Mani Sharma
"Ottawa must turn Energy Evolution from a long-term strategy into a funded, measurable implementation plan. The City should publish annual progress reports showing emissions, energy use, building retrofits, transportation changes, renewable-energy deployment, and spending compared with approved targets.
The most important priorities are:
- Retrofitting homes and buildings to improve energy efficiency.
- Supporting affordable heat pumps and building electrification.
- Building a cleaner and more reliable electricity system.
- Expanding reliable public transit and active transportation.
- Accelerating the transition to zero-emission municipal vehicles and buses.
- Requiring high energy performance in new construction.
- Reducing emissions from municipal buildings, fleets, waste, and infrastructure.
- Helping residents and small businesses access financing, incentives, and technical assistance.
Climate action must be financially responsible and socially fair. Programs should prioritize households that face the highest energy burden and ensure that the transition does not make housing or transportation less affordable."
Marie-Ange Ahinful
"I would support clear annual targets and public reporting to keep Ottawa accountable. We must improve transit, increase building efficiency, reduce municipal emissions and pursue practical, affordable climate actions—with support from provincial and federal partners—to achieve net zero by 2050."
Kevin Hua
"Improving alternative transportation options so that people can be empowered to take public transit or use active transportation to get around. This includes improving the reliability, frequency, and coverage of transit through expansions of bus rapid transit and a bus station for Stittsville as well as improving road safety for road users and improving connectivity through the backing of a Vision Zero Action Plan. In addition, continuing to support and expanding, if possible, existing programs and efforts like Better Homes Ottawa for building retrofits, conversion to renewable energy, and heat pumps."
Chelsea Walton
"Ottawa has committed to net-zero emissions from City operations by 2040 and community-wide by 2050. Meeting those targets means connecting climate action to the everyday decisions Council makes about transportation, buildings, growth, waste and infrastructure.
Transportation is one of our biggest opportunities. In Stittsville, that means making transit a realistic alternative to driving by improving the reliability and frequency of existing routes, creating better route options for our newer and growing communities, and ensuring routes connect residents to major employment and transportation hubs. Transit-priority signals and targeted bus lanes can also help keep buses moving rather than sitting in the same congestion as cars. I also support OC Transpo's transition to zero-emission buses as the fleet is replaced.
We need to make shorter trips easier without a car by improving sidewalk, cycling and pathway connections to schools, parks, businesses and transit. As Stittsville grows, concentrating more housing and mixed-use development along corridors like Hazeldean Road also creates opportunities to put more people within walking distance of shops, services and better transit.
Buildings are another major source of emissions. I support energy-efficiency improvements to City facilities and programs that help residents retrofit their homes through insulation, heat pumps and other upgrades that can reduce both emissions and long-term energy costs.
Finally, we need transparent annual reporting on whether Ottawa is actually on track to meet its targets. Climate action also has to be affordable and practical, and reaching net zero will require significant provincial and federal partnership, particularly for transit, building retrofits and major infrastructure."
Theresa Qadri
"Ottawa's Energy Evolution plan is comprehensive, but to ensure success the City should strengthen accountability through carbon budgets, accelerate building retrofits, electrify transportation, and encourage mode shifts from cars and short-haul flights to lower-carbon options such as rail. While aviation and rail should be part of the strategy, the largest emissions reductions will come from decarbonizing buildings and reducing dependence on personal vehicles, which remain the dominant sources of community emissions."
Sheetal Narwal
“Be honest about where we are. Ottawa's goal was to cut community emissions 43% by 2025, and as of 2024 we were about 5% below 2012 levels. The City's own operations have done much better, close to their target. And in 2024 the Auditor General found the City hadn't reported its emissions since 2020. You can't reach a goal you aren't measuring. I'll push for an annual public report on emissions, and for climate dollars to go where they deliver measurable results: home retrofits, reliable transit, and efficient City buildings. The Climate Change Master Plan will be refreshed in 2027, during the next term, and I want Ward 6 at the table with real numbers.”