Wildlife gardens are a wonderful way for children, educators, and the local community to connect with nature, increase biodiversity, and beautify school grounds. They can also provide ecosystem services that can improve the functioning of school yards for caretakers and children alike. A wildlife garden may be a native plant garden, a pollinator garden, or butterfly garden. What they all have in common is a focus on attracting wildlife to school grounds for children’s learning and enjoyment.
Ecology Ottawa Delegates on the OC Transpo Bus Route Review
Ecology Ottawa was at City Council’s Transit Commission on November 14 as the Commission considered a route view of OC Transpo buses. We’ve provided our delegation below. You can also watch the recording.
The Final Few Breaths on Breathe Easy 2023: Some Reflections
Trouver la version française ici.
For part of this summer and fall, I had the opportunity to be a community organizer for Ecology Ottawa’s Breathe Easy Project. Breathe Easy, in its third year, is Ottawa’s largest citizen-led science project. Before I started, I did not consider myself a scientist. Neither did many of the volunteers that made this project possible. But I do know that just like climate justice and political advocacy, science works best when it is people-powered.
Eco Gala 2023
We are filled with immense gratitude as we reflect on the incredible evening we shared at Eco Gala 2023. Your presence, enthusiasm, and commitment to our mission made the event truly special, and we can't thank you enough for being a part of it. For those of you who weren’t able to join, thank you for contributing a “Give One” ticket to help make this event accessible and inclusive of our whole community.
Help stop Lansdowne 2.0!
After months of controversy and shockingly little in the way of meaningful public consultation, the final report on Lansdowne 2.0 will now go to a joint meeting of Council’s Finance and Corporate Services and Planning and Housing Committees on November 2, and then on to full City Council on November 10.
The Carlington Woods: Hiding in plain sight
It’s always amazing to me how many Ottawans have never heard of the Carlington Woods. How do you hide a 22-hectare urban forest?
If you’ve ever driven eastbound on the Queensway, past the Carling/Kirkwood exit, you’ve probably seen that big hill. Once a ski slope, the hill is part of Carlington Park, a public park developed in the 1960s on top of an old landfill, and that includes one of the city’s largest drinking-water aquifers.
Budget 2024: What We’d Like to See
Ottawa City Council will be determining the budget for 2024 this fall, as they do every fall. A city’s budget is crucial to its operations and the lives of its constituents: the budget represents in very real terms a city’s priorities. In a time of concurrent crises, it is important that real investments are made to protect our environment and our community.
Unambitious Directions for Budget 2024
On September 5, Ottawa City Council’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee met to discuss the shape of the 2024 budget—also known as “budget directions.” This was the first formal, public step in deliberations for the budget, which will be tabled to Council on November 8. The directions were approved with votes in favour by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and 11 councillors after a presentation from city staff and public delegations.
The “Eyesore” Problem in Ottawa Housing Discourse
One day before the September 6 Planning and Housing Committee meeting (recording here), Councillor Ariel Troster (Somerset Ward) posted on X (formerly Twitter) discussing the demographic trends at these meetings. “The people who come to city committees to speak against new housing development are overwhelmingly older and own their homes. The people who speak in support are generally younger. And they rent.” This message aptly predicted several public delegations at the meeting the very next day, in a discussion of different zoning amendments for the creation of dense, residential high-rise buildings.
The Vacant Unit Tax is also Good Environmental Policy
On August 23, Ottawa City Council voted to maintain the city’s fledgling Vacant Unit Tax (VUT). This tax has the goal of encouraging “homeowners to maintain, occupy or rent their properties, thereby increasing the housing supply.” As such, the VUT can address the affordable housing crisis (a housing emergency declared by City Council in 2020) that Ottawa faces, by adding pressure on individuals to rent out their vacant homes.
Pollinator Garden Webinar
On August 29, we held a webinar on our pollinator garden program. We heard presentations on all three of our pollinator gardens, as well as a presentation on local pollinators. We invite you to watch the recording below.
Le 29 août, nous avons tenu un webinaire sur notre programme de jardins pollinisateurs. Nous avons entendu des présentations sur nos trois jardins pollinisateurs, ainsi qu'une présentation sur les pollinisateurs locaux. Nous vous invitons à visionner l'enregistrement ci-dessous.
Toronto Approved Multiples Everywhere; Ottawa Should Too
Toronto city council recently approved changes to the city’s zoning by-laws that will allow the new construction of two-, three- and four-unit multiplexes in all residential zones, which were not previously allowed in many parts of the city. Although the housing crisis will not be solved by any one policy or approach, Toronto’s example here is one to follow as the population continues to grow and the cost of living in major cities remains prohibitively high.