Jenna Jessop
"Preserving our tree canopy starts with protecting the mature trees we already have. We can plant thousands of new trees, but it takes decades for them to provide the same shade and environmental benefits as a mature tree. I want tree protection to be considered early when we are planning development, road work and other City projects, so we are designing around healthy trees wherever reasonably possible rather than considering them at the end of the process.
At the same time, we need to keep planting and be strategic about where we do it. I want to see us focus planting in neighbourhoods with lower tree canopy and in places where trees can make a real difference, including parks, sidewalks, transit stops and walking and cycling routes.
I would also support continuing to grow programs like Plant Your Place!, which provides free trees for residents to plant on their own properties and offers additional planting support in neighbourhoods with lower tree canopy. Programs like this make it easier for residents to be part of growing Ottawa's urban forest.
Finally, as we build and redevelop communities, we need to make sure new trees actually have the space and soil they need to grow and survive. Expanding our canopy isn't just about how many trees we plant. It is about protecting the trees we already have and making sure the trees we plant today are still healthy and providing shade decades from now."
David Purchase
"The first thing is protecting the mature trees we already have. We can plant thousands of new trees, but it takes decades for a young tree to replace what a large mature tree provides to a neighbourhood.
That has to be taken seriously when we approve development and when the City does its own road and infrastructure work. Sometimes a tree does have to come down, but that shouldn't automatically be the easiest option. If it can reasonably be protected, it should be.
When trees do have to be removed, I want the replacement requirements enforced and I want to know that those replacement trees are actually being planted and surviving. Ottawa already has rules requiring replacement or compensation for protected trees that are removed. Those rules need to mean something on the ground.
We also shouldn't just plant trees wherever it's easiest to put them. Ottawa has a 40% urban tree canopy goal, and we have mapping that shows us which neighbourhoods have less canopy. That's where planting should be concentrated, along with replacing City trees when they're lost and making it easier for residents who want trees on their own properties to get them.
For me, success isn't how many trees we say we planted in a year. It's whether Ottawa's tree canopy is actually growing."
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Response in French Provided by the Candidate
"Planter de nouveaux arbres est important, mais il faut commencer par protéger les arbres matures qu'on a déjà. Un nouvel arbre ne remplace pas du jour au lendemain un grand arbre qui est là depuis 40 ou 50 ans.
Quand la Ville refait une rue ou qu'un nouveau projet de développement arrive dans un quartier, je veux qu'on regarde sérieusement comment conserver les arbres existants avant de décider de les enlever. Il y aura des situations où un arbre doit partir, mais ça ne devrait pas être automatiquement la solution la plus facile.
Et lorsqu'on doit enlever des arbres protégés, les règles de remplacement doivent être appliquées. Je veux aussi qu'on fasse le suivi. Dire qu'on a planté un arbre ne veut pas dire grand-chose s'il est mort quelques années plus tard.
Ottawa vise un couvert forestier urbain de 40 %. On sait aussi quels quartiers ont moins d'arbres que les autres. Utilisons cette information pour décider où les nouveaux arbres peuvent faire la plus grande différence, tout en facilitant la plantation chez les résidents qui veulent aussi participer.
Au bout du compte, je veux voir le couvert forestier d'Ottawa augmenter, pas seulement un rapport qui nous dit combien d'arbres ont été plantés."