Mark Sutcliffe’s economic-development position is reflected in City strategies and action plans advanced during his term. His approach combines infrastructure and housing growth with downtown revitalization, tourism, small-business measures, rural development, sector diversification and new efforts to reduce interprovincial trade barriers with Gatineau.

The 2026 Downtown Revitalization Framework identifies a stronger downtown economy as essential to investment, talent attraction and entrepreneurship. It proposes rebalancing downtown land uses, diversifying the economy, improving safety and well-being and upgrading public places and destinations. Sutcliffe’s separate ByWard Market Action Plan includes redevelopment of 55 ByWard Market Square, a proposed food hall, redevelopment of 70 Clarence Street, redesign of William Street and Market Square, a York Street event space, improved gateways, cleaning, security and outreach.

The City’s 2026 economic-development update highlights diversification in technology, defence, tourism, construction and manufacturing. It also identifies workforce development, small-business growth, BIA expansion, rural development, culture and the nighttime economy as priorities. In addition, Sutcliffe has signed an agreement with Gatineau’s mayor intended to reduce interprovincial trade barriers between the two cities, positioning closer cross-river economic integration as a tool to support businesses and manage cost pressures in a challenging trade environment.

Council’s 2026 tax policy included a 15 percent reduction for eligible small-business commercial and industrial properties, described by the City as providing $12.6 million in municipal tax savings. Council also approved a rural economic-development plan with a business liaison, tourism promotion and support for employment areas and diversified farm uses.

Sutcliffe’s Housing Action Plan links economic growth to faster approvals, fewer procedural bottlenecks, more flexible fees and charges and transit-oriented development. The key accountability questions are whether these measures, including reduced trade barriers with Gatineau, produce net new jobs and investment, how incentives are evaluated, whether growth reaches rural and lower-income communities and how downtown and intermunicipal outcomes will be independently measured.

Jeff Leiper has not published a standalone economic-development and jobs platform. His economic direction must therefore be assessed through the core services and city-building commitments in his ‘A City That Works’ platform.

Leiper argues that dependable transit affects access to employment and education and shapes whether Ottawa functions efficiently. His Transit Service Guarantee, public performance reporting and rider representation are intended to make the transit system more reliable and accountable—conditions that also matter to employers and workers.

His housing platform proposes 1,500 non-profit homes annually, use of City land, faster non-profit approvals and preservation of affordable rental housing. These measures are presented primarily as housing policy but also address workforce affordability and Ottawa’s ability to retain residents and talent.

His people-focused platform emphasizes maintained public facilities, longer access to community spaces, neighbourhood improvements and review of City fees. His open-government commitments may improve predictability and trust in municipal decisions.

However, Leiper has not yet published quantified targets for employment, investment attraction, commercial vacancy, tourism, downtown office conversion, small-business growth, sector development, rural business or municipal economic-development partnerships. His position is therefore supportive with medium confidence rather than a complete economic strategy.

Lawson’s Jobs and Growth plan argues Ottawa is overly dependent on federal employment and proposes a two-part strategy: help residents get back into work while expanding the city’s private-sector employment base. Measures include an Ottawa labour-market team and quarterly youth unemployment reporting, a Career Pathways Ottawa service connecting displaced workers with jobs and retraining, workforce-development requirements in City contracting, expanded trades and apprenticeship partnerships, youth hiring commitments, targeted employer attraction, a public inventory of serviced employment land, and regular reporting on employment and economic-development outcomes.

Saravanamuttoo brings an economist’s perspective to municipal finances and infrastructure. He argues that better procurement, transparent investment decisions, reliable transit and lower long-term infrastructure costs would strengthen Ottawa’s economic foundations.

He also proposes organizing municipalities to seek a new fiscal arrangement with senior governments. The campaign has not yet published a comprehensive plan addressing small business, downtown employment, technology, tourism, workforce development, permitting or investment attraction.