Cities

Mark Sutcliffe re-elected Ottawa mayor as voter turnout declines

Unofficial results show Sutcliffe secured 44.6% of the vote, defeating councillor Jeff Leiper.

By Erin Kowalski, Editor-in-Chief
October 28, 2026

OTTAWA · Mark Sutcliffe has won a second term as mayor of Ottawa, according to unofficial results from Monday's municipal election. He received 139,354 votes, representing 44.6 percent of the total ballots cast. His closest competitor, city councillor Jeff Leiper, secured 105,819 votes, or 33.9 percent. Neil Saravanamuttoo finished third with 11 percent, and Alex Lawson received 7.6 percent.

Sutcliffe addressed supporters at Hometown Sports Grill on election night. "This victory is not mine, it is yours," he told the crowd. He said he planned to be in his office the next morning to begin work. The former broadcaster and business owner first became mayor in 2022 and will now serve another four years.

His campaign platform included limiting property tax increases, reducing transit pass costs and freezing recreation fees. He pledged to advance the city's light rail system, support affordable housing development and improve downtown conditions. Sutcliffe also promised to pursue a ten-year, $10 billion infrastructure plan. "When the new term begins, we're going to move quickly," Sutcliffe said. "We're going to move fast on the new $95 transit passes. We're going to move on our $10-billion infrastructure plan, we're going to move on freezing recreation fees on building more affordable and supportive housing and we are going to continue on the path to ending youth homelessness in Ottawa."

Voter participation dropped significantly compared to the last election. Only 36.2 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, down from approximately 43.8 percent in 2022. The city has 868,248 eligible voters. Most incumbent councillors retained their seats, with 21 out of 24 winning re-election. Only three new members were elected to council. The new term for city council begins on Nov. 15.

Supporters at the victory party praised the mayor. Rumi Prince said her family backed Sutcliffe because he had supported them through difficult times. "We've been following him for the past four or five years. He has stood beside us as a family with a small business," said Prince. Catherine McLaughlin called Sutcliffe an Ottawa staple and a man of integrity.

The race between Sutcliffe and Leiper grew heated at times, with Sutcliffe accusing his rival of lacking transparency. Leiper had proposed a one percent infrastructure tax levy instead of a specific tax increase. In a concession speech, Leiper said he would continue working for Ottawa residents. Housing remains a key challenge for the city. Sutcliffe has committed to supporting the approval of at least 75,000 new homes by 2030. His administration will also face demands to improve transit reliability and manage municipal costs.

With files from Philippine Canadian Inquirer and Algonquin Times