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Updated June 2nd, 2020.
Timeline
Spring 2019 - Ottawa City Council declares a climate emergency
A historic moment for Ottawa which represents a shift towards a better future for the city.
March 2019 - Ottawa launches the new Official Plan review
This becomes recognized as one of the most important policy decisions to pass through City Council this term, and likely in many years.
This year, we are asking Ottawans to use the transit system as their only means of transportation for one week in February - starting on Family Day and running from Monday, February 17, to Sunday, February 23, 2020. Do your best; if you can’t use transit for a specific trip, talk about it! The successes and failures are all interesting from the perspective of improving the transit system for all.
Ottawa City Council is about to debate and decide on a new Official Plan. This is the major land use and policy document that will shape the size and character of our city for decades to come - all the way out to 2046.
The new Official Plan will have a dramatic impact on whether we as a city do our fair share to tackle the climate crisis. The United Nations has identified the next 11 years as critical to avoiding climate catastrophe. It's all hands on deck, and cities like Ottawa have an opportunity to lead the way in the transition to a climate-friendly world. In other words, the new Official Plan must be Ottawa's climate emergency plan.
This has been a record year for Ottawa with the Climate Emergency, flooding, Vision Zero, phase 1 of the LRT, Climate Strikes, the Official Plan, and the 2020 Budget. Climate change has been on the lips of federal and municipal politicians and there is unprecedented momentum in the environmental community in Ottawa. Let’s look at some key decisions at City Hall from the end of 2019.
Happy New Year, Ottawa!
We hope your holiday season was relaxing and restorative. Now, it's time to get to work. There is so much to accomplish together in 2020.
Looking ahead, we're sure you see many challenges and opportunities. Share what you want to see from the city in the months and years to come.
Click here to take our 2020 Priorities Survey and set the course for a year of progress on local environmental issues.
Please note that we have had to put the Tree Distribution Program on pause this year due to COVID-19.
Unfortunately, we have no free trees to distribute at this time. That being said, we were able to launch our very first Tree Fundraiser where we are selling tree saplings at an extremely reduced price! You can check out the Tree Fundraiser HERE.
The good news: Ecology Ottawa will be back at it in 2021 and 2022 distributing 15,000 native tree seedlings free of charge to Ottawa area residents in an effort to re-plant our urban tree canopy.
2019 was an incredible year. Together, we changed the local climate conversation, engaged thousands in work to protect trees and green up neighbourhoods, and worked to make our city a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
As we head into 2020, we drew up a list of New Year's resolutions that will shape our work together in the coming months. All of Ecology Ottawa's work is grassroots and volunteer-driven. Thank you for making this possible with your volunteer time and financial support. We look forward to the exciting year ahead!
2019 was an incredible year. Together, we changed the local climate conversation, engaged thousands in work to protect trees and green up neighbourhoods, and worked to make our city a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
At 47% of Ottawa’s community emissions, buildings make up the largest-emitting sector in our city. This has clear implications for municipal climate action. If Ottawa wants to meet its greenhouse gas reduction target of 80% below 2012 levels by 2050, emissions from buildings must be a major target.
As we approach the end of 2019, we can't shake the feeling - this was the year the ground shifted in the fight for climate action. We know that with all environmental efforts, progress can often be slow or halting. But too many good things happened in 2019 to be ignored. As part of the growing Ottawa environmental community, your efforts are the reason for the progress we're seeing.