Premier Ford cancels meeting with Mayor Sutcliffe

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe's first official trip to Queen's Park on Tuesday was one meeting short of expected after Premier Doug Ford cancelled.  

Sutcliffe told city councillors last week he was heading to Toronto to meet with Ford and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark to discuss a wide number of issues, including fiscal shortfalls and some provincial housing initiatives.

The mayor did meet with Clark and several other cabinet ministers, but his meeting with Ford scheduled for 4:30 p.m. was called off for unspecified reasons.

"Unfortunately, we had to unexpectedly cancel today's meeting with Mayor Sutcliffe, but look forward to sitting down with the mayor in the near future," the premier's spokesperson wrote in an email.

Ford called Sutcliffe last month after the election. That call was more congratulatory in nature, as opposed to a deep policy discussion. 

In a statement sent Tuesday evening, Sutcliffe said he met with deputy premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Merrilee Fullerton, an Ottawa MPP.

The mayor stated he discussed a wide range of issues with the provincial officials, including the controversial More Homes Built Faster Act also known as Bill 23, financial shortfalls at the city from the pandemic and derecho, and the Social Services Relief Fund — a program the province started during the pandemic to help municipalities support vulnerable residents.

He also brought up the issue of paramedic unavailability.  

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"I am pleased with the open and productive nature of the conversations I had today with senior members of the Ford Government," said Sutcliffe in a Tuesday evening news release.

"As I said during the election, it is important for all leaders to work together to deliver on the priorities of the residents of Ottawa. This approach not only includes city council, but the provincial and federal governments as well."

The mayor also met with Ontario's Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy at his City Hall office on Friday.

"Working cooperatively with the provincial government is imperative to make Ottawa an even safer, more reliable, and more affordable place to live," said Sutcliffe in his statement.

"I will be following up with provincial ministers and the premier to ensure we meet our objectives and address our ongoing challenges in the City of Ottawa."

Unclear what progress made

The city is in serious need of financial assistance from higher levels of government by the end of the fiscal year and it's unclear what, if any, assurances of assistance Sutcliffe was given from the province during his recent meetings.

The city is expecting an $85.5-million deficit this year for OC Transpo because the 2022 budget was based on ridership levels that have not materialized.

The unbudgeted costs for dealing with the derecho storm last spring totalled about $50 million.

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Now, city staff believes Bill 23 could be costly for taxpayers — or leave communities short of amenities.

Among other things, the bill sets a target for Ottawa to build about 160,000 new homes in the next decade, and will waive millions of dollars in fees the city charges to pay for infrastructure and park land.

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Sutcliffe's statement made no mention of any discussions with the province over the new Better Municipal Governance Act which gives the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto the power to pass certain bylaws with just one-third of council support. 

Ottawa's mayor has already said he won't use any strong mayor powers.