Rawlson King

City Councillor, Rideau-Rockcliffe (Ward 13), Ottawa

First Black Canadian to serve on Ottawa City Council

Rawlson King serves as the City Councillor for Ward 13, Rideau-Rockcliffe in Ottawa. As Ottawa's first-ever Black City Councillor, he was first elected in an April 2019 by-election and re-elected in October 2022.

Current Roles & Responsibilities

For the 2022–2026 council term, King holds several key leadership positions:

Chair of the Built Heritage Committee: He oversees matters related to the preservation and designation of historic properties.

Council Liaison for Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Relations Initiatives: In this role, he leads the implementation of the City's Anti-Racism Strategy and was instrumental in creating the Anti-Racism Secretariat.

Committee Memberships: He serves on the Community Services, Environment and Climate Change, and Finance and Corporate Services committees.

Boards: He is a member of the Board of Health (Ottawa Public Health), the Ottawa Public Library Board, and the Ottawa Climate Action Fund.

Past Role: He served as Deputy Mayor of Ottawa from June to December 2024.

Advocacy and Priorities

King's political work focuses on building safe, affordable, and healthy communities. Key priorities include:

Social Equity

Championing poverty reduction, food security policies, and established Ottawa's first anti-racism office and strategy.

Public Safety

Advocating for crime prevention initiatives and improved police interactions with racialized and faith-based communities.

Climate and Urban Planning

Promoting a greener city and transparent urban planning processes.

Key Achievements & Initiatives

Social Advocacy

Successfully secured a city-wide poverty reduction strategy, food security policy, and established Ottawa's first anti-racism office.

Infrastructure Investment

Facilitated nearly $397 million in infrastructure investments and $120 million for affordable housing within his ward over the past seven years.

Reconciliation

Led the community initiative to rename Langevin Avenue to Commanda Way in honour of Algonquin leader William Commanda.

Mental Health Initiatives

Successfully advocated to extend the ANCHOR mental health crisis response program to Overbrook and working to improve the City's response to homelessness.

Background & Education

Education: He holds a Bachelor of Journalism (with a concentration in Law) and an M.A. in Communication from Carleton University. He is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Professional Career: Before entering politics, he spent over 20 years as an entrepreneur and communications professional in high-technology market research.

Volunteer: Before his election, he served as the first co-chair of the Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council (2018), President of the Overbrook Community Association (2014–2019), a board member at the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (2011–2019), and President of Gallery 101, a prominent artist-run centre in Ottawa (2011–2017). After his election, he was also a founding board member of the Rideau Winter Trail of Ottawa (2020–2023).

Recognition: He has received the United Way Ottawa Community Builder Award (2018), a Special Recognition Award from Black History Ottawa (2021), and the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025) for his public service.

Philanthropy: He and his wife personally established the Rawlson King and Linda Grussani Scholarship for Indigenous, Black and Racialized Students at Carleton University in 2022.