Bishop William Cliff elected 13th Bishop of Ontario

The Rt. Rev. William Cliff, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brandon, has been elected to succeed The Rt. Rev Michael Oulton as Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ontario. His tenure as the thirteenth Bishop of Ontario will commence upon the Service of Installation planned for a future date. Bishop Oulton has served as Diocesan Bishop since 2011. He announced his resignation in January of this year to take effect upon the installation of his successor.

Bishop-elect Cliff was elected on the 1st ballot during an Electoral Synod held on Saturday April 29 at St. George’s Cathedral in Kingston. The other nominee in the election was Major the Rev. Canon Bradley Smith, Rector of St. John the Evangelist Church in Peterborough, Ontario. Bishop-elect Cliff received a majority of votes from both the clergy and lay delegates to the synod. Once the election is confirmed by the bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, Bishop Cliff will become Bishop-elect of the diocese.

Bishop-elect Cliff will become the chief pastor of the Diocese of Ontario whose See City is based in Kingston. The diocese is home to 63 congregations, serving Anglicans in Eastern Ontario within an area bordering the north shore of Lake Ontario extending from Quinte West to Cardinal.

Bishop-elect Cliff was ordained to the priesthood in 1992. He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Huron University and Kings College at Western University. Over the past 31 years since being ordained, Bishop-elect Cliff has served in various locations and in a variety of roles. He is currently the 7th bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brandon, Manitoba and Chair of the Pension Committee of the General Synod. He has served in past roles as Canon Precentor of the Diocese of Huron and as a board member of the Royal School of Church Music in Canada. He served in various ministries within the Diocese of Huron, most notably as a member of the Three Cantors singing group, raising over two million dollars for relief and development work through two hundred concerts held across Canada. He also serves the Anglican Church of Canada in both national and international roles in addition to being an active keynote speaker, workshop leader and columnist.

A situation arose following the Electoral Synod. An allegation had been received regarding Bishop William Cliff, our bishop-elect. This allegation had been received by our Metropolitan Anne Germond and she has informed the bishops of the ecclesiastical province of its existence. The proper authorities were informed.

While the allegation is being investigated, Bishop Cliff has been inhibited from performing any of the duties of his office in both the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario and by his Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson in his home Province of Rupertsland. Inhibition does not in any way relate to the veracity of the claim. It is an administrative step in the process of investigation.

Archbishop Anne Germond stated in a letter dated May 2, 2023: “On Monday May 1, 2023, following an allegation against Bishop Cliff, I suspended the concurrence process and notified the Ontario House of Bishops of this decision.

I have directed that the allegation be investigated following the Safe Church procedures laid out in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. This investigation may take some time and we ask for patience and prayers as this difficult work is undertaken.

Bishop Cliff has been inhibited in the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Ontario and Rupert’s Land pending the completion of the investigation.”

Bishop Oulton, in resonse to questions regarding his remaining time in office said: “further to questions I have received regarding the effective date of my resignation and the uncertainty created due to the current situation with our bishop-elect. My letter of resignation stipulated that my resignation would take effect upon the installation of my successor. We had hoped that date would have been June 24, but due to the current situation, this cannot be confirmed. I want to assure members of our diocese that I will remain in office until the installation of my successor, whenever that occurs. There will be no period of vacancy in the Office of Bishop in our diocese.”