Mayor

Want to know how Mayoral candidates compare in terms of taking climate action? Then read on!

1. The YES/NO grid below shows whether candidates agree to commit to a specific environmental action.

2. The devil is in the details. Not all "yes" or "no" answers are equal. We HIGHLY recommend reading the long answers found beneath the grid, to get a real understanding of how committed Candidates are to a range of environmental issues.

*** Candidate Bob Chiarelli, Graham MacDonald, Catherine McKenney, Ade Olumide, Mark Sutcliffe, Celine Debassige, Gregory Jreg Guevara, Zed Chebib and Jacob Solomon did not fill out this survey and have been removed from the table.

In addition, check out the table below where you'll find links to the platforms of all candidates who have a focus on environmental sustainability, as well as their more general platform.

Candidates for Mayor
	Questions	Answers
		Bernard Couchman	Brandon Bay	Mike Maguire	Nour Kadri	Param Singh
1	Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
2	Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
3	Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
4	Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
5	Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
6	Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
7	Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
8	Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
9	Will you prioritize the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
10	In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting green bin waste in multi-residential buildings and curbside, ensuring Ottawa avoids replacing our landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator anytime soon?	N/A	Yes	No	Yes	No
11	Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
12	If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
13	Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	# Yes	5	12	4	12	11
	# No	7	1	9	1	2

MAYORAL CANDIDATE PLATFORMS

Mayoral Candidate	Environmental/Sustainability Platform

Brandon Bay	https://www.brandonbay.ca/platform
Bob Chiarelli	https://bobchiarelli.ca/priorities/
Bernard Couchman	https://www.h2oboy.com/products/mayor-of-ottawa-2022-bernard-couchman
Graham MacDonald	https://www.macdonald4mayor.com/issues
Catherine McKenney	https://www.mckenney2022.ca/climate_plan_details
Ade Olumide	https://www.adeolumide.ca/why_vote_for_ade
Param Singh	https://www.voteparam.com/commitment
Mark Sutcliffe	https://marksutcliffe.ca/environment
Mike Maguire	https://mikeforottawa.ca/mike-in-the-news/
Celine Debassige	https://www.instagram.com/celinedebassige/?hl=en
Nour Kadri	https://www.kadri.ca/platform/#tab-23491

Q1 - Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?

Brandon Bay

Yes. There is an incredible amount of funding currently and soon-to-be available from federal and provincial partners, and the plan includes significant cost savings to help pay for some of its elements. If we act now, it should be fairly easy to find this money. If we wait, it may not.

Bernard Couchman

No, it does not go far enough and it does not include every one.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. The document lacks proper financial explanation ($57B is ridiculous) and has troubling anti-environmental recommendations. Industrial Wind and Solar are NOT environmentally sound options. Electric vehicle batteries are made using child slave labour (search 'Cobolt mining scandal'} and are filled with toxins. No committed environmentalist or ethical person could agree to these proposals.

Param Singh

Yes. If the City has passed a motion, the cost should have been forseen. We must reach our goal of net zero by 2050 and I will push for all municipal infrastructure be eco friendly and efficient.

Q2 - Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?

Brandon Bay

No. I am completely committed to building more 15-minute neighbourhoods. Complete communities are the very heart of my campaign. I also believe the city should be prioritizing intensifications, in particular of the giant strip mall parking lots filling our suburban landscape.

However, I am not sure we can reasonably meet the expected growth of the city - 50% over the next 25 years - with a strict "no boundary expansion" policy. If we do expand the urban boundary, we need to do it carefully, sustainably, and only if we have exhausted all other options, but we may need to do it.

Bernard Couchman

No we can build better neighborhoods, this 15 minutes idea is 1955 idea way too old, we need communities that feed it self, not the other way around. We must take a topography view of our city when planning

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. I challenge the premise of the question - focusing only on CO2 ignores all the other heat trapping emissions that are caused by Industrial Wind Turbine manufacturing for instance. I do support fixing mass transit to make the city more livable but compelling everyone to live in densely packed communities will only drive up the prices and drive people outside the City. The idea is good but the recommended solution is unworkable.

Param Singh

Yes. For now. But we must take in account that Ottawa will grow by another 500 000 residents in the next 25 years. If the urban boundary is to grow, it will have to meet some very very strict guilines and we cannot and will not do this at the expense of the environment or our greenspace.

Q3 - Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?

Brandon Bay

Yes. I will note an exception for local waste-to-natural-gas production, as it is a great way to reduce landfill requirements while also powering our city. But I agree, we should not be purchasing any natural gas beyond what we can generate sustainably at home.

Bernard Couchman

No. Just like the busses vs the LRT, its not wise to shift people to one thing when we don't have a prove of concept yet. I would rather make the right decision at the time.

Nour Kadri

Yes. Over a long term plan.

Mike Maguire

No. Preventing the upgrade of the St. Laurent North pipeline was/is poorly thought out. 165K residences and businesses have been put at risk and there is no alternate solution in the short term. This was terribly irresponsible of the City to work against the best interests of the community and must be revisited immediately.

Param Singh

No. I do not have enough information on this topic to provide you with a fullsome answer.

Q4 - Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?

Brandon Bay

Yes. Ottawa Community Housing is leading the charge on this and doing an incredible job. I will continue to encourage and enable them however I can, and as they prove their success, push the commercial development industry to build in the same sustainable way.

Bernard Couchman

No. I don't like you tone, when it comes to you forcing candidates to commit to anything. Every elections you guys do this same thing, you ask candidates to commit and they do and they get in and they ignore the commitments. So what is more important, to tell you a lie or the truth. All I can do is what is on front of me.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. The suggestion is unworkable, would drive rents sky high and make the city unlivable. The city can work with the province to ensure the building code strikes a balance between affordability and availability. The problem to be solved is to lower the cost of electricity rather than try to solve the symptoms of high cost electricity. This is why I oppose Energy Evolution - it will make electricity very expensive while making the service unreliable. Simplistic solutions are usually not solutions at all.

Param Singh

Yes. If the city can assist on this and ensure that all all residence are energy efficient, absolutely.

Q5 - Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?

Brandon Bay

Yes.

Bernard Couchman

No. My life style is all that I can show you, I will commit to being real to the environment, not your request, its not inclusive of all the people in Ottawa. My hope is my environmentalist life style will over flow in all that I do.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. I agree with part of the proposed solution but I'm uncomfortable looking at Emergency Services through just the climate lens. There are many, many serious problems in the City of Ottawa and climate is just one. Present Mayor and Council have made climate their singular focus and the City is in deep trouble because of this.

Param Singh

Yes. Because it's the right thing to do.

Q6 - Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?

Brandon Bay

Yes. I believe we should move toward fare-free service and would work to do that in my first term. This will require significant improvements to the system, but we are not in a position where that is impossible; it is just difficult and must be made a priority.

Bernard Couchman

Yes, but not what you are asking. I have some thing better at www.bernardcouchman.ca.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

Yes. {Finally, something we can agree on}. You've got the $'s wrong though. LRT 1&2 are closer to $8.5B when the cost of borrowing is factored in. So, yes, a working public transit system for the entire City and that includes re-using existing rail for commuter rail service expansion and restoring bus service on routes that never should have been cancelled.

Param Singh

Yes. Because Ottawa deserves a World Class Transit system

Q7 - Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?

Brandon Bay

Yes.

Bernard Couchman

Yes. You will find all your answer at www.bernardcouchman.ca on my expansive transit plan.

Nour Kadri

Yes. Did not provide a long answer to this question.

Mike Maguire

Yes. Qualified 'yes' to this - it's impractical to bike in the winter and, Ottawa is a huge city. There have to be trade-offs where cost and geography are challenges. I bike roughly 80 kms a week so I'm keenly aware of the challenges around cycling in Ottawa. As for the other transit methods - again, qualified 'yes'...but it's all got to be seen from a lens of the budget. There are limits to how aggressive Ottawa can be with tax dollars.

Param Singh

Yes, but not over 4 years. We must take out time and make sure we are building a system that will be reliable, affordable and connect everyone citywide.

Q8 - Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?

Brandon Bay

Yes.

Bernard Couchman

No. My goal is 100%.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. You don't need a by-law, the City already has the necessary land to make this possible and, there' already a by-law in place preventing arbitrary cutting. I do support a re-planting effort - it's a shame that the treatment for Ash trees was banned, how much more beautiful would Ottawa be today if the simple and inexpensive Emerald Ash Borer infestation had been stopped.

Param Singh

Yes.

Q9 - Will you prioritize the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?

Brandon Bay

Yes. Naturalized lawns are an excellent way for individual residents to improve the environment we live in. We should be actively encouraging it wherever possible, instead of sending bylaw officers to force people to remove their natural gardens.

Bernard Couchman

Yes. Take a look at my website www.bernardcouchman.ca and you will find all that I am supporting.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. I can't find a source for your claim of 700 and 60. Also, there is already effective federal legislation that covers this subject (Species at Risk Act). Also, how, in a practical sense, do you propose that this be done? Sorry to be controversial but these questions are so slanted that it's difficult to provide a neutral answer.

Param Singh

Yes. I cannot provide you with a fullsome answer on this either, as I need to do some research and learn more about this. I do believe in the preservation and conservation of ixisting greenspaces as well as the biodiversity.

Q10 - In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting green bin waste in multi-residential buildings and curbside, ensuring Ottawa avoids replacing our landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator anytime soon?

Brandon Bay

Yes.

Bernard Couchman

Did not provide a reply to this answer.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

No. I support industrial incineration as a means of extending the Trail Rd. landfill. Can't support industrial composting, it requires massive inputs of natural gas to heat the composting material. The Green Bin program was/is of dubious environmental value once you learn how the program is actually implemented.

Param Singh

No.

Q11 - Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?

Brandon Bay

Yes. I am particularly fond of Toronto's bin-size user pay program over bag tags, but I would support the concept no matter how council wanted to implement it.

Bernard Couchman

No, I have a better idea, you have to go to my website www.bernardcouchman.ca and you will see they great things I am doing for garbage and waste removal.

Nour Kadri

No. We will use an education based approach where people buy into our plans and adapt to new ways of handling residual waste.

Mike Maguire

No. This has been tried in many municipalities (including in parts of the old Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton) it resulted in so much garbage being thrown into ditches and fields that it was cancelled shortly afterwards. This is an unworkable proposal.

Param Singh

Yes. Residents already pay for garbage and recycling through their taxes. We cannot double dip.

Q12 - If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?

Brandon Bay

Yes. Long-term, my goal is to make Anishinabemowin an official language of the city, alongside English and French. There is a lot of work we must do to get there first, but we need to be including our Indigenous peoples in the culture of our city and the stewardship of their lands much, much more.

Bernard Couchman

Yes. I already do this by going to Golden lake and kitigan zibi and doing business with the locals. I am in contact with chiefs and council on both side of the river.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

Yes. I answered 'yes' but want to clarify that I would work with everyone. Intentionally elevating some groups over others is bad policy and limits knowledge.

Param Singh

Yes.

Q13 - Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?

Brandon Bay

Yes.

Bernard Couchman

Yes. Look at my website www.bernardcouchman.ca and you will find all the answers you are looking for.

Nour Kadri

Yes.

Mike Maguire

Yes, this is a reasonable goal but please, why only environmental issues? Surely you're aware that we're in the midst of a housing/transit/crime crisis? There are so many other concerns in the city, I encourage Ecology Ottawa to broaden your vision.

Param Singh

Yes.

Q14 - Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your ideas, goals or commitments to improving the City's performance on climate change and environmental issues?

Brandon Bay

Did not provide an answer to this question.

Bernard Couchman

If you want change in our city stop voting in the same people in to office, give us minority a chance. We are more than capable but you will never know if you keep denying us opportunities. If you really care about the future of Ottawa, you will Vote Bernard Couchman as your next Mayor, this is my third time running to be the mayor and all, the racism is real, so Stop the racism and lets all live together as one. We are all in this crappie situation because of the way you voted the last time. More information can be had at www.bernardcouchman.ca

Nour Kadri

We have a comprehensive plan on climate change and building the Green economy. It is on our platform page at www.kadri.ca.

Mike Maguire

It's tough to focus on an abstract issue like the climate when a person is hungry or needs a place to live or is terrified of the violence in the streets. I'm a passionate environmentalist but simplistic solutions usually lead to bad outcomes. It's time for a much more honest debate on this and many other subjects.

Param Singh

Did not provide an answer to this question.

Mayor

Q1 - Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?

Q2 - Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?

Q3 - Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?

Q4 - Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?

Q5 - Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?

Q6 - Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?

Q7 - Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?

Q8 - Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?

Q9 - Will you prioritize the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?

Q10 - In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting green bin waste in multi-residential buildings and curbside, ensuring Ottawa avoids replacing our landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator anytime soon?

Q11 - Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?

Q12 - If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?

Q13 - Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?

Q14 - Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your ideas, goals or commitments to improving the City's performance on climate change and environmental issues?

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