As the city drafts its new zoning bylaw, it is critical to examine not just the broad goals of the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan, but to also the minutiae of how we achieve these goals. One of these goals is the need to achieve more growth through intensification, rather than continued greenfield development, also known as sprawl. Are the current tools in the zoning bylaw going to allow for the type of infill that the city is hoping to see? According to GOHBA, the answer seems to be no, and our groups share this concern.
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.
Investments in sustainability and green energy will not only protect Canadians from American tariffs, they’ll put us on course for a more resilient future. The Trump White House has raised tariffs, defunded science, and created massive economic and political uncertainty across the world. Canada is deeply vulnerable to these changes.
Earlier today, Ecology Ottawa asked Mayor Sutcliffe and Ottawa City Councillors to sign an open letter initiated by Climate Caucus calling on federal party leaders to commit to meaningful climate action in standing up against American tariffs. The letter makes five demands that will lead to national resiliency, job creation, affordability, connectivity, and meaningful action to tackle the climate crisis.