In 1953 she married Phil Cutler, a Canadian labour lawyer and Quebec Superior Court judge, who died in 1987.
[2] Cutler founded Tundra Books in 1967, using first-prize money won by her biographical novella The Last Noble Savage in the Canadian Centennial Commission Publications Assistance Competition.
[2] Beside books for children, Cutler also published some by architect Moshe Safdie and some by novelist Roch Carrier, including The Hockey Sweater.
[4] Cutler successfully guided Tundra Books through financial difficulties, as well as the death of her husband in 1987, which coincided with her political campaign for mayor of Westmount.
The city council of Westmount had refused her request for a zoning change which would have allowed Tundra Books' headquarters to move to the street-level floor of Sherbrooke Street which she had purchased even though the space permitted "professional" use.
"[2] Montreal city councilman Marvin Rotrand noted that Cutler's election "marked a sea change from the clannish, traditional way that Westmount had always been run.
[2] The six-week trip by boat from Miami and down the west coast of South America took its toll on her health and she returned to Montreal with a heart condition.
[2] Her oldest grandson, Philip A. Cutler, was elected to the Westmount city council in November 2013; "just turned 25", he became "likely the youngest-ever councillor".