As members of Ecology Ottawa’s EcoYouth Council, we recently had the opportunity to hear Sakej speak at the Defend the Land event at the Ottawa Public Library. We also heard wisdom from Shannon Chief from the Anishnabe Moose Committee, and from Cedar Aisipi and Gabrielle Fayant from the Assembly of Seven Generations. The discussion was about effectively campaigning for decolonization and environmental justice.
It’s been a terrible last few weeks in Ottawa for people outside of cars. A woman in her 70s was killed while biking in Manotick, a woman in her 20s was killed by a pickup driver downtown, two children—one biking in Barrhaven, the other scooting in Stittsville—were struck by drivers, a woman was struck walking in the Byward Market—and there are many more. This is atrocious. Our city is not safe for basic mobility.
You could be forgiven for not knowing about the vigorous debate brewing in one of Ottawa’s many older, inner urban neighbourhoods. But it presents two interesting questions: At what point does the city stop re-hashing debates over how particular neighbourhoods should evolve? And when should the city assert its authority and stick with its own policies?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | 18 June 2025 | OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHINAABEG | Ecology Ottawa today released its Strategic Plan, “Growing Movement, Rising Action.” The Plan outlines Ecology Ottawa’s vision, mission, and theory of change for 2025 to 2027.
On June 17, City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee considered a feasibility study on handling the city’s waste residuals—what’s left over after composting, recycling, and other diversion. One of the options under consideration was incineration, which brings a host of threats. Ecology Ottawa delegated on this issue, challenging aspects of the study and advocating for sustainable approaches to waste residuals.
Ecology Ottawa and several members of its Youth Council recently participated in an intergenerational dialogue hosted by our friends at Climate Legacy. Following the event, we asked two participants, one on each "side" of the dialogue, to share their reflections. Please enjoy! We look forward to the next steps of this initiative: a discussion on intergenerational climate action and activism.
Ottawa City Council is considering dealing with its waste residuals by incinerating them. This is a bad, bad idea. Currently, residuals in Ottawa go to the Trail Road landfill. Since the Trail facility is getting full, Council asked staff in December 2023 to explore future options for residuals management. The result of this exploration, a feasibility study, comes to Environment and Climate Change Committee on June 17.
Ottawa is undergoing a major planning update, and the comment period for the second draft of the New Zoning By-law could be your last opportunity to make a meaningful difference. Residents only have until June 30 to make their thoughts known before City staff work to incorporate public feedback into the final draft of the New Zoning By-law that City Council will vote on.
Did you know that councillors can now hold consultations on the City’s 2026 budget in the spring? At the Council discussions for the 2025 budget last December, Councillor Shawn Menard presented a direction to staff asking for this. Read more for how to take advantage of this opportunity and make your voice heard!
Ecology Ottawa is thrilled to announce the recipients of our third annual Eco Awards! As in prior years, we were overwhelmed by the nominations we received, and choosing among them was a difficult task—but the nine recipients below distinguished themselves particularly.