'A lot of these have memories': Watson reflects as he auctions off special items for food bank
In six weeks, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson will be leaving city hall, but he’s not taking much with him. Many of the items he has received over the years have been auctioned off for a good cause.
“Well, after 15 years as mayor, you accumulate a lot of different things that are given to you,” Watson said.
Dozens of items that were gifted to the mayor were up for auction Tuesday at city hall, with all of the proceeds going to the Ottawa Food Bank. The mayor's office says the auction raised nearly $4,000.
Some were one-of-a-kind collectables, like custom street signs.
“Ryan Reynolds Way, Paul Anka Drive, the signs that we put up across from the Russian Embassy, Sens Mile back in 2014-2015,” Watson said.
The outgoing mayor says it would be impossible for him to keep everything.
“I don't need, you know, 35 jerseys for hockey teams and football and I don't need 50 baseball caps or baseballs or soccer balls or paintings and so on,” he said. “So, I thought it was a good way to raise awareness of the food bank and particularly as we head into Thanksgiving, the need to support the food vank now more than ever.”
The Ottawa Food Bank says, right now, any donation helps.
“It shows what kind of mayor he's been for the city of Ottawa to always be thinking about those in the community,” says Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson. “These funds will mean that we can go out and purchase healthy fresh items for people. We're seeing, you know, dramatic increases month over month. So anytime we receive funding, all of that goes right back into the community to support those accessing food banks.”
This custom sign with the Ottawa Redblacks, Ottawa Senators and Ottawa Fury logos and Jim Watson's name will not be auctioned, but will go in Watson's den. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
Watson isn’t getting rid of everything, though. A custom-made street sign with all three of Ottawa’s teams will go in his den and the cracked windshield from the snowmobile accident in 2015 that broke his pelvis will be coming home with him too.
Jim Watson will be keeping the windshield from the snowmobile that he crashed in 2015, causing him to break his pelvis. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
Other special items will be sent to the archives.
And although Watson says he’s grateful for each and every gift he’s ever received, he knows they will all end up in a better place.
“A lot of these have memories,” says Watson. “But I think it's better that they go to members of the community and the funds raised go to the food bank as opposed to sitting in a box in my basement.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.