Ottawa councillor Fleury not seeking re-election
Veteran city councillor Mathieu Fleury says he is not running for re-election in this fall’s municipal election, nor is he running for mayor.
Fleury, 36, made the surprise announcement in an email to supporters on Tuesday morning. He has served three terms on council and had been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate.
“It has been an extreme privilege to represent Rideau–Vanier around the council table, and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished together during my three terms as City Councillor. I am also humbled by the encouragement of so many Ottawa residents urging me to run for Mayor,” Fleury said.
“Executive tables, including the one in council chambers, benefit from renewal and new ideas. It is time for me to find new ways to contribute to our city’s future - at least for now.”
The University of Ottawa graduate was first elected to council in 2010 at age 25, the youngest councillor at the time.
“Please know that I am not going anywhere. Ottawa is my hometown and I am determined to build our exceptional community up in new ways,” he said.
Community leaders who worked with Fleury said his presence on council will be missed.
“It's a little bittersweet," said Kalin McCluskey, the executive director of the ByWard Market BIA. "Mat has definitely done a lot for the community, not just for businesses but also for the residents and has always tried to have a balance on what's best for ByWard and I know the other parts of his ward as well."
"We're hoping that the next councillor is going to be emphatic about all the changes that are coming to the ByWard Market, that they'll champion public realm to give us the improvements we need to make it even better and that they'll support our businesses who are mostly small and local."
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, who is also not seeking re-election, said Fleury has done a great job for the community.
"Politics is tough especially if you have a young family and Mat has a young family and you're out almost every night at different meetings and events and so on," Watson said. "I think he's done a great job and he'll be missed he's got a lot of energy and enthusiasm he brings to the council table and I wish him and his family the very best in their next journey."
Fleury’s announcement means there will be at least eight new councillors at city hall after the October election.
Veteran councillors Scott Moffatt, Jan Harder, Jean Cloutier and Keith Egli are not seeking re-election. Councillors Diane Deans and Catherine McKenney are running for mayor, leaving their seats in Gloucester-Southgate and Somerset wards open.
Deans has not officially registered to run for mayor, but announced she would run back in December.
There will also be a councillor elected in the newly-created Barrhaven East ward.
The municipal election is Oct. 24.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.