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Welcome to the Council Watch webpage! 

Council Watch is a volunteer-powered group coordinated by Ecology Ottawa that 

  • Identifies issues of ecological significance before Ottawa City Council
  • Recommends actions for Ecology Ottawa and/or the Ottawa community to take on these issues
  • Shares information on ecological issues with the general public

Our goals with these activities are to increase the public’s awareness of ecological issues that come before Council, to empower the public with information to take ecological action, and to hold City Council accountable for their decisions.

Currently, we’re a group of around 20 volunteers. Apart from meetings of the entire City Council, we also monitor activities of the following committees/commissions: Environment and Climate Change, Transportation, Planning and Housing, Transit, and Agriculture and Rural Affairs. (See here for a complete list of committees.) We also monitor media and other reports of council activity. Our newest initiative is our Watch Party program. Please join us!

We also develop resources for learning about Council and engaging with it:

If you’d like to join us, find out more about the group, or send feedback, please contact the group’s current coordinator, William van Geest. We welcome a variety of participation, including watching meetings, writing reports, policy analysis, producing media, keeping records, translating, or webpage support.

In the meantime, if you’d like to watch City Council on your own time, here are few resources to get you started:

The Ecological Case for Sidewalks

The Ecological Case for Sidewalks

As part of a sewer and watermain maintenance project, the City of Ottawa was to construct sidewalks on a few streets in the neighbourhood of Manor Park. This addition has met stiff resistance with some Manor Park residents, though many are in support as well. Here we’ll take a look at some of the arguments made against sidewalks both in general and particular arguments made about this project. 

Is Allowing Right Turns on Red Lights Safer For Pedestrians?

Is Allowing Right Turns on Red Lights Safer For Pedestrians?

Recently an inquiry about the safety of allowing right turns on red was brought to the Ottawa Public Works and Infrastructure Committee by Councillor Ariel Troster. Ottawa city staff responded to this by claiming that RTOR is in fact safer for pedestrians. But could this possibly be true? We dug into the data. 

How is Ottawa's Urban Tree Canopy Doing?

How is Ottawa's Urban Tree Canopy Doing?

The City of Ottawa released the results of a Tree Canopy Mapping last September. So what is this, and why is it important? And above all, how is our urban tree canopy doing? Our Council Watch Intern Kristen Busby breaks it down.

Ecology Ottawa welcomes new community waste diversion funding, urges improvements

Ecology Ottawa welcomes new community waste diversion funding, urges improvements

Ecology Ottawa delegated to City Council's Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting today to support a proposed new funding stream for community waste diversion initiatives and urge several improvements. This new funding responds directly to advocacy by Ecology Ottawa dating to 2024. Over 250 people signed the petition, and Committee members explicitly cited community input as influencing this proposal.

Ecology Ottawa urges improved bike parking in the new Zoning By-law

Ecology Ottawa urges improved bike parking in the new Zoning By-law

Ottawa City Council’s Planning and Housing Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee met on December 17 in a joint meeting to discuss the final draft of Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law. We learned that staff had proposed undoing some of the gains made on bike parking, which is of course critical to transitioning our city from car dependency to sustainability. Please read our delegation!

What’s in our Trash? The results of Ottawa’s Four-Season Waste Audit

What’s in our Trash? The results of Ottawa’s Four-Season Waste Audit

The Waste Audit is part of Ottawa’s Solid Waste Master Plan, which was approved by City Council in June 2024, as a guide for Ottawa’s waste management over the next 30 years. The information collected from the Waste Audit is meant to identify areas for improvement and trends within waste diversion and management efforts. 

What’s in the 2026 municipal budget?

What’s in the 2026 municipal budget?

With an over $900M operating budget, our transit system continues to be both expensive and yet unreliable. It’s hard to square the budget’s stated theme of affordability with yet another fare increase, and the so-called “historic investments” with the fact that most money in the budget is for the LRT lines and debt service payments. Trains are expensive, but they do not in themselves constitute a good transit network. 

Getting Involved in the Municipal Budget

Ottawa’s 2026 budget process is in full swing, and residents have several ways to participate.
Here’s a clear overview of how you can make your voice heard.

Ottawa’s Climate Change Master Plan: A Progress Update

Ottawa’s Climate Change Master Plan: A Progress Update

You've heard of the City of Ottawa's Climate Change Master Plan, and you know it's approaching the end of its horizon; but how are we doing on its eight priorities, and what else did the latest Progress Update reveal? Our Council Watcher Karolina Galuszka's got you covered.

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Phone: 613 860 5353
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123 Slater St, Floor 6
Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2