Election candidates: Steal These Ideas!

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At a time of increasing effects of climate change and alarming declines in biodiversity, it is critical that the environment be front and centre in the upcoming Ottawa municipal election. Municipal officials must show leadership on the local level—and that starts with elections.

We know that candidates in October's election are currently developing their campaign platforms. We also know that the Ottawa community wants ecological action and is full of great ecological ideas. So we thought we’d invite the community to share their ideas to form a larger body of ecological ideas for candidates to take from.

You can submit your ideas in a number of ways: 

• Fill out this form

• Reply to a social media post (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky)

• Join us for an online brainstorming session on August 6 at 6:30

We’ll compile the ideas submitted to us—and some we may also incorporate into our own suggested ecological planks.

And of course you can—in fact, should—share your ideas directly with candidates! Present your idea, and get their reaction, or even ask their own ideas for protecting Ottawa’s ecosystem.

So what makes a good ecological plank? We’ve got a few ideas:

• Enriches the ecosystem: not just preserve our natural heritage, but improve upon it

• Has an accessible rationale: in plain language, why should candidates commit to this?

• Mentions co-benefits: will it also save money? Will it protect communities’ health and wellbeing?

And we of course encourage election candidates to listen in. In fact, we encourage them to steal these ideas and incorporate them into their campaigns.

Let’s hear those ideas, Ottawa!

_________________

Need some inspiration?

Please see below some of the ideas we've received already—although please visit the social media posts linked above for more.

• If you own a large amount of land, a certain percentage must include native plants
• Electrify everything possible to reduce burning of fossil fuels. The trend has started with electric vehicles and more rooftop solar panels paired with home batteries.
• Construction de bassins pour les eaux de pluies pour les cas tel que les trombes d'eau du 1er juillet 2026
• Inform constituents living alongside waterbodies (rivers, lakes) that they should secure their garbage when they set it out so that lighter items, like Styrofoam, are not blown into waterbodies where they will harm aquatic life.
• Put up signs at all swimming spots along the river and at lakes that notify swimmers of ingredients in sunscreen that are harmful to aquatic ecosystems so they can check theirs. There could be a bar code on the sign that goes to a municipal website that highlights safe sunscreens, based on the research done by the Yuka ap.
• A ban on AI data centers
• Digital decluttering. Clean up emails, digital photos, unsubscribe from newsletters, remove unused accounts from social media, turn things off that don't need to be saved in the cloud. Opt out from the cloud.
• We need a city wide program to put up solar panels on municipal government buildings and on vacant land held by the city. This electricity could be used to power municipal services.
• Councillors to commit to cycling one time in a "share"-o lane during rush hour, where the speed limit is 50 km/h
• It should go without saying, but the environmental crisis is a global problem which requires a global solution. Local efforts are of course a good thing also, but on their own, they will never accomplish what is actually needed. My idea is to focus on finding a way for all of humanity to cooperate. I’ve discovered a way to design a networking system which I believe should be able to gradually scale up, to include all humans, organized through each of our chosen communities. That, I believe, would eventually provide a global democratic system so that one day, humanity as a whole can make decisions and act collectively. Hopefully before it’s too late. It involves creating an internet platform-cooperative, which would REQUIRE users to register a REAL community that they are members of, such as our neighbourhood, our religious or cultural community, our workplace, our school, and many other types of self-determining communities. This will prevent anonymity, and therefore provide an online space where individuals can trust each other, because any misbehaviour will be reported to our chosen community. And, the requirement to register real communities will, as the platform grows, be simultaneously organizing each of our communities into a global democratic network. I’m not a programmer, but I know that people are creating websites all the time, and some of them get really big. So, if just one democratic website REQUIRED registration of a REAL community to participate, and it was good enough that it continued to grow, eventually, it could include all of humanity — pre-organized in our communities of choice. It seems logical to me that as it grows, together we would be able to develop the best practices of democracy, and one day humanity as a whole will be able to solve the climate crisis. 
• fix public transit!!!!
• full transparency, democracy, competition and sustainability in procurement processes/P3s
• better emergency preparedness programs for flooding, extreme winter weather, things we KNOW will happen
• Cities in Canada can "compete" against each other to quantify the amount of thermal renewable energy that is produced from a heat pump.
• I live in Vanier. In areas like this, old single family dwellings are being torn down and replaced with 3-4 apartment dwellings. More density is fine (though I do wish the new buildings made more effort on the esthetic front). BUT what I see over and over again is the City allowing developers to maximize the footprint of the building to such a point that there is no room for trees at the back or front (let alone side) of the new building. In Vanier, this means even less tree cover, even less shade on sidewalks - and more heat during longer and hotter summers. The City MUST make it mandatory for new building proposals to include room for a shade tree at the front of the property AND enforcement to make sure a tree (or more) gets planted, cared for and established in the first couple of years after the building is completed.
• A concrete plan to improve transit that would include details about how many buses to buy plus dedicated bus lanes in places like Bank street.
• Ban AI data centre projects in Ottawa urban and rural spaces.
• Data centre moratorium
• A ban on gas powered tools (lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc) and incentives to switch to electric.
• The City of Ottawa should amend its Fireworks By-law (No. 2003-237) to put in place a complete ban on the sale, possession, distribution, and use of consumer fireworks within city limits. Ottawa is increasingly out of step with other Ontario municipalities on this issue. Brampton, Milton, Caledon, and Halton Hills have already enacted full consumer fireworks bans, and Mississauga has recently moved to tighten its own rules significantly. As a city, Ottawa currently permits consumer fireworks only around Victoria Day and Canada Day — but as by-law enforcement data shows, this limited window generates well over 100 complaints each year and strains our by-law officers' resources. Restricted-day models are difficult to enforce because of the fleeting and unpredictable nature of fireworks use. Beyond enforcement challenges, the evidence for a full ban is compelling on multiple grounds: Public safety: Fireworks are a documented cause of fires, injuries, and property damage in residential areas. Grass fires in Ottawa parks have already been linked to fireworks use. Environmental and wildlife harm: Peer-reviewed research published in Pacific Conservation Biology confirms that fireworks cause serious ecological damage — disrupting nesting and migratory behaviour in birds, introducing toxic chemical residues into soil and waterways, and generating non-biodegradable waste that poses ingestion risks to wildlife. Sounds reaching up to 150 decibels cause lasting stress and hearing damage in animals. Noise and community wellbeing: Fireworks are a well-documented source of distress for veterans, individuals with PTSD, young children, pets, and people with sensory sensitivities. A full ban — with an exemption for professionally permitted displays at community events — would provide a clear, enforceable rule, reduce the burden on by-law officers, reduce environmental and wildlife harm, eliminate the public safety and community well-being concerns, and bring Ottawa in line with the direction other municipalities in the province are taking.
• Micro forests — there are small patches of land all over the place that could become mini forests. They’re too small for development but not too small for trees and undergrowth.ALSO replacing small sections of parking lots with gardens.
• The City needs to transparently and properly fund the roll out of the many elements of the Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP) which was adopted in 2024. To date there is no clear indication of the budget available to research, pilot and develop programs to address waste management issues like textile waste, mattresses and small quantities of household construction and demolition waste. There is also no identifiable budget for promotion and education to support waste reduction and waste diversion. Proper, transparent and sustainable funding is essential for the success of the SWMP.
• Focus on climate change mitigation The following three suggestions relate to climate change mitigation, since a year like we’ve just had (with flooding and wildfires) makes people more supportive of policies to mitigate climate change (https://toolsofchange.com/en/topic-resources/detail/395/)
  • 1. Require building owners to prominently post a building’s energy performance rating, and to share that rating with potential buyers and/or renters. Case Study: Chicago’s Building Energy Rating System Chicago was the first U.S. city to require building owners to prominently post a building’s energy performance rating, and to share that that rating with potential buyers and/or renters. While the rating system was being introduced, ComEd and Peoples Gas ran extensive complementary incentive and rebate programs that enabled building owners and managers to make energy improvements at little to no cost. From 2017 to 2020, this program saved 7,293.6 million Btu (2.1 million kwh) per year. https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/757
  • 2. Offer a comprehensive transportation wallet program that encourages people to drive less and try alternative travel modes, while reducing the use of single-occupant vehicles. Case Study: Portland’s Transportation Wallet Portland’s Transportation Wallet is a demand management strategy that encourages people to drive less and try alternative travel modes, while reducing the use of single-occupant vehicles, the demand for on-street parking, and the burdens of transportation costs for people with low-incomes. Users see it as a package of valuable travel options at a deep discount, or at no cost when trading in a parking permit or meeting income criteria. The program reduced participants’ drive-alone rates to 10% in 2023, from 24% in 2021. It is funded by charging for choosing the ‘competition’ (i.e. making it more expensive to drive / park a car.) https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/770
  • 3. Organize Neighbourhood Climate Change Action Case Study: Cool Block Cool Block promotes over one hundred actions that can help make households, neighborhoods and entire cities more sustainable. It has been saving 20 billion pounds (9.07 million metric tons) of greenhouse gasses per year. https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/768/
• As a doctor heavily involved in the nature prescription space, candidates need to explicitly recognize urban tree canopy as essential health infrastructure alongside roads, sewers, and transit. They need to utilize technologies like NatureScore and the CAPA HeatWatch campaigns to prioritize planting in neighbourhoods with the highest summer temperatures, lowest tree canopy, and highest chronic disease burden. Heat kills more Canadians than almost every other weather event. Shade reduces heat exposure, encourages walking, improves air quality, and supports mental health. Connect Ottawa's parks, waterways, hydro corridors, and NCC lands through continuous native habitat. The Meadowway in Toronto is a PHENOMENAL example of hydro corridor planting. Plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers rather than ornamental landscapes. Lastly, publish an annual "Nature & Health Report Card" for Ottawa. Again, as a doctor, I tell my patients that "what gets measured gets managed."
• Require solar panels on all new-build houses with angled roofs over a certain size. Require ALL flat roofs to have solar panels.
• Climate Change Actions, Work and help each other to Create A Greener, Cleaner, Safer Environment for All the City of Ottawa Residents to Call Home 🙂
• Blooming Boulevards-focus on native plantings in city owned medians. Increase habitat areas for pollinators, and reduce efforts of city to cut and mow these areas significantly.