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Ralph William Sutherland (born October 19, 1925 – June 28, 2023) was a Canadian physician, administrator, professor, politician, forester and author. He served on
Ottawa City Council The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...
as an alderman from 1970 to 1972 and as a controller from 1977 to 1980. While serving on council, he was sometimes considered the council's conscience, and one of its most intelligent, principled members. A member of the left-wing
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
, he believed in getting the public involved in municipal affairs. Despite his party affiliation, he had a fiscally conservative streak, garnering a reputation as a 'slasher' during budget meetings.


Early career

Sutherland was born in Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, the son of H. T. Wesley Sutherland and Eleanor Sharp, and grew up in Dawson Creek. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943 to 1945, allowing him to enrol at the University of Alberta. He graduated with a degree in medicine from there in 1952. After graduating, he interned in Edmonton for two years and Camrose, Alberta for one. He then practised medicine in Eastend, Saskatchewan for four years. He then obtained a diploma in hospital administration from the University of Toronto and joined the Saskatchewan health department in 1961. In 1963, Sutherland became the director of the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Commission. While serving as director, he oversaw the roll out of medicare in the province as well as the Saskatchewan doctors' strike. He resigned his position in 1964. He moved to
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
in 1965 to help the federal government implement medicare on a national level, but only stayed in that position until 1966 when he became the associate professor of hospital administration at the University of Ottawa.


Political career

Sutherland first entered the political foray when he was nominated to be
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
candidate in the riding of Ottawa West for the
1968 Canadian federal election The 1968 Canadian federal election was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 28th Parliament of Canada. In April 1968, Prime Minister Lester Pearson of the Liberal Party resigned as party leader as a ...
. Upon being nominated, he criticized the Liberal government's "failure to provide its civil servants with goals or philosophical objectives" and was "distressed over the prospect of the ... election being turned into a French-English battleground". In the election, Sutherland won 11% of the voting, finishing third behind Liberal Lloyd Francis and Progressive Conservative Dick Bell. The following year, Sutherland entered municipal politics, running for a seat on
Ottawa City Council The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...
in
Carleton Ward College Ward or Ward 8 (French: ''Quartier Collège'') is a city ward (politics), ward in Ottawa, Canada's west end. The ward covers the neighbourhoods of Bells Corners, Ontario, Bells Corners, Qualicum (Nepean), Qualicum, Graham Park, Leslie Park ...
. In the election, he supported a gradual establishment of single-tier government, and a quick establishment of rapid transit. In the 1969 Ottawa municipal election, he won a seat on council, after finishing second in the two-seat ward. He was one of three municipal candidates endorsed by the Ottawa West NDP, along with Evelyn Gigantes who ran in Queensboro Ward and Joan Gawn who ran for a seat as a trustee for the Ottawa Board of Education. During his term as alderman, he "revolutionized city council" by setting up a municipal action group in his ward, which called for the increase in public participation in municipal affairs. In February 1971, Sutherland was unopposed in his nomination to be the Ontario New Democratic Party's candidate in Ottawa West in the
1971 Ontario general election The 1971 Ontario general election was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Members of Provincial Parliament, or "MPPs") of the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Progressive Conservative P ...
. In the election, Sutherland finished second behind the Progressive Conservative's Don Morrow, winning over 11,000 votes to Morrow's over 18,000. Sutherland did not run for re-election in the
1972 Ottawa municipal election The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on December 4, 1972. Controller Pierre Benoit is easily elected without significant opposition. Ottawa's city council is divided in two, as this marks the first election where only one alderman i ...
, electing to be the campaign manager for future-mayor Marion Dewar, who was running to be the alderman for
Britannia Ward Bay Ward or Ward 7 (French: ''Quartier Baie'') is a municipal ward in Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada represented on Ottawa City Council. It covers much of the western portion of the old city of Ottawa as well as some portions of what was once Nep ...
. Following his retirement, Sutherland headed the City hall citizen's information committee, which pushed for the establishment of a 24-hour information service. Sutherland re-entered politics by throwing his hat in the ring for a seat on Ottawa's Board of Control in the 1976 Ottawa municipal election. He ran on a platform of making Ottawa "a place to live at a price you can afford", access to reasonable recreation space, improving services and facilities for senior citizens and the handicapped. In the election, Sutherland won the fourth and final seat on the Board. Following the election, which also gave him a seat on the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Municipality Council, he served on the region's planning and social services committees. Sutherland ran for re-election to the Board of Control in the
1978 Ottawa municipal election The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on November 13, 1978. Controller Marion Dewar becomes the second woman and first New Democratic Party (and to date, only) affiliated person to become mayor of Ottawa. She defeated former alderman ...
. He ran on a platform of that re-affirmed "the importance of 'quality of life' in a city 'designed for people'", and advocated a "'responsible administration' of tax dollars... but not if holding the line works to the detriment of social services". He wanted to help "senior citizens and others in need, and... continue to support public housing". He was also the only controller who supported abolishing the board. In the 1978 election, Sutherland was re-elected to the fourth seat on the Board of Control. In 1979, Sutherland's motion to abolish the Board of Control passed city council by an 11–4 vote, and would therefore be abolished in time for the
1980 Ottawa municipal election The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on November 10, 1980. Mayor Marion Dewar defeated former alderman Pat Nicol in a re-match of the 1978 race. This is the first election in 70 years without the Ottawa Board of Control, as it had ...
. During his second term on regional council, he served on the region's board of health and Civic Hospital board. With the Board of Control abolished, Sutherland announced he wouldn't run for election as an alderman in his ward, unless "he doesn't think any of the adermanic candidates in his neighbourhood are adequate". He ultimately did not run for a seat on council.


Post political career

Following his retirement, Sutherland returned to teaching full-time at the University of Ottawa, teaching courses in hospital administration. In 1988, he co-authored a book with M. Jane Fulton, entitled ''Health Care in Canada: A Description and Analysis of Canadian Health Services''. Aronson, J. (1990). Ralph W. Sutherland and M. Jane Fulton. Health Care in Canada: A Description and Analysis of Canadian Health Services. Ottawa: The Health Group, 1988. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement, 9(1), 75-77. doi:10.1017/S0714980800016159 In 1974, he bought 460 acres of property outside Plevna, Ontario. He died in Perth, Ontario in 2023.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Ralph 1925 births 2023 deaths Ottawa-Carleton regional councillors Ottawa city councillors Ottawa controllers People from the Peace River Regional District People from Dawson Creek Politicians from Edmonton Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan People from Frontenac County Physicians from Alberta Physicians from British Columbia Physicians from Saskatchewan Physicians from Ontario Academic staff of the University of Ottawa University of Alberta alumni University of Toronto alumni Writers from Ottawa Candidates in the 1968 Canadian federal election New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Ontario New Democratic Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections Royal Canadian Air Force personnel