Ottawa faces a looming waste dilemma, and we need to take bold action. Fortunately, there are many intersecting solutions that we can - and should - choose to embrace. We at Ecology Ottawa support user pay to be adopted in Ottawa’s Solid Waste Master Plan, as one step that is part of an ambitious, concerted effort to reduce waste. User pay - or bag-and-tag, or pay-as-you-throw as this is sometimes called - is about reducing waste, not increasing cost for residents. Recycling and compost continue to be free for Ottawans, and there are many ways we can all reduce consumption and waste.
NIMBYism clashes with Ottawa housing goals
With a housing and homelessness emergency declared in Ottawa in 2020, it is no surprise that affordable housing was a major election issue last fall, with a campaign promise from Mayor Sutcliffe on creation of housing and a refreshed mandate for the Planning and Housing Committee that prioritizes housing affordability. However, when development applications for dense, car-lite residential buildings come to the Planning and Housing Committee, there is often a surprising amount of push-back.
Tree Giveaway Program Report 2019-2022
Pour le français, cliquez ici.
We’re delighted to announce the publication of our Tree Report, a comprehensive overview of Ecology Ottawa’s tree program and its achievements over the past three years.
It's time to head back to the drawing board on Lansdowne 2.0
The $332 million proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne provides a city-wide, taxpayer issue, with long-term implications, just ten years after the City spent $175 million revitalizing Lansdowne. Calls for meaningful public consultation on this project must be even more important in light of the fact that Lansdowne is now predicted to generate far less money.
The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library: An idea takes root
Bonjour! My name is Mélanie Ouellette and I am the founder of the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library. Let me tell you why I started the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library in 2020.
Let's get started on improving Ottawa’s air quality
Our friends at the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) are compelling the Medical Officer of Health to investigate air pollution around trucking routes passing through downtown Ottawa, following data collected by Ecology Ottawa volunteers in our Breathe Easy campaign.
Making a Home for Baby Bees
By Julianne Labreche
A few years ago, I made a pitch to city officials, asking them to officially designate Ottawa as a “Bee City.” Even though it didn’t happen, some good things emerged.
Citing Growing Evidence of Harm to Child Health and Learning Ability, Advocates Call for Faster Replacement of Diesel School Buses
On Healthy Environments for Learning Day, environmental and children’s health advocates call on all levels of government to accelerate the switch to electric school buses. Ecology Ottawa has signed on to a joint letter calling on communities, school boards and governments at every level to accelerate the electrification of school buses, replacing tens of thousands of diesel-powered school buses spewing toxic fumes that can seriously harm child health and interfere with learning.
The 2022 Derecho and Trees in Ottawa: Report
So just how many trees on City of Ottawa property were lost in the 2022 derecho?
City staff presented a report on this at today's meeting of City Council. Here's a summary, with the report below!
Rally in Solidarity with Treaty 8 Nations
On Thursday April 20, Ecology Ottawa joined protesters in a rally against Imperial Oil and in solidarity with the Indigenous nations impacted by the toxic tailings leak at the Kearl oilsands in Alberta. Whilst we gathered on Sparks Street and then moved to Parliament Hill, Imperial Oil executives were called to explain to a Parliamentary Committee why it took nine months to tell First Nations and governments that wastewater from a tailings pond had spilled into four areas about 100 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta.
Recipients announced for first-ever Ottawa Eco Awards!
We have been positively overwhelmed with all the nominations that we have received for our very first Ottawa Eco Awards - and we are so honoured to have had the opportunity to learn about all the people, places, animals, and plants of Ottawa that inspire you.
Ottawa Eco Award recipients transformed their communities with activities including distributing free seeds, bug parades, reusing and reimagining hard-to-recycle waste, diverting Halloween pumpkins from landfill, advocacy, public education, food security learning, planting pollinator gardens, and more.
Climate Change Master Plan Update
This week, Ottawa City's Environment and Climate Change Committee received the annual update report from City staff on progress under the Climate Change Master Plan, the ambitious strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation work needed in the Nation's Capital.