Mayor Larry O'Brien receives 900 Green Budget Petitions from Graham Saul.
Ecology Ottawa Calls on Council to Save Money by Saving Energy Ecology Ottawa Calls on Council to Save Money by Saving Energy
February 20, 2007
Today Ecology Ottawa will present City Council with its Green Budget Petition signed by more than 900 people from across the City of Ottawa, including residents from every Ward in the City.
“Support for this petition reflects the fact that the people of Ottawa, much like Canadians across the country, are deeply concerned about the state of the environment and that they want action from City Hall,” said Coordinator Graham Saul.
Mr. Saul will present the petition, along with a critique of the 2007 draft Budget, to City Council at 6:00 pm today during the Committee of the Whole Budget Review Meetings at City Hall. Ecology Ottawa’s Green Budget Petition calls on City Council to invest in the health and prosperity of our city and to make the environment a priority during next week's budget debate.
“As it pertains to air quality, energy efficiency and climate change, this draft Budget both fails to make the environment a priority and fails to take advantage of huge potential energy savings,” said Saul. “City Council is missing an opportunity to save Ottawa tens of millions of dollars in the coming years by making strategic investments in energy efficiency.”
But it’s not too late. “This is a draft budget. If City Council wants to leave a lasting legacy of savings, rather than just this year, they can reconsider now and invest in energy efficiency to provide real savings for the people of Ottawa for decades to come,” said Liz Bernstein of Ecology Ottawa.
In 2004, City Council approved Ottawa's Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan that proposes targets for energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions, but Council has refused to fund the Plan. This year funding has once again been left out of the Budget despite the fact that City Council passed a motion a few weeks ago specifically highlighting the importance of the Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan.
One example from the City of Ottawa's 2006 Draft Budget includes the creation of a revolving fund to finance building energy conservation. Canadian municipalities, large and small, have achieved impressive energy cost savings and greenhouse gas reductions by establishing revolving funds for energy efficiency improvements in buildings and facilities. Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership (BPP) fund has saved the city $19 million in operating costs since its inception in 1996. The creation of such a fund in Ottawa would help us reach our greenhouse gas reduction targets and save money. We urge Council to make sound investments like these to help enable Ottawa to become the Green Capital of Canada.
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For more information contact: Graham Saul, tel 613 558 3368 or
Liz Bernstein tel 613 262 1969
or visit http://www.ecologyottawa.ca
Ecology Ottawa's remarks to City Council can be found below.
To view the Budget Analysis of the City of Ottawa's Environmental Advisory Committee, which is not affiliated with Ecology Ottawa, also see below.
