Jim Watson

James Alexander Watson (born July 30, 1961) is a Canadian politician who served as the 56th mayor of Ottawa from 2010 to 2022.

Watson was born on July 30, 1961, in Montreal, Quebec as the second child to Frances (née Murdoch) and Beverley "Bev" Watson.

He grew up in Lachute, but his family moved a few times during his childhood for his father's work, taking him to Beaconsfield, Thornhill, and Sarnia.

He graduated from high school from Northern Collegiate in Sarnia.

He first got involved in the political sphere during his second year of studies in 1982, when he served as the President of the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA).

Watson began his career working in journalism for a few local newspapers, and later entered the federal public service, where he rose to the position of Director of Communications for the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Watson later moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the Faculty of Public Affairs.

Previously, he served as an Ottawa city councillor from 1991 to 1997, and as mayor from 1997 to 2000.

Watson first entered public office in 1991 when he was elected to pre-amalgamation Ottawa's City Council as councillor for Capital Ward.

In 1992 Watson championed a roll-back of salaries and operating costs at the city level.

His first direct action against excessive city spending was his unilateral decision to donate his yearly 2% salary increase, totalling $700, to charity.

In addition, as part of the re-election process Watson donated his severance pay of $5200 to four local charities after moving from Regional to City Council in 1994.

During his second term as councillor, Watson reduced his own salary by 13% from $51,000 to $45,000 while voting to reduce the mayor's office budget and salary.

He was subsequently re-elected to Council in 1994.

In 1996, he supported Dalton McGuinty's bid to lead the Ontario Liberal party, though at the time he still considered himself a "Red Tory", dating back from his university days when he was a member of the Progressive Conservatives.

In 1997, Watson sought election as Mayor of Ottawa, winning 83 per cent of the popular vote to become Ottawa's youngest-ever mayor at age 36.

During his term as mayor, Watson's emphasis centred on ensuring that the City adopt sustainable fiscal management policies which would enable overall operating costs to go down while reducing budget deficits and the city's debt burden.

In conjunction, Watson managed to freeze property tax rates for two consecutive years.

He also championed a plan with two other councillors, Peter Hume and John O'Neil, to save the historic Aberdeen Pavilion from being torn down.

Watson resigned as mayor on August 14, 2000 to become president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission.

During his time with the federal crown corporation, Watson secured additional funding for the industry following the 2001 crisis of the 9/11 attacks and the softening of the global tourism industry.

He served as chair of the United Way's 2002 campaign, which raised a record $21 million.

Watson subsequently represented the riding of Ottawa West—Nepean in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2010.

He served in the Cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty in the portfolios of Consumer and Business Services (2003–2005), Health Promotion (2005–2007), and Municipal Affairs and Housing (2007–2010).

In 2003, Watson left public service to pursue a career in media as host of CHRO-TV's The New RO @ Noon.

He was also a regular contributor to the Ottawa radio station CFRA and the Ottawa Citizen.

Watson has served on the board or as honorary chair of several community organizations including the Riverside Hospital, the National Arts Centre, the Central Canada Exhibition Association, the Christmas Exchange of Ottawa and the Forum for Young Canadians.

In the 2003 provincial election, Watson defeated Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario incumbent Garry Guzzo to become the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Ottawa West-Nepean riding and was appointed by Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty as Minister of Consumer and Business Services on October 23, 2003.

In the spring of 2004, the Federal and Provincial governments signed a joint service delivery accord, creating a "one stop shop" in many communities for provincial and federal services.

This accord later included municipalities, in order to provide many government services in one location, for example Ottawa City Hall.

Upon inheriting a massive backlog in birth certificate applications, Watson took action to streamline the delivery process for online applicants.

After a cabinet shuffle, Dalton McGuinty and Gerry Phillips implemented a money-back guarantee to individuals who do not receive a birth certificate within 15 days of the online application, which Watson had initiated.

Watson initiated a study designed to help Ontarians quit smoking.

STOP – Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients – offered free nicotine replacement therapy to 14,000 smokers across the province.

He became Ontario's first Minister of Health Promotion on June 29, 2005.

Watson worked alongside the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to create a "Fraud Free Calendar" in order to help protect consumers, particularly seniors, from high pressure sales tactics, which often lead to impulse purchases.

On May 31, 2006, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into effect, banning all smoking in public areas in the province, including in restaurants, bars, casinos, etc. Watson was recognized for its implementation.

He resigned in January 2010 to run for mayor in the 2010 Ottawa municipal election.

He was re-elected mayor in 2014 and in 2018.

On March 20, 2021, Watson became the longest serving mayor in the city's history, surpassing Stanley Lewis who held office from 1936 to 1948.