney is well-liked by their community; Ottawa’s first non-binary councillor was re-elected in 2018 with a staggering 76.6 per cent of the vote.  This

Let’s not rinse and repeat: The city needs new leadership.

 It’s been almost a month since the occupation started, but it’s only been a few days since the police finally moved in. While I understand that Ottawa has a lack of officers, and they didn’t want the situation to escalate, to me, it’s a cop-out. No pun intended. As a

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

A look back at when I ran for Mayor in 2018

 October 22nd, 2020, will mark two years since the 2018 Ottawa Municipal Election was held. For those that may not be aware, I was one of the candidates that ran for Mayor. With the anniversary coming up, I figured that I would take the opportunity to talk about my experiences

Prose in the Park Festival Returns June 10

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Book Review: Marion Dewar

   A Life of Action A beloved mayor, Marion Dewar shaped not only the landscape of Canada's capital city, she was a role-model for social activism for the whole country. Her work on behalf of refugees gives her accomplishments special resonance today. August 11, 2016, Toronto–The desperation of refugees looking

Light-Rail gets $1 Billion Boost from Feds

 The existing O-Train passes over the Rideau River. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. In a letter to Mayor Jim Watson dated July 22, Orléans MP Royal Galipeau announced his party’s intention to give $1 billion to support Stage 2 of Ottawa’s light-rail plans. That money will make up one third

Have you no shame — The shocking expenses of our unelected city managers

 By Claire Tremblay & Dan Donovan Shocking. That's how Auditor General Sheila Fraser described the waste of $100 million of taxpayers' money in her February 10 report to Parliament on the Liberal government's sponsorship fiasco in Quebec. But for jaded Canadian taxpayers, the waste of their hard-earned money is nothing

Jim Watson’s mission: Reverse post-9/11 tourism slump

 Concerned about a "travel deficit" in Canada resulting from the combined impact of terrorist attacks and a stagnant economy in the United States, Jim Watson, president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission, spoke to these concerns in a recent interview with Ottawa Life reporter Hank Reardon. An abridged version