3 days ago
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe meets with Prime Minister Mark Carney
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Prime Minister Mark Carney met Thursday, according to their respective social media posts.
Sutcliffe said he and Carney — who he noted is also the MP the riding of Nepean — discussed their shared commitment to Ottawa and their mutual priorities.
'We will work collaboratively and effectively together to build a stronger local economy, revitalize downtown and the ByWard Market and respond to challenges and opportunities,' Sutcliffe said.
The mayor also said it's 'great to have the PM's support for our 'Shop Local. Buy Canadian' campaign.'
The City of Ottawa launched a campaign this spring to encourage residents to shop at local, Canadian businesses in the face of tariffs and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Safety concerns in the ByWard Market and downtown Ottaw have also been regular issues for city hall. Most recently, the City of Ottawa announced the launch of the Night Ambassadors pilot program in the ByWard Market, which the city says would 'improve community safety and visitor outreach' between 9:30 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Carney's post said, 'We're going to build big things, make our city safer, and bring down the cost of living for the people of Ottawa, together.'
This is the second time Sutcliffe and Carney have met in Ottawa. The pair also spoke in March, after Carney won the Liberal leadership and was set to be sworn in as prime minister.
Sutcliffe has been asking the federal and provincial governments for financial assistance to cover major gaps in funding for the city's transit system, and he has accused the federal government of underpaying the city when it comes to payments in lieu of property taxes.
The City of Ottawa took Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Canada Post to court, claiming they had shortchanged the city $22 million in 2021 and 2022 on federal payments for tax-exempt buildings. The case involved a move by the provincial government to lower the Business Education Tax rate on property taxes for private businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the federal government's decision to set its PILT rate at the same level.
The City of Ottawa wanted to charge the federal government the rate that was in place prior to the provincial decision, but in February, Federal Court Justice Panagiotis Pamel sided with the federal government , which argued that the reduced rate is what it would have paid had it not been exempt from property taxes.
In March, the city's Chief Financial Officer Cyril Rogers said, after consulting with lawyers, the city believes there are grounds to appeal.
