For the past three years, the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association has kicked off each year with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe as guest speaker, a tradition that began in an unlikely place: a Costco parking lot in Kanata.

Even if you already know the story, it’s worth repeating. On election day in 2022, Sutcliffe was talking to residents as they came out of the store, until staff politely told him he wasn’t allowed to do so.

One of the customers that day was Soula Burrell, a woman whose big personality and irresistible charm make her hard to miss. She’s also the director of business development and membership at GOHBA.

“She gave me a big hug and made me promise I would come to this event every year,” Sutcliffe told his 225-person audience at the St. Elias Centre this morning during a breakfast sponsored by Merkley Supply. “Since it was election day, it was the perfect time to ask (me). So I said ‘Yes,’ and I’ve been coming every year ever since.”

He was joined this morning by nine of his council colleagues.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, pictured at the podium on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, always shares the story of how he became the returning January guest speaker at the first breakfast of the year hosted by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association executive director Jason Burggraaf, left, joined by some of his board members, including Ray Charron (Morin Supply), board chair Serge Desjardins (Minto Communities), Reuben Helder (Caivan Communities), Linda Oliveri Blanchard (Enercare), Roy Nandram (RND Construction) and David Walton (Team Hardin). Photo by Caroline Phillips

GOHBA executive director Jason Burggraaf called 2025 “one of the most consequential” years for Ottawa housing policy in over a decade.

“Housing policy often moves slowly, but if 2025 proved anything, when the right people are at the table, things move faster, they move smarter and they move in the right direction,” he told a room packed with home builders, renovators, trade contractors, suppliers and manufacturers.

It was at the 2025 GOHBA breakfast that Sutcliffe announced his plans to create a housing task force aimed at making Ottawa “the most housing-friendly city in Canada.” Seven of the 11 members of the task force, co-chaired by business leader Brendan McGuinty and City of Ottawa general manager Debbie Stewart, came from GOHBA-member companies.

Addressing the audience directly today, the mayor said, “I’ve heard from you over and over again about the challenges of building homes in Ottawa — the bureaucracy, the long approval processes, the red tape, the fees and taxes, and the studies that must be completed before a project can move forward. So, we got to work on fixing that.”

He described the resulting housing action plan as “the most ambitious in our city’s history” and “the most significant overhaul of our planning process ever.” It contains 53 different measures to streamline the process, cut costs and change the culture at City Hall, he said.

Sutcliffe provided a brief recap for anyone who missed the grand finale of his 2025 mayor’s breakfast series with Prime Minister Mark Carney. The event saw the City of Ottawa become the first municipality in Canada to sign a deal with the federal government’s new housing agency, Build Canada Homes. Together, the two governments committed to investing $400 million toward the construction of 3,000 affordable homes in Ottawa.

“This is an area where we’ve already made a lot of progress,” said Sutcliffe of the $105 million invested in affordable housing from 2023 to 2026. City council has more than doubled the $45 million allocated during the previous term.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, far left, joined by city council colleagues Catherine Kitts, Theresa Kavanagh, Marty Carr, (top row, from left) Riley Brockington, Tim Tierney, Rawlson King, Sean Devine, David Hill and Glen Gower at Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association inaugural breakfast for 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

During a Q&A, audience member Michelle Taggart, president of Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes, asked the mayor how he planned to make the culture shift percolate down to those staff actually processing the applications.

The mayor acknowledged that changing the mindset at all levels was key. “We can change all the rules, we can streamline the process, we can cut fees or defer fees. In theory, we can do all kinds of things. But if there is not that culture at City Hall of ‘We’re here to help you build more homes’ as opposed to ‘We’re here to enforce the rules’ then you won’t see the impact of that.”

The mayor expressed his confidence in Marcia Wallace, the city’s new general manager of planning, development and building services. “She is the person who’s going to make that culture change happen,” he said.

The mayor said the signals are being sent and the message should be clear. “I’ve spent a lot of time in my career leading and managing people. In my experience, when you talk about things publicly and show your intent as a leader of an organization, and when you go into the community saying, ‘We’re going to change the culture, we’re going to measure the results, this is what we’re going to do’, people fall in step, they understand the priority.

“So, I’m cautiously optimistic that we will see the culture change happen. It’s not going to happen overnight; it’s not going to happen necessarily as quickly as I’d like, but I think we’re going to see it happen because the team at the city knows it is our priority.”

Michelle Taggart and her cousin, Steve Parkes, both of whom attended the GOHBA breakfast on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, recently became co-presidents of Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes, which are part of the family-owned Taggart Group of Companies. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Celebrated business and community leader Robert Merkley, president and CEO of Merkley Supply, later said he was “pleased” with the remarks delivered by the mayor. “The proof is in the pudding, as we know,” he continued. “The City’s culture is slow to change, but Marcia Wallace is very capable. We’re very happy that she’s there, and I think she’s the right captain to steer this ship in the right direction.”

Similarly, Aidan Grove-White, a principal at consulting firm StrategyCorp, said he found the mayor’s remarks to be “heartening.”

“I know it’s an election year, but you can see that he’s had a plan for the last several years and he’s able to point out some accomplishments,” said Grove-White, listing the housing plan as an example. “Of course, I can always quibble around the edges of stuff I’d like to see more of, but it really is exceptionally ambitious. He’s going pretty much to the limit of what you can ask a municipality to do to make housing accessible to more segments of the population.”

Aidan Grove-White, principal at StrategyCorp, and Robert Merkley, president and CEO of event sponsor Merkley Building Supply, at GOHBA’s first breakfast of the year, held at St. Elias Centre on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Probably the strongest hint of campaigning in the mayor’s address came when he admitted he couldn’t promise to be back at the January breakfast in 2027. “That’ll be up to the people of Ottawa,” said Sutcliffe, referring to the 2026 municipal election. “But I can tell you this: I will keep listening to your concerns and frustrations, as I have for the past three years. I will keep working with you to make it easier to build homes in Ottawa.

“I will continue to be a champion for bold decisions and ambitious steps to fix the housing process. I will make sure that Ottawa continues to say yes to housing.”

True to form, the mayor also assured Soula Burrell that if he’s still in office next year, he will keep his new year tradition with GOHBA alive.

From left, Sophia Wojdak, junior strategist at Syntax Strategic, and Syntax Strategic principal Megan Shaw at the first event of the year hosted by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, featuring Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe was the returning guest speaker for his fourth time in a row at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association’s inaugural breakfast of the year. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, former Olympic alpine skier Ryan Semple, director business development at Avenue31, with colleagues Hugo Lalonde, Will Magnan, Matt Blasioli and Ben Pilon at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association’s inaugural 2026 breakfast at St. Elias Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Ottawa business leader and philanthropist Robert Merkley, former recipient of lifetime achievement awards from both the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association and the Ottawa business community, participated in the Q&A with guest speaker Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at GOHBA’s inaugural breakfast for 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Erin O’Connor, senior director of housing and development for Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa, at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association breakfast with Habitat’s CEO, Sara Cooper, and one of their board members, Cody Campanale, director of land development and finance. Campanale is also on the board with GOHBA. Photo by Caroline Phillips

David Gilbert, president of Paterson Group, in conversation with fellow attendees at his table during the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association breakfast held at St. Elias Centre. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Fotenn Planning + Design partners Miguel Tremblay and Brian Casagrande with Stephen Willis, senior principal at Stantec, at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association breakfast, held at St. Elias Centre on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association executive director Jason Burggraaf provided a recap of 2025 to members of GOHBA at the organization’s first event of 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.

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