Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is defending a visit to the UK that may see Ottawa Tourism pay his airfare for a mission to advertise town overseas whereas additionally permitting him to compete within the London Marathon.
Sutcliffe posted on social media on Tuesday that he’ll be a part of a mission to the British capital that may also embrace Make investments Ottawa.
“And whereas I am there I am trying ahead to taking part within the London Marathon,” wrote the mayor, who’s an avid runner and has participated in marathons in a number of different cities together with Boston and Berlin.
I do not see any battle right here or any want to talk to the integrity commissioner about it.– Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe
The announcement prompted questions on-line about whether or not taxpayers are serving to to finance a visit that permits Sutcliffe to pursue a private pastime.
Sutcliffe responded to these considerations throughout a media availability Wednesday. He stated Ottawa Tourism invited him to affix a sports activities tourism convention final summer time, and he subsequently observed that it occurred across the similar time because the London Marathon.
He advised reporters that he then reached out to see if he may get a spot within the race.
“I secured an entry into the London Marathon, which I am paying for myself, and any private bills or any further time that I would spend within the U.Ok. because of this journey, I’m paying the bills for myself,” he stated.
“Ottawa Tourism is overlaying my journey there and again and my lodging once I’m representing them on an important mission for Ottawa Tourism.”
Ottawa Tourism’s director of public affairs, Jérôme Miousse, confirmed in an e-mail that the group invited the mayor to take part within the journey in Might 2023.
He famous that the UK is Ottawa’s high abroad market and confirmed that Ottawa Tourism will cowl Sutcliffe’s journey and lodging bills to permit him to “have interaction straight with key stakeholders.”
No value to taxpayers, mayor says
Sutcliffe stated the journey will occur for gratis to taxpayers. Whereas Ottawa Tourism beforehand obtained metropolis funding to assist its Main Occasions Workplace, that funding is now not offered as of this yr.
The massive majority of the group’s funding comes from the Municipal Lodging Tax, which is collected from a levy on resort company, not Ottawa taxpayers.
Sutcliffe additionally rejected any notion that having the group pay bills for the journey, if not for the marathon itself, permits him to safe a profit that might place him in a battle of curiosity.
“I run each single day, so on this journey to London, I am gonna run every single day,” stated Sutcliffe. “There occurs to be a marathon happening whereas I am there, so as an alternative of working from my resort and working across the streets of London myself, I entered the London Marathon.
“I might be working both manner,” he added.
Sutcliffe famous the lengthy historical past of missions to advertise Ottawa’s pursuits overseas, together with to China and the Netherlands.
“There’s an enormous alternative right here to advertise Ottawa as a vacationer vacation spot, as a vacation spot for enterprise,” he stated.
The mayor stated that he has not sought an opinion from town’s integrity fee on the matter.
“I do not see any battle right here or any want to talk to the integrity commissioner about it,” he stated.
