[SUMMARY]: City of Ottawa Urban Forest Management Plan Workshop

Last Tuesday, November 24th, the City of Ottawa held an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) workshop. Members of community organizations, community associations, and everyday Ottawa residents were able to voice their opinions and concerns regarding the establishment of a new UFMP. The session began with welcomes from Martha Copestake, Forester - Planning Land Use & Natural Systems, and David Chernushenko, Councillor for Capital Ward, the City of Ottawa. This was followed by a presentation and Q&A session from the lead of the consulting firm. This general presentation covered topics such as the importance of a diverse urban forest canopy, as well as what steps the consulting firm will take to ensure Ottawa's trees are protected. The project study area and timeline was also outlined:

[VIDEO] EcoGala 2015 Highlights

November 26th EcoGala Keynote Speaker Kevin Page. Vidéo en anglais seulement.

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Municipal Climate News

On November 25 Ottawa hosted a joint signing ceremony for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Union des Municipalites du Quebec whereby the two groups pledged to do more to fight climate change. They also urged the provincial and federal governments to assist them by provision of tools and funding needed to achieve this.

AMO have posted a fair amount of information on this initiative including

Press release - 100% Possible: Canadians to March for a Future that is 100% Clean by 2050

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

100% Possible: Canadians to March for a Future that is 100% Clean by 2050

(Ottawa, November 17, 2015)—On the eve of the UN Climate Summit in Paris, thousands of Canadians will march to Parliament Hill to urge the new government to take strong action on climate change and get Canada to 100% clean by 2050.

A diverse coalition has come together for 100% Possible: Marching for Climate Solutions and Justice. The Ottawa event will take place as millions march in over 1700 cities around the World.

Why Forests Matter Event: Nature Conservancy of Canada

Join the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) on Tuesday November 17 at 6p.m. to hear from a multidisciplinary panel of speakers who will share their perspectives on the value of forests in our lives. Why Forests Matter is an evening that promotes discussion about forests, their influence on society and why they matter to Canadians. It is in its eighth year and is held at the Canadian Nature Museum.

EcoGala 2015 Tickets Available

Please note: this event always sells out, so please get your tickets early.

Join us for Ecology Ottawa’s 9th annual Gala Dinner on Thursday, November 26, 2015 at the St. Elias Banquet Centre to celebrate the active environmental community in Ottawa and the start of the Winter Holiday season!

Eco Gala 2015 will include former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page as our guest speaker, along with a delicious four course dinner, a silent auction, and an opportunity to connect with the people and community groups growing the environmental movement. This event sells out every year and for 2015 we plan to have over 550 guests attend. This is a great way to support Ecology Ottawa’s important outreach and community building projects while having fun.

Results are In - EcoDistrict's Cycle Audit

The Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict's Cycle-In study got coverage on CBC and in the Ottawa Citizen.

You can read the report via links on any of the three websites:

The War Between Cars and Bikes - a Possible Road to Peace?

bike-car-caution

In a recent episode of CBC’s The 180 Ian Walker, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Bath in the UK talked about his research into the animosity between drivers and cyclists.

Dr. Walker pointed out there’s something more than the fact that bicyclists are a minority among a majority of car drivers that leads to the conflict between the two. He contrasted cyclists with vegetarians saying that although vegetarians are also a minority among meat eaters, it is unusual for vegetarians to receive death threats, while cyclists receive death threats all the time from irate drivers. He postulated that the ire of car drivers might be due to the competition for roadspace.

Knocked on More Than 6,000 Doors - Mike's Energy East FAQ

Mike Fletcher's piece at StittsvilleCentral.ca tells us why he's worked so hard to stop TransCanada Corporation's Energy East pipeline project. It sums up what he's found out in one easy to understand package.

Read it here.

Nov. 24 6:30pm - City of Ottawa Urban Forest Management Plan Workshop

Join Ecology Ottawa to discuss Ottawa's urban forest as we work to create a diverse and publicly accessible urban forest management strategy plan. This is the first public consultations for the plan, and the City is looking for community stakeholder input. This event will be held at Jean Pigott Place, Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West from 6:30-9:30pm on Tuesday November 24, 2015.

Initiative Spotlight: Trees-We-Cherish

Trees-We-Cherish

Do you have a tree that you love in your neighbourhood? Perhaps it's a tree that you've had in your yard since you were a child, a heritage tree, or a favourite home for curious wildlife. Or maybe you feel a tree is under threat from development, snow removal, or invasive pests. Trees-We-Cherish is a Tree Ottawa initiative that looks to connect the Ottawa community to their surrounding natural habitat and trees. We want you to be as enthusiastic as we are about protecting and maintaining our current trees!

Now and Then: New Possibilities

It has been almost 10 days already since the elections, and I’m still recovering from the summer’s campaign. It has been a long one. While the official campaign was the longest of modern Canadian history (only 1867’s and 1872’s were longer), most political parties had been campaigning for months already. So was Ecology Ottawa, promoting environmental leadership at the federal level. While I personally only joined the campaign at the beginning of May to help start the ground game, some of you had already been on the phones since the winter.

Media Releases