Sutcliffe vows to cut recreational fees for kids if elected mayor

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

Ottawa mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe is vowing to cut recreational fees for children and youth if elected mayor.

In a news release Sunday, Sutcliffe said he would cut fees by 10 per cent.

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“The cost of living is the top concern I hear when I meet with residents across our city,” said Sutcliffe. “While the City of Ottawa can’t solve the affordability crisis alone, we can find ways to provide relief. After two and a half years where the pandemic took a toll on children’s physical and mental health, we have to make these programs more accessible and more affordable.”

He says this fee cut would apply to programs offered by the city of Ottawa for preschoolers, children and youth.

In addition, he said he would also expand program offerings, including adding more French options.

“Our city is growing rapidly, and the city services we rely on, including these programs, must also grow,” he said. “I will also make sure we expand programming so that it meets the needs of residents, including those seeking French-language activities, which are often oversubscribed.”

Speaking to CTV News Ottawa by phone Sunday, Sutcliffe said the city can find savings in the budget to cover the cost of the fee cut and to offer more services. 

“This isn't going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and we can find efficiencies,” he said, adding he would not be making cuts to major services to fund this promise.

Sutcliffe said his financial plan would be released soon.

According to the City of Ottawa, annual revenue from recreation program registration fees, admission and membership fees, and rentals (including halls, gyms, sports fields, parks, pools and arenas), has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but showed signs of coming back in 2022.

In 2019, fees and rentals brought in $59.2 million in revenue. That dropped to $18.2 million in 2020 and $5.5 million in 2021. The city is reporting $19.4 million in revenue from fees and rentals in the first six months of 2022.

"Note that this is not the total revenue, as it excludes sources that are not generated by user fees, including sponsorships, grants, long-term rentals, pouring rights, and vending. Revenue was also impacted by COVID-19-related facility closures and participation restrictions in 2020, 2021, and 2022,” said manager of recreation, cultural and facility services, Dan Chenier in a statement on Monday.

PROMISE TO FIX SIGN-UP "HUNGER GAMES"

Sutcliffe is also promising to fix a common frustration for parents: the online registration for city activities.

Every year, parents log on to the city’s website to register their children for activities and every year, many express frustration at the system that crashes or requires them to stay up late to sign up.

“Signing your kids up for swimming lessons shouldn’t feel like the Hunger Games,” said Sutcliffe in a news release Sunday. “I’ve heard from too many parents who tell me that when it comes time to sign their kids up for activities, Ottawa’s online booking system crashes constantly, resulting in parents staying up until all hours of the morning, just to book swimming lessons or day camps for the summer. That’s not acceptable and we will fix it.”

It's an issue the city says it has been working on.

Earlier this year, Ottawa’s manager of recreation, cultural and facility services, Dan Chenier, told CTV News that staff were working on a new system for registrations, saying in March that the new system would be launching in late 2022. The city says the winter 2023 registration system will have some improvements.

"The new system will allow you to browse and filter program offerings, create a wishlist in advance, and improve wait times on registration nights," the city says in documents on its website about autumn programs.

Sutcliffe said he is interested to see what changes the city makes.

“I’d like to see what comes out of this,” he told CTV News Ottawa. “It might be fine for the moment, but I want to make sure we have a system that the people of Ottawa deserve. The system we have now is worse than buying concert tickets.”

Part of his solution, he said, would be to widen the time families are able to book classes or activities.

“Whether it’s booking skating, swimming or fitness activities, the City of Ottawa’s booking restrictions simply don’t make sense. As Mayor, I’ll end the 24-hour rule and allow parents to book their family activities at any time,” he said.

Typically, registration for swimming lessons opens online starting at 9 p.m. on registration days, and other activities become available 24 hours later.

Election Day is Oct. 24. Special advance voting is available at select locations until Sept. 27 and there are two more days of advance polls in October.

Sutcliffe, an entrepreneur and former broadcaster in Ottawa, is one of 14 people vying for the mayor’s seat in the upcoming municipal election.