Team Shawarma Off To Fish ‘n’ Chip Land

Thank you, Councillor Devine, for seeing this junket for what it is and keeping your eye focused on the needs of local festivals that have had their funding cut by the City.

On one hand, I suppose that one can always hope that a visit to London, the cradle of our Westminster style of government, and a close-up view of democracy might benefit the mayor and his coterie. However, on the other hand, I am also cognizant that the City of London chose Boris Johnson as their mayor, not once but twice. Can we rely on them to tell the mayor anything useful?

The ‘Conditions of Entry’ for the Marathon provide some interesting information.

#4.3 (d) says “Your participation in the Event is for recreational and/or charity fundraising purposes only and you will not participate in the Event for any commercial or business purpose.” Is Tourism Ottawa, the City of Ottawa or the mayor himself planning to make use of his participation for any such purpose? He certainly seems to be intertwining his Marathon participation with the ‘trade mission”.

#8.5 says “You shall not take, record and/or transmit any sound, image and/or description of the Event other than for Your exclusive, private and domestic use (which, for the avoidance of doubt and by way of example only, shall not include recording and/or transmitting any sound, image and/or description of the Event for any commercial purposes).” Is anyone involved in this so-called ‘trade mission’ planning to make use of the mayor’s participation for commercial gain? Is the intention to use the mayor’s Marathon run to promote Ottawa Race Weekend or any part of it? Do we really need to have more people involved in that set of events?

In order to participate in the 2014 Marathon, you had to enter a random draw in the spring of 2023 and, if your name was drawn, pay your entry fee before August 1st. This would indicate that the mayor had committed to run the Marathon almost a year ago. That fee, for an international entrant, was 146 GB pounds which is approximately $250 at today’s exchange rate, Who is paying for that? The mayor or Tourism Ottawa?

Is the mayor entering the Marathon as Mark Sutcliffe, private citizen, or as His Worship Mayor Mark Sutcliffe? Has this been passed by the Ethics Commissioner for an opinion?

When are we going to get a full itinerary of the activities that will be undertaken and a list of the people that members of this so-called ‘trade mission’ will be meeting with as well as a full costing of the expedition?

Finally, as Mark Sutcliffe and Tourism Ottawa are no doubt aware, a large part of London’s tourist revenue is predicated on the presence of the Royal Family and those locales connected with them. Are the people organizing this junket cognizant of the fact that we don’t have a commodity such as that to exploit for tourism purposes?

Wait!! Maybe I’ve stumbled on their actual plan!! We’ve all been wondering what Jim Watson will do to pass the time now that he is no longer mayor. Maybe, just maybe, the real plan is to turn him into a tourist attraction along the lines of the Royal Family’s role in London. It’s all coming clear now!! They must be stopped!