Ward 14 - Somerset - Ecology Ottawa

Want to know how Ward 14 City Council candidates compare in terms of taking climate action? Then read on!

1. The YES/NO grid below shows whether candidates agree to commit to a specific environmental action.

2. The devil is in the details. Not all "yes" or "no" answers are equal. We HIGHLY recommend reading the long answers found beneath the grid, to get a real understanding of how committed Candidates are to a range of environmental issues.

Ward 14 - Somerset
	Questions	Answers
		Brandon Russell	Stuart MacKay	Ariel Troster
1	Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?	Yes	Yes	Yes
2	Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?	Yes	Yes	Yes
3	Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?	Yes	Yes	Yes
4	Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?	Yes	Yes	Yes
5	Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?	Yes	Yes	Yes
6	Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?	Yes	Yes	Yes
7	Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?	Yes	Yes	Yes
8	Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?	Yes	Yes	Yes
9	Will you ensure that the City of Ottawa prioritizes the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by actioning the following: amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?	Yes	Yes	Yes
10	In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting organic green bin waste for composting in multi-residential buildings as well as curbside, to ensure that Ottawa can avoid replacing the Trail Road landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator for residual waste for the foreseeable future?	Yes	Yes	Yes
11	Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?	No	No	Yes
12	If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?	Yes	Yes	Yes
13	Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?	Yes	Yes	Yes
	# Yes	12	12	13
	# No	1	1	0

Q1 - Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?

Brandon Russell

Yes.

Stuart MacKay

Yes.

Ariel Troster

Yes. I specifically put this in my platform, which you can read at ArielTroster.com/priorities.

Q2 - Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?

Brandon Russell

Yes. Living in centretown has really showcased the need for more 15 minute communities. I thin Somerset ward can be a city-wide leader.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. Creating walkable 15-minutes in areas such as Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orleans will help reduce transportation emissions. This must be paired with better transit service within the suburbs.

Ariel Troster

Yes. I have committed to not supporting road expansion. Our city already services 6,000 km of roads. We need to stop urban sprawl and invest in public and active transportation.

Q3 - Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?

Brandon Russell

Yes. We need to bring more solar into the downtown core - but we also need to revitalize our parks and add more green space.

Stuart MacKay

Yes.

Ariel Troster

Yes. We need to retrofit public buildings with heat pumps and solar panels.

Q4 - Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?

Brandon Russell

Yes.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. We have many Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) buildings that are aging and need to retrofitted. By prioritizing our oldest OCH buildings for retrofitting, especially those high-rise buildings where many residents are seniors, we can create healthier communities and cut down on energy costs.

Ariel Troster

Yes. There are opportunities to fund these retrofits using funding from the Green Municipal Fund's Sustainable Affordable Housing program and our city is not tapping into this enough!

Q5 - Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?

Brandon Russell

Yes! We need to have both more internal and external voices at city hall showcasing the impotence of climate programs.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. As we have already seen here in Ottawa, extreme weather events including storms and flooding will be with us for the foreseeable future. We need to develop resilient civic infrastructure to deal with the extreme weather events, which include developing greener streets with more vegetation that allows for better stormwater management. I would also recommend that council create the position of a City of Ottawa Chief Heat Officer, who would be responsible for crafting and implementing heat mitigation strategies for Ottawa residents.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Storms and floods are becoming more common due to climate change and we need to adapt and help prevent future disasters.

Q6 - Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?

Brandon Russell

Yes. This is a very important part of my platform.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. Public transit and active transportation must form the backbone of our community. We need reliable, affordable, accessible, and safe public transit across Somerset Ward and Ottawa. If elected, I would make investing in the reliability and frequency of public transit a top priority over the next four years. I would push for more frequency OC Transpo routes 6, 7, 10, 11, and 14, essential routes that serve seniors, students, and low income members of our communities. Finally, I will advocate for a more reliable ParaTranspo service for users, more investments in ParaTranspo equipment, and a greater voice in transit decision-making for Para users.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Absolutely. I expand on this in my full platform, available at arieltroster.com/priorities

Q7 - Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?

Brandon Russell

Yes.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. Creating better bike networks throughout Somerset Ward and ensuring that we have better connectivity from community to community should be encouraged. I will also advocate for high-quality, durable, and accessible sidewalks to prevent tripping and make it safer for those with mobility issues.

Ariel Troster

Yes. My platform specifically mentions the need for a functional safe cycling grid throughout the city, and I am specifically committing to fight for separated bike lanes on Kent and Gladstone.

Q8 - Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?

Brandon Russell

Yes! Somerset Ward has just 22% tree-coverage, as well as the highest temperatures in Ottawa, being 2_ degrees warmer than average.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. Somerset Ward has the lowest tree canopy of any ward in Ottawa, and we feel the heat island effects of this lack of canopy on hot summer days. I will fight to preserve and protect the existing tree canopy and support the planting of new trees. AS well, I would encourage a new strategy for succession planting for trees in Dundonald and McNabb Park.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Somerset Ward has the lowest tree coverage in the entire NCR (22%!), so this is a huge issue in downtown Ottawa.

Q9 - Will you prioritize the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?

Brandon Russell

Yes.

Stuart MacKay

Yes. I hear from many residents that they are increasingly concerned about the lack of pollinator plants, which play a crucial role in fostering biodiversity. If elected, I would advocate for increased pollinator plants in our parks and public spaces, including community gardens and innovations like “Buzz Stops” which transform the roof of bus shelters into pollinator gardens.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Part of this is holding the line and preventing future urban sprawl! Also: protecting the greenspace we already have within our city limits.

Q10 - In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting green bin waste in multi-residential buildings and curbside, ensuring Ottawa avoids replacing our landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator anytime soon?

Brandon Russell

Yes. I would also support a city based "green bin" composting platform for single family use.

Stuart MacKay

Yes.

Ariel Troster

Yes. We have a lot of apartment buildings in Somerset Ward, so this is a big gap we need to fill.

Q11 - Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?

Brandon Russell

No. I don't for a couple of reasons. Having spoken to the people of Somerset ward

Stuart MacKay

No. I would need to see more data how this would impact low-income residents in Somerset Ward before making a decision on this sort of system. My concern would be adding an additional household expense (such as the purchase of registered garbage bags) to a low-income household already struggling.

Ariel Troster

Yes. This is a good idea, we need to divert as much waste as possible away from landfills.

Q12 - If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?

Brandon Russell

Yes! I have also announced $5,000,000 in funding to deal with this.

Stuart MacKay

Yes.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Absolutely, our city sits on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabe People.

Q13 - Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?

Brandon Russell

Yes.

Stuart MacKay

Yes.

Ariel Troster

Yes. Somerset Ward has the highest rate of poverty in the city, the lowest tree cover, and the highest proportion of people who live in high rises and rooming houses with no access to private greenspace. We need to keep a climate justice lens on all city policy.

Q14 - Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your ideas, goals or commitments to improving the City's performance on climate change and environmental issues?

Brandon Russell

We need to revitalize our parks!

Stuart MacKay

While the challenge of climate change feels daunting, the only way that we are going to tackle it is through one person, one street, one neighbourhood, and one community at a time. I've seen the dedication and energy that residents in Somerset Ward are bringing to the table to make this a greener and more livable ward. If elected, they will have an ally at City Hall. Let's get to work!

Ariel Troster

You can check out my full platform at arieltroster.com/priorities

Ward 14 - Somerset

Q1 - Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?

Q2 - Will you commit to no more extensions of the urban boundary, and support building more 15-minute neighborhoods throughout the City of Ottawa, not just in the urban core?

Q3 - Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?

Q4 - Will you commit to investing in energy efficient housing for lower income communities, and ensuring that the costs of retrofits are not passed down to tenants?

Q5 - Will you commit to prioritizing climate adaptation planning for the city, including measures to protect people, infrastructure and city services, and to ensure that the city's most vulnerable populations are supported during extreme climate events?

Q6 - Will you commit to building a public transit system that is rapid, reliable, affordable and accessible for all users, with proper transit routes within rural, suburban and lower income communities?

Q7 - Will you commit to an active transit network with interconnected and protected bike lanes and multi-use paths City-wide (not just in the downtown core)?

Q8 - Will you support our target for a 40% tree canopy cover per neighborhood and protection of mature trees through the new Tree Protection By-Law?

Q9 - Will you prioritize the conservation of existing greenspace, as well as biodiversity on both city and privately owned lands by amending the property standards by-law, as well as increasing targets for and allocating more funds towards naturalization?

Q10 - In addition to improving recycling, will you support ambitiously collecting green bin waste in multi-residential buildings and curbside, ensuring Ottawa avoids replacing our landfill site with either a new landfill or an incinerator anytime soon?

Q11 - Will you support the introduction of a user pay system for curbside residual waste collection, where residents pay for the bags or containers that they put out for collection, according to the actual level of service that they use?

Q12 - If elected, would you intentionally include, and work in partnership with, the Algonquin Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous people in the creation and implementation of environmental policies?

Q13 - Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?

Q14 - Is there anything else you would like to share regarding your ideas, goals or commitments to improving the City's performance on climate change and environmental issues?

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