Mark Sutcliffe is pledging to bring forward a “fair wage policy” to the City of Ottawa if he is re-elected mayor this fall. In a news release on Friday, ahead of the Labour Day long weekend, Sutcliffe said he’s been working with the Building Trades Council to “support the hiring of skilled, local labour and make sure we are strengthening our local trades.” He said the city is developing recommendations for a fair wage policy and a community benefits framework. “If I’m re-elected, I am committed to implementing, in 2027, a fair wage policy that prioritizes skilled, local labour, that apprenticeships are a key part of our city projects, and that everyone is getting well paid on the job. It’s good labour policy, and it’s good economic policy. It will ensure we support good-paying local jobs while making our economy more resilient,” Sutcliffe wrote. Policy under review In March, councillors and the mayor unanimously approved a staff direction to conduct a comprehensive review of procurement practices at the City of Ottawa and assess the feasibility of practices in place in other cities, such as a fair wage or living wage policy and a community benefits agreement. Staff are expected to report back to council in the new year, after the new term of council begins. Currently, under the city’s supplier code of conduct and ethical purchasing policy, workers involved in manufacturing products supplied to the City of Ottawa “will be paid wages and benefits for a standard working week, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher.” Leiper, past candidates pledged same Mayoral candidate Coun. Jeff Leiper has also pledged to enact a fair wage policy if he is elected. “A Fair Wage Policy, which the City of Toronto has had since 1893, helps foster a level playing field for legitimate contractors, both union and non-union. It encourages competition based on productivity, efficiency, and quality. It helps protect good-paying jobs for local people and prevents a race to the bottom,” Leiper’s campaign said in late July. Leiper said his policy would apply to all industrial, commercial and institutional construction projects, as well as road work, sewer and watermain construction, heavy engineering, utilities, and residential housing projects, including affordable housing built by Ottawa Community Housing. Fair wage policies were pitched by candidates in the last mayoral election, which Sutcliffe won. Sutcliffe said on Friday he would establish a task force with labour and industry leaders to design and implement a fair wage policy that “protects workers’ rights and delivers community benefits as part of city-led projects.” “I will work with the Building Trades Council on a Workforce Development Plan to provide apprenticeship opportunities for Ottawa residents, especially communities that are underrepresented in the skilled trades,” he wrote. Braydon Potter, president of the Unionized Building and Construction Trades Council of Eastern Ontario & Outaouais Region, applauded Sutcliffe’s announcement on Friday. “Sutcliffe’s election commitment to prioritize skilled, local labour, ensuring apprentices are a key part of City projects, and that everyone is fairly paid on the job, will help make our economy more resilient in the face of turbulent trade negotiations that create economic uncertainty,” he said in a news release. Sutcliffe also pledged to name a city landmark after long-time building trades union leader Richard Hayter, who died in June at the age of 79.
