We the undersigned call on the Mayor and Ottawa City Council to:
We the undersigned, call on Ottawa City Council and Mark Sutcliffe to commit to not cutting routes or service and instead to look into other means to make up for the transit shortfall like re-allocating money from other city departments or creating new revenue streams
We, the undersigned, call on Mayor Sutcliffe and Ottawa City Council to listen to residents' concerns and to support Councillor Kavanagh's motion to remove the Tewin development from the City's Official Plan when it returns to Committee.
City Staff have released their Feasibility Assessment on the proposed Bubble By-law for review by council next month. The memo echoes some of our concerns about the by-law, including infringing on Charter rights and opening the city up to legal challenges. It sparked additional concerns for us at Horizon Ottawa and the Defend Dissent Coalition.
“Tewin” is a proposed development near the village of Carlsbad Springs. The developer and partial landowner for the site is Taggart, one of the city’s largest developers and a major donor in the 2022 municipal election.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
03 March 2025
OTTAWA - Osgoode Ward Councillor George Darouze was elected as MPP for the riding of Carleton last Thursday, leaving his council seat vacant. Horizon Ottawa is calling on Mayor Sutcliffe and Ottawa City Council to call a by-election at the special meeting expected for this Wednesday to allow Osgoode Ward residents to democratically elect a new councillor.
In 2006, former Councillor for Orléans Bob Monette won a by-election with only 10 months until the next municipal election, but in November of 2021, council opted to appoint Cathy Curry to the vacant Kanata North seat less than two months after Jenna Sudds won her federal race. They chose not to hold an election because the 2022 election was only a year away, a by-election would cost too much to be deemed worth holding, and the ward would be without a councillor during the 2022 budget discussions.
Horizon Ottawa says the excuses from 2021 don’t hold up in the current context. This time, there is more than a year and a half before the next municipal election in October of 2026. This leaves plenty of time to elect a new councillor who can represent the interests of Osgoode residents in next year’s budget decisions, double the time that was needed in 2006 and six months more than in 2021.
Council’s main reason for appointing a councillor for Kanata North instead of holding a by-election in 2021 was the cost, but Horizon Ottawa says this is not a valid excuse. Appointing a councillor was the wrong call last time around, and it shouldn’t happen again, said Tom Ledgley, Coordinator for Horizon Ottawa. “Mayor Sutcliffe must call a by-election for Osgoode Ward and allow residents to choose who represents them.”
Some councillors who supported an appointment in 2021 wanted assurances that the selected person would be “non-partisan” and not run in the 2022 election with an undeserved incumbent advantage. They were right to have these concerns – Cathy Curry was re-elected in 2022 and Horizon Ottawa has observed that she is one of the most conservative members of council.
The Municipal Act says cities may not hold by-elections after March 31st of a regular election year, which is still 13 months away. The Mayor and Council technically have the power to appoint a replacement for George Darouze, but doing so constitutes a dereliction of duty and would show residents that democracy is not a priority.
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For Media Inquiries:
Tom Ledgley
[email protected]
613-663-7018
