Mani Sharma
Ottawa should protect mature trees first and expand tree canopy where residents experience the greatest heat, pollution, and lack of shade. The City should enforce a strong no-net-loss approach for significant trees and forests, while recognizing that replacement trees cannot immediately replace the ecological value of mature trees.
I would support:
- More tree planting on streets, in parks, school areas, and underserved neighbourhoods.
- Stronger protection for mature trees during development and construction.
- Better tree maintenance, watering, pruning, and pest management.
- Transparent tree-removal permits and public reporting.
- Financial and technical support for residents, businesses, and institutions to plant and maintain trees.
- Coordination with utilities so that trees and infrastructure can coexist safely.
- Priority planting in areas with low canopy cover and high heat vulnerability.
The City should measure canopy by neighbourhood—not only citywide—because an overall average can hide serious inequities.
Marie-Ange Ahinful
I would protect healthy mature trees, require responsible tree protection and replacement during development, and expand planting in parks, along streets and in neighbourhoods with limited shade. The City should prioritize diverse native species, properly maintain young trees and publicly track canopy gains and losses to ensure our tree cover truly grows.
Kevin Hua
The City should leverage its planning powers to better protect and preserve our existing tree canopy in new developments and planting more trees to expand it especially in newer neighbourhoods that tend to have a lower tree canopy. A Community Benefits Framework could also help in requiring stipulations from developers to preserve and plant trees as a benefit to deliver to the community.
Chelsea Walton
"This is especially important in a rapidly growing community like Stittsville, where residents have watched established trees and wooded areas disappear as new subdivisions and developments are built. Growth is necessary, but we need to be more deliberate about preserving mature trees and integrating existing natural spaces into new neighbourhoods wherever possible.
Ottawa's Official Plan has a goal of reaching 40% urban tree canopy, and getting there will require us to both protect the trees we have and significantly expand planting. I support strong enforcement of the Tree Protection By-law, protecting mature trees during construction, and requiring development to retain healthy trees wherever reasonably possible. Where removal is necessary, replacement planting should occur, alongside care to ensure newly planted trees survive.
We also need to think differently about how we design our parks and public spaces. Putney Woodland Park here in Stittsville is a great example of the value of preserving existing trees as part of a neighbourhood park. Its tree canopy provides natural shade, and a very different experience from a new park where families may wait decades for newly planted trees to provide meaningful shade.
Expanding our canopy also means helping residents plant trees on their own properties. I support continuing and expanding programs such as Plant Your Place!, which provides free trees for residents to plant on private property, and Trees in Trust, which allows homeowners to request a tree on the City-owned portion of their property. These are practical programs that can help add thousands of trees across Ottawa while making it easier and more affordable for residents to participate."
Theresa Qadri
"I will ensure that every park has trees and that Ottawa continues to expand its urban canopy in a fair and sustainable way. Trees provide shade, improve air quality, reduce urban heat, support biodiversity, and make our parks more welcoming for families and residents.
My priorities include:
- Ensuring all parks have adequate tree coverage, with priority given to parks that currently lack shade.
- Protecting mature trees during development and infrastructure projects.
- Expanding tree planting in parks, along streets, and in neighbourhoods with low canopy coverage.
- Investing in regular maintenance and watering to improve tree survival rates.
- Planting diverse, climate-resilient species to protect against pests, disease, and extreme weather.
- Working with community groups, schools, and residents to support local tree planting initiatives.
By protecting existing trees and ensuring every park has healthy tree coverage, we can create greener, cooler, and more livable communities across Ottawa."
Sheetal Narwal
“The rules we have are good. The problem is enforcement. I'll push to strengthen and enforce Ottawa's tree protection rules, so trees removed during construction are actually replaced, and penalties mean something. In new subdivisions, street trees should go in with the homes, not years later. I'll also work with schools, community groups and residents on planting days, building on the clean-up events I've organized here. And I'll ask the City to report regularly on whether we're moving toward our 40% urban canopy target, ward by ward, so we know where trees are being lost.”