Media Releases

Budget 2019: A chance to invest in a greener Ottawa

The new city council has already begun crafting its first budget of the term. City Council will table a draft budget on February 6, and vote on the final version on March 6. That means from now until the end of February, Ottawa residents have the chance to provide their input to the budget process.

As cities across the world and in Canada step up to the climate challenge, Ottawa has yet to demonstrate the level of ambition or action that match the urgency and scale of this crisis. Investing in climate solutions also means building more a vibrant, liveable and healthy city where beautiful greenspace, walkable communities and thriving low-carbon economy take centre stage.

Let's get light rail right

"Light rail is coming to Ottawa."

This is something Ottawans have been hearing for years. After debates, discussions and delays, the first stage of the light rail transit (LRT) has finally launched (the second arriving sometime in 2023).

The politicians tell us that the arrival of the LRT will be a game-changer for the city. We've been told that the LRT relieves congestion in our over-stretched Transitway system, dramatically curbs climate emissions from transportation, and alters the very fabric of our city as dense, walkable communities are put in next to LRT hubs.

Workshop: Green Infrastructure and Climate Resiliency

Join us at 6:30 pm on February 27th at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre for the second workshop in our Green Infrastructure series! At this event we'll dig in deep to look at the ways green infrastructure better equips our cities to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We'll do this through a series of case studies looking at a variety of different large scale green infrastructure projects which have been implemented across North America.

Let's make Ottawa a climate leader

Climate change is the challenge of our lifetimes. Jurisdictions around the world are being urged to respond to the scope and scale of this threat with bold, ambitious action. The United Nations tells us that time is short – we now have 11 years to avoid catastrophic impacts to the world's species and ecosystems.

While climate change is a global problem, many of the solutions are local. In Canada, up to half of the country’s emissions are under the direct or indirect control of municipal governments. As Canada’s fourth largest city and national capital, Ottawa has a critically important role to play in the fight against climate change.

A climate primer for Ottawa

Below, we lay out the case for strong climate leadership from the City of Ottawa, and survey some of the opportunities for action over the next few months.

This information has been packaged into a document to hand to city councillors. You can access that document by clicking here.

Climate Welcome Package Download

The context:

There’s no sugar-coating it – we’re in the midst of a climate emergency. According to the United Nations, the world now has 11 years to limit climate change catastrophe by keeping global warming to a maximum of 1.5 °C. Beyond this level of warming, we will “significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.”[1]

It's all because of you!

What a year it’s been! Looking back at 2018, our local movement to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada has never been stronger or more energized.

This is due to you. Our movement is people-powered, driven in huge part by hundreds of volunteers and thousands of donors.

So thank you for making 2018 a smashing success. Below, we provide a quick re-cap on the year that was and point to new directions for 2019. We hope you’ll help power this important work into 2019 by making a donation. The King Foundation has generously pledged $15,000 if we can secure 30 new monthly donors, and we hope you'll help us reach this goal.

Our New Year's resolutions, and how you can help

Already thinking of your New Year’s resolutions? So are we!

Guided by over 300 responses to our election campaign and priority survey, our team has laid out five key priorities for 2019, along with an action plan. From ramping up green infrastructure to holding city hall accountable, this plan is certainly ambitious. Yet while our staff team is small, our network of volunteers and supporters is mighty and eager to build a greener city, and we are so excited to get started.

Your amazing achievements in 2018

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018

Climate change:

The year started off with a focus on the most pressing environmental issue of our time: climate change.

In January, we convened some of Ottawa’s leading political figures driving the climate change conversation at a community town hall. Catherine McKenna, David Chernushenko and Tobi Nussbaum were asked about the links between cities and climate change, and about where we as a city needed to go next. While the panelists had a range of ideas and suggestions on next steps, the consensus was clear: we need to do more, and we need to act quickly.

Jim Watson's letter response to "Don't cut out the core" campaign

The following is the text of a form letter received by many Ecology Ottawa supporters during the week of December 17, 2018. The letter is from the office of Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for taking the time to write about Committee Assignments.

While I can appreciate your concerns, I respectfully disagree with the assertion that Ottawa’s urban residents are not represented on the City’s various committees, boards, and agencies. Recently, some have even suggested that there are no ‘inside the greenbelt’ members on Committees – this is simply not correct. In fact, there are three (3) members from inside the greenbelt on the Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO), as well as three (3) on Planning Committee.

For Immediate Release: Ecology Ottawa calls on Mayor Jim Watson: Don’t cut out the core!

Ecology Ottawa calls on Mayor Jim Watson: Don’t cut out the core!

December 14, 2018

(OTTAWA) – Ecology Ottawa has launched a campaign to urge Jim Watson to fix Ottawa’s committee structure by adding more urban councillors to key committees such as the Transit Commission, Planning Committee and the Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO). The letter-writing and social media campaign, called “Don’t Cut Out the Core,” seeks to make Ottawa a greener city through city-wide representation on key committees impacting the environment.

Don't cut out the core!

At city council on December 12, Jim Watson largely shut urban councillors out of key committees and committee leadership positions. Urban councillors across five wards – Rideau-Vanier, Rideau-Rockcliffe, Somerset, Kitchissippi and Capital – represent over one fifth of Ottawa’s roughly 1 million residents. These five councillors were prevented from joining committees that play a huge role on environmental files.

Volunteers needed - Bilingualism

We at Ecology Ottawa strongly believe that what we do shall be accessible for every Ottawa resident, including francophone people. We have been working hard so far to make that possible, but we could still need your help to translate our everyday work into French!