Mark Sutcliffe is promising Ottawa parents that he will make it easier to sign up for swimming lessons if he’s re-elected as mayor in the upcoming municipal election. Sutcliffe announced a pledge to “address the swim lesson shortage in Ottawa” through a combination of restrictions on who can sign up, and expanding where lessons can be held. “I hear it all the time from families with young kids: finding a spot in swimming lessons is a real challenge,” said Sutcliffe in a news release. “It shouldn’t be this difficult for parents to get their children into swimming lessons. We need to make it easier for families to find a spot and give more children the opportunity to learn an essential life skill.” Registration for swimming lessons this fall began on Aug. 11. Sign-ups for winter activities are scheduled for 9 p.m. Nov. 17. Sutcliffe says, if re-elected, people who do not live in the city will be barred from signing their children up for lessons for up to 48 hours after registrations open, which he says would open up 5,000 spots to Ottawa children over the next 10 years. In a statement, Dan Chenier, general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services for the City of Ottawa, says the city recorded a total of 85,787 swimming lessons to date in 2026. “Of those, 1,283 registrations are from non-residents, representing 1.5 per cent of total registrations,” Chenier said. Sutcliffe also says he would also work with private pools to schedule lessons during off-hours and expand opportunities for outdoor lessons for adults and teens. Finally, he promises to review the entire swimming lesson registration process, including practices used by other municipalities, to identify ways to improve the experience for families. Parents have described the process of signing kids up for swimming lessons in Ottawa as “the Hunger Games.” The City of Ottawa launched a new registration portal in late 2022, but the platform still experienced technical issues ahead of fall signups in 2023. Sutcliffe says these changes could be made without adding significant cost to taxpayers. “Over the past four years, we’ve made progress in improving services and making Ottawa a better place to live,” said Sutcliffe. “I want to keep building on that progress, so more families can access the programs they count on, and more children have the opportunity to learn an essential life skill. These are practical changes that can make a real difference for families.” Sutcliffe is one of 14 candidates vying for the mayor’s seat. The others, in alphabetical order are: Queen Divine Priya Amber Bakshi, Zed Chebib, Bernard Couchman, Suraj Harish, Alex Lawson, Jeff Leiper, Geoff Nicholas, Josh Rachlis, Neil Saravanamuttoo, Ali Shayvard, Jacob Solomon, Amjad Ali Syed, and Peter Westaway. Election Day is Oct. 26. Special advance voting days will be held on Thursday through Sunday.
