Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson suffered a pelvic fracture as a result of a snowmobiling accident Saturday afternoon.
In a letter to city councillors, Watson's Chief of Staff, Serge Arpin, said the mayor was taking part in a community snowmobiling event in Osgoode, a rural south Ottawa village, when he was injured.
Watson was treated at Ottawa's Queensway Carleton Hospital and later released. In a statement released Sunday night, Arpin said that Watson would be "spending some time" at a local facility that offers respite care for people recovering from injuries.
"That said, he remains in constant contact with his office, members of council and city staff as needed," Arpin said. "As such, there is no need to consider the appointment of an acting mayor."
Watson was on an outing with colleagues in a rural area at the time of the incident.
Coun. Mathieu Fleury witnessed the mayor fall off the snowmobile and administered first aid.
"He tumbled off and fell on his hip," Fleury said. "He was in quite some pain after the incident."
Fleury said Watson was trained on safety rules, but that it was his first time on a snowmobile in a "really long time."
"He wasn’t going fast, he was learning how to use it," Fleury said.
Watson's recovery is expected to take four to six weeks.
"It is likely that Mayor Watson will have to curtail his involvement in community events over the coming days and weeks," said Arpin.
With files from CTV Ottawa’s Claudia Cautillo
