The City of Ottawa just announced its environmental priorities for the next four years but there is still time for you to help move the City in the right direction. This post lays out Ecology Ottawa’s initial assessment of the City’s proposed Term of Council Priorities, a document outlining what the mayor and council are planning to prioritize in the coming years. The Term of Council Priorities will guide city action on issues like healthy watersheds and clean water, trees, cycling, pedestrians and public transit, and renewable energy and action on climate change. You can click here for a three-page PDF version of our analysis. You can also click here to find out more about what you can do to help make a difference. For those of you that are particularly interested in the details, you can find a draft fifteen page analysis that we have prepared here.
The City of Ottawa has drafted a new "Wildlife Construction Protocol" to protect natural habitats around construction and building sites. If put into place, builders will have to take into consideration the wildlife surrounding their site to minimize the damage to nature. While still in the works, the City's Natural Systems Planner, Amy MacPherson has created the protocol, but still requires additional suggestions and comments by June 19, 2015.
From now until the end of June the city is setting it's priorities until 2018.
Your opinion matters.
Here's how to get involved:
- Let your city councillor know your opinion
- Attend one of the meetings where the priorities document will be approved
- Environment Committee June 16 at 9:30am in the Champlain Room at City Hall
- Transportation Committee June 30 at City Hall
The Kemp Woodland is getting some much needed care thanks to students at Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Stittsville.The Students, along with the guidance of their Grade 11 Environmental Science teacher, Glenn Carr will partner with the Ottawa Stewardship Council (OSC) and The City of Ottawa to help protect the 100 year old cedar forest. Kemp Woodland is a 8.9-hectare forest west of the school adjacent to the Trans Canada Trail.
Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) Foundation for Healthy Communities had been proactive and planted sixteen trees this spring.
A large number of trees were being removed from the community due to playground being built by the OCH on 1085 Ramsey Crescent in Nepean. The organization decided to be proactive in planting more trees to compensate. For the event on May 9th around sixteen small trees were planted, eight red maple and eight red oak, in the Foster Farm Community. Ottawa Community Housing organized the event, and there were over 200 volunteers and 10 specifically working on the tree planting.
On May 28, 2015 Rideau Valley Conservation Authority were in celebration of planting their five millionth tree since 1983.There has also been 240,000 new seedlings planted this spring along the 4,000 square kilometres of watershed that links from South Frontenac County to the City of Ottawa. The RVCA celebrated this milestone along with its funding, administrative and planting partners, as well as the community.
Early in 2014, Tree Ottawa was beginning to organize and mobilize around our inititave to protect, plant and promote Ottawa’s trees. Ottawa’s private Montesorri School, Academie de la Capitale, heard about Tree Ottawa and wanted to get involved.
They are the first school in the city to express an interest in working with a local grassroots environmental organization and have truly made trees part of their eduational framework, in the classroom and in the community.