Ward 22 - Riverside South-Findlay Creek

Want to know how Ward 22 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.

*** Candidate Steve Desroches and Zainab Alsalihiy did not fill out this survey and have been removed from the table.

Ward 22 - Riverside South-Findlay Creek
	Questions	Answers
		Em McLellan	Salah Elsaadi
1	Will you commit to fully funding and implementing the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution Plan?	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
3	Will you commit to phasing out natural gas infrastructure and prioritize conservation and efficiency over new, renewed or expanded gas infrastructure?	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
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
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
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
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	No
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
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	No
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
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
13	Will you commit to developing strategies that bring Ottawans at all diversity intersections together on environmental issues?	Yes	Yes
	# Yes	12	10
	# No	1	3

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

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. In 2019 the City of Ottawa Council joined other major cities in the world to work on reducing emissions to net zero by 2050. I support funding based on prioritizing what is needed in relation to cost effectives and returns.

Em McLellan

Yes. Climate change is HERE and it's real and people have to get involved and to help save our climate.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. To achieve this, we must focus on smart growth and development. The City of Ottawa in rapidly growing and this raised the need to the effective use of land, buildings, transportation and renewable energy.

Em McLellan

Yes. I like the notion of the 15 minute walkable neighborhoods. People are meant for community and the way we have structured the house building developments, just leads to urban sprawl. This is not conducive to a human's mental wellbeing. The suburbs are just becoming more and more like sprawl. One community is as generic as the other. The 15 minute walkable neighborhood allows for people to feel connected to their neighbour.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. Natural gas is abundant and clean burning. Conservation and efficiency go hand in hand with gas infrastructure improvements. We must crawl before we can walk and prioritize accordingly. The City must work with the province and identify the best solutions which will not negatively on residents who are paying the bills.

Em McLellan

Seriously I do not know enough about this to give an opinion on this.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. The net-zero emission plan is aggressive. We must step carefully. A detailed study on cost effectiveness of building versus retrofits. I do commit on not passing the costs down to tenants. Pressure on residents due to ongoing rising cost does not seem to end.

Em McLellan

Yes.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. Absolutely. Climate change has and will create unpredictable events that negatively impact our citizens. I will work with Council to ensure that plans are in place that clearly identify the necessary support.

Em McLellan

Yes. I feel that as a community overall we must look out for our most vulnerable segment of our society. If we don't have set programs for the vulnerable it will just cost the tax payers more in the long run ,if we ignore them and besides I think it's an ethical approach

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. My commitments include investments in infrastructure and public transit. We need to correct the problems of LRT, work on improved scheduling and making public transit more reliable affordable and accessible.

Em McLellan

Yes. Part of the problem is the culture at OC Transpo. We have to hold them accountable as it stands right now, the culture at OC is one of apathy .The executives get their yearly bonuses whether the bus comes on time or not. This cavalier approach comes from management their attitude is millionaires do not take the bus, it's really only the everyday people. Unless you change the culture and demand that the executives and the city councilor's start taking the bus. The culture towards mass transit will never change.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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)?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. On the condition of cost effectives. What currently exists must be clearly identified and improved on without the burden of extra costs. We do not need to spend 100’s of millions to achieve this.

Em McLellan

Yes. I have been a life time biker all my life ,I do not drive. I would love to see bike lanes that are protected from the cars .

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

No. I support the Tree Protection By-Law enacted in January 2021. We already have experts at the City who can decide whether permit is required or not. We must be careful and be fiscally responsible and not create work for arborists.

Em McLellan

Yes. Just keep planting trees. I think each ward in the city should be given certain projection goals that has to be reached every year . This would be regards to tree planting and maintaining green space.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. We need more green space than we already have. Urban planning has to take into consideration on biodiversity, but must not do things to infringe on private property owners. Funds towards naturalization are needed; I am neutral about this until there is an official prioritization plan.

Em McLellan

Yes. I like the idea but I do not know enough about it. Here at RSS/FC we have a coyote problem. I just think that the community has to educate the people on how to live with the wildlife.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

No. We cannot arbitrarily say yes without a plan on how to collect bis from buildings. Cost analysis and effective methods have to be identified first.

Em McLellan

Yes. More education is needed for the residents to understand why we need to recycle.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

No. Residents are already under extreme financial pressures. Proper Management of this issues is of utmost importance

Em McLellan

No. You're just burdening the poor with another tax.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. Absolutely and without hesitation. Our Indigenous communities have been neglected and I will work on developing plans for improvements.

Em McLellan

Yes. They are part of the community.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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

Salah Elsaadi

Yes. I am a local business person and former chair of a business improvement area who learned how to effective work with the three levels of government. I believe that economic development, diversity, openness, accessibility, and neighborhood safety of the people, must always be our highest priorities.

Em McLellan

Yes. I get tired of special interest groups plotting agenda's to try and divided and lessen other communities. We all belong to the human race and we all live on the same plant maybe it's time to resolve the climate change as one unified front.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

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?

Salah Elsaadi

n/a

Em McLellan

Ottawa has got to come together as one and take active measures to stop climate change.

Steve Desroches

Did not participate.

Zainab Alsalihiy

Did not participate.

Ward 22 - Riverside South-Findlay Creek

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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