Mayor O'Brien at the back of the pack on the environment City Council report card
Download a PDF of the full report at the bottom of the page
December 5, 2007
(Ottawa) Mayor Larry O’Brien is turning in a weak performance on the environment, according to a report card released today by the Ottawa Local Group of the Sierra Club of Canada and Ecology Ottawa.
A Question of Leadership: An Environmental Report Card on Mayor O’Brien’s City Council finds Mayor O’Brien trailing, not leading, most Ottawa City Councillors on the environment and particularly on climate change. Read the full report at www.ottawacouncilwatch.ca
The report was prepared by tallying the number of pro-environment and anti-environment votes cast, respectively, by each Councillor over the course of the 12 months period to October 2007.
“Our tally found Ottawa City Council’s environmental performance to be surprisingly poor,” says Sabrina Bowman of Ecology Ottawa. “Mayor O’Brien’s Council lags behind other Canadian cities on the environment.”
Mayor O’Brien’s environmental voting record put him near the bottom 25 percent of all City Councillors. Most of the Mayor’s pro-environment votes were for motions that passed by acclamation and required zero leadership.
The report also shows that Mayor O’Brien opposed financing for Ottawa’s Climate Change and Air Quality Management Plan, voted against reducing unnecessary vehicle idling, and failed to support a two percent cap on public transit fares, all important initiatives that would help combat climate change.
“The ability of other Canadian cities, such as Toronto and Victoria, to move much more quickly on innovative environmental programs shows it can be done,” says Graham Saul of Ecology Ottawa. “There’s no excuse – all it requires is strong leadership from the Mayor.”
Despite Mayor O’Brien’s weak performance some councillors are making a strong effort to put the environment on the forefront of the City’s agenda, including councillors Deans, Doucet, Cullen, Bédard, Bellemare, Legendre, McRae and Holmes, all of whom received an A+. The rest of the marks indicate a mediocre performance for much of the Council, including Councillors Brooks, Derochers, El-Chantiry, Hunter and Thompson, who all received a D.
“The Ottawa we see in this report does not reflect the one we hold in our hearts,” says Jason Kania of the Sierra Club. “Citizens of Ottawa expect more and they expect better. This report establishes that the Mayor’s single-minded focus on 0% tax increases is proving to be detrimental to sound environmental governance.”
The full report card can be found online at www.ottawacouncilwatch.ca
or downloaded below.
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For more information contact:
Sabrina Bowman, Ecology Ottawa, Phone: 613-850-9101 or
Graham Saul, Ecology Ottawa, Phone: 613-558-6388
Jason Kania, Sierra Club, Phone: 613-567-4334
