Sutcliffe challenges McKenney's connection to Horizon Ottawa; McKenney denies contributions

Mark Sutcliffe is seen here announcing his campaign for mayor of Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe called on his opponent Catherine McKenney to “come clean and clarify” whether they have accepted any campaign contributions from Horizon Ottawa, a registered third-party advertiser in the municipal election.

Horizon Ottawa is a grassroots group whose stated mission is to “cultivate local solidarity around socially and economically progressive priorities so that Ottawa can become a city where everyone can thrive.” Sutcliffe noted that the group has endorsed McKenney for mayor.

“Horizon Ottawa says that it has 700 members. In fact, Horizon Ottawa’s spokesperson and Director (Sam Hersh) worked for Catherine McKenney in 2020. Are Ottawa residents to believe that not one of these trained individuals have worked, or are currently working for the Catherine McKenney Campaign?” Sutcliffe asked in a news release. “Did Catherine McKenney know that Horizon Ottawa was training volunteers to support their campaign? Have they had recent contact with Horizon Ottawa, of any kind?”

In a response to CTV News Ottawa, McKenney said they have not accepted contributions from any third-party advertisers.

“My campaign has not received any direct nor ‘in kind’ donations from Horizon Ottawa or Campaign Life, the two third-party advertisers registered in the 2022 municipal campaign,” they said.

“We have nearly 1,000 dedicated volunteers that we’ve trained ourselves. I have no requirement for training myself since I have extensive experience and history of deep municipal experience and leadership.”

Horizon Ottawa has been critical of Sutcliffe, recently announcing a call for municipal campaign finance reform after Sutcliffe hosted a $1,200-per-plate fundraiser. The campaign contribution limit is $1,200. Horizon Ottawa pointed out that Sutcliffe wrote an opinion piece in 2016 that was critical of politicians holding high-priced fundraisers. Sutcliffe’s campaign, in turn, called for an investigation into Horizon Ottawa’s fundraising efforts.

Sutcliffe said he would, if elected, propose a slate of measures to deal with misconduct complaints during municipal elections and “vow to reject support from third parties who are trying to bring partisan politics to City Hall.”

McKenney said they would be releasing their donor list on Oct. 10 and encouraged other candidates to do so.

Horizon Ottawa tells CTV News Ottawa in a statement that Sutcliffe's claim is conjecture.

"The insinuation by the Sutcliffe campaign that we have 'contributed to McKenney's campaign' in any way is not based on any fact or evidence and is simply conjecture being used to distract from real issues that matter to Ottawa residents like accountability and transparency at City Hall or campaign finance reform," Horizon Ottawa's board of directors said.

"When it comes to our over 700 members, they are free to do as they wish and support any of the candidates we have endorsed. In fact, we encourage our members to do so and encourage residents across the city to join them too."

Horizon Ottawa says voter turnout in municipal elections is typically low and the group hopes it can inspire more people to head to the polls this fall. 

"It is unfortunate that the Sutcliffe campaign has spent the past week putting time and energy into trying to discredit a volunteer-driven organization, time that could instead have been spent connecting with community members and communicating his vision for the city," Horizon Ottawa said. "Horizon Ottawa was created by a group of concerned citizens who believe a city that works for everyone is possible, and we're focusing our energy on working towards that goal."