New office to `link' city, province, premier says

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe rolled out a welcome mat — literally — for Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday morning, as the two announced the province's new office in the nation's capital.

Ford said the office will be used to execute the $543-million “new deal” for Ottawa announced earlier in April. That announcement included the province taking responsibility for Highway 174, funding housing and homelessness initiatives, and cash for more police officers in the Byward Market, among other big-ticket items.

Ottawa has “unique needs” as Ontario's second-largest city, the nation's capital and the economic hub of eastern Ontario, the premier said, and the new office would “improve service delivery for people and businesses in the city and throughout the region.”

The office, Ford said, will be a “central link” between the City of Ottawa and the premier's cabinet, and will “support greater engagement with both municipal and federal governments as we implement the new deal, continue to build the region's economy, and advance shared priorities.”

The downtown office will be headed by Sean Webster, a failed Ontario PC candidate for Kanata-carleton who lost the byelection to Liberal Karen Mccrimmon last year.

Ford said Webster was named to the position due to his combination of public and private sector experience. A news release said Webster recently held senior positions at both Canopy Growth Corporation and Shoppers Drug Mart.

“He's well-known in Ottawa, and he's going to be a touch-point person,” Ford told reporters.

Former city councillor and current Orléans MPP Stephan Blais quipped on social media that “the gravy train” had passed through Ottawa.

The office opened Monday, and will cost $1.7 million per year to operate, Ford's office said Monday afternoon.

Sutcliffe said the new office demonstrates Ford's commitment to Ottawa.

“We've never had anything like this before, where there's been an office of this kind in the nation's capital,” he said. “It recognizes that Ottawa is the second-largest city, and the second-most significant economy in Ontario.”

Ford noted other provinces have set up shop in the nation's capital. Recently, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith opened a new office to increase the province's visibility on federal issues.

Ford, though, said the office will be used to advocate on both federal and municipal matters.