We Asked The Mayor Of Ottawa Why He Keeps Posting Such Grim Photos

Lumpy, dirty piles of snow, shading to slush and then water, surround an unused rink. In the background, a featureless wall of grey, and a swollen cloud that threatens if not rain then no immediate prospect of sunshine. Deciduous trees bare their branches. In the distance, a single, unlovely apartment building dominates a skyline of single-family homes. In the foreground, atop a grey-brown ice sheet pooling with meltwater, is a single, squat conifer, hacked off at its base and lying on its side. Nothing lives here. Good morning Ottawa. Bonjour Ottawa.

This would be an unremarkable photo if not for the fact that it was taken and posted by Mark Sutcliffe, the mayor of Ottawa, who presumably has an interest in portraying his city in a positive light. Instead, certain words spring to mind. "Drab," of course. "Barren," which pairs nicely with "wasteland." "Ugly," if you're feeling harsh and accurate. "I wouldn't want to live there," maybe, but that's an entire sentence.

Ottawa has an image problem. Canada's capital and fourth-largest city is generally viewed as a sleepy, characterless government town. There is some truth to that. There is a lot of truth to that. It is still an incomplete picture. Ottawa has a wealth of museums, and vibrant if modest food and arts scenes. The Rideau Canal, repurposed to serve as the world's largest skating rink, is a true marvel. The point is, if you were looking to show off Ottawa, there are options to choose from. Better options than this:

Mayor Mark isn't going to put the postcard companies out of business any time soon.

That goose is the first living thing to appear in this series in a long time. Even the downtown shots have a sort of post-apocalyptic Pontypool vibe.

He's been doing this for years. The regularity becomes almost a comfort. You put on coffee, shake off the cobwebs, try to clear your mind for the day ahead. You log on to see what's going on in the world. And there, invariably, is the mayor of Ottawa posting a photo of the nastiest, wettest, greyest landscape you've seen in your life. Good morning Ottawa. Bonjour Ottawa.

What is going on here? Is this a bit? We had to go to the source. Sutcliffe, mayor since 2022 and up for reelection this fall, replied by email about 75 minutes after Defector reached out for comment. He told Defector that he's not going out of his way to find uncommonly scenic vistas to photograph. "I take all of the Good Morning Ottawa photos myself," Sutcliffe wrote, "usually during my morning runs and sometimes when I’m travelling around the city.

"I post photos as a simple way to wish good morning to residents and start the day on a positive note," Sutcliffe continued.

To be fair, they're not all bad. This morning's shot is pretty nice. Possibly a flex from Mayor Mark in our direction after we asked about these. But what about that photo, the one atop this blog? I'm not saying every block of every city should be the 6th Arrondissement, but he had to know when taking it that it would not start anyone's day on an especially positive note. Mayor?

"This particular shot was taken and shared on a mild morning when there was a lot of melting taking place," Sutcliffe wrote. "I thought it was interesting to see the transition from winter to spring at one of our outdoor rinks." 

You know, I might be coming around. Life isn't all blue skies and Beaux-Arts. Sometimes life is grey skies and featureless semi-suburbia. Sometimes life includes waking up with the dawn and dragging yourself out for a run, even when you don't want to. Sometimes it requires trudging through slush or giving right of way to ornery waterfowl. Sometimes it means serving as the mayor of Ottawa. And there is a sort of sere beauty to be found here, in late March's tangible lightening of the skies as the Earth leans its head back toward the Sun, in the susurration of freshets and runnels as the snow melts and the ground wakes up again. The passing of the seasons beats out a subtle and timeless rhythm, one worth listening to. One worth sharing, even with the mayor's charmingly unpracticed composition skills.

Sutcliffe's photos aren't the work of a tourism board, and aren't meant to be. "They are each meant to be a quick snapshot that captures a moment in time in our city," he wrote. Good morning Ottawa. Bonjour Ottawa.