Climate Resiliency Strategy

Plant more trees, especially native trees. Plant more pollinator gardens on boulevards, in parks and in other public spaces.

Ensure residents of Ottawa that for every tree that falls due to storms, and destruction caused by “development”, the city (or developers) will plant at least two native trees. Create a clear and easy process for residents to identify spaces that need trees and/or pollinator gardens. Encourage community associations in their volunteer efforts to create native species spaces. Provide free “pollinator garden” signs. Create a public information campaign to provide information about the importance of planting native trees and native plants in our efforts to combat climate change.

Lead your community through a mapping and visioning activity like the Citizen's Coolkit

The Citizen’s Coolkit, created by the University of British Columbia, is a guide that supports communities to implement climate solutions by mapping how climate change is impacting their neighbourhoods and homes and taking action to implement solutions.

Keeping yourself cool

Ottawa Public Health has many resources on how to protect yourself during a heat wave. Soaking your feet or hands in cold water and using a fan is an effective way to cool your body down if you don’t have air conditioning.

Splash pads and pools

Increase the number of splash pads and pools and make them more available when it’s hot

Accelerate Radiative Cooling adoption

Radiative Cooling paints, coatings and films are materially inexpensive, nontoxic and can achieve sub-ambient cooling without complex installation. A wide array of minicipal powers can induce and accelerate the technology's adoption to counter the urban heat island effect.

Get a citywide Permaculture Consult

Promote integrated rainwater capture systems in new buildings that collect rainwater for household use.

Greenway Rewilding

I am temporarily living in Oleans this month, and while I love the network of multi-use pathways here - but there is so much potential for them to be even better. These pathways are built on wide grassy corridors that have eliminated all natural features that were present prior to development. In undeveloped areas, the natural marshlands of tall grasses, bullrushes, and creeks are home to countless species of birds, insects/pollinators, and support aquatic life. Rewilding these corrdiros - while maintaining a active transit corridor with perhaps a grassy buffer of ~2-3m would better retain stormwater and mitigate flooding, while providing important habitat for pollinator insects, birds, and other wildlife that has been extirpated from the area due to the development of suburban sprawl. Much of these grassy areas are wet, soggy grass after rainfall (which makes sense - it was previously marsh!) and is not fit for use as recreational open space anyway. This proposal would also reduce the maintenance costs (grass cutting), saving tax payer dollars in the long run. This is such a no-brainer, quick win across several related fronts (surrpotting wildlife, flood mitigation, urban heat island...), and would represent an important step to help make up for the devastating impacts that our (continued) suburban sprawl development has had on these lands. We need to make space for wildlife and natural systems, which in turn will help reduce the negative impacts of climate change/more extreme weather. Thank you.

Naturalized stormwater systems

Naturalized stormwater systems create attractive and inviting places that support biodiversity while connecting residents with nature: https://www.nativeplantsolutions.ca/what-we-do/naturalized-stormwater-systems/

Check if your property is at risk of river flooding

Use the City of Ottawa interactive map to see what areas are expected to flood under different flood events

Slow down drainage upstream

Bare land all over Ottawa also happens to be at a higher elevation than the river. Watershed needs to be slowed down with more spread out forests and native plans instead of focusing on fewer larger sections of reforestation. Get rid of lawns and incentivize re wilding. Find a use for abandoned mines such as buffers for spring melting or just all watershed.

Plant more native trees and bushes (male & female)

Explore options for emergency backup power

For example mobile solutions, generator sharing, low-emission sources and/or energy storage.

Depave to increase areas that can absorb stormwater

Ottawa could be finding areas and lots to depave and turn into greenspaces that can better absorb larger amounts of precipitation. In an *ideal*, best case scenario, this would include reducing lanes of certain roads, adding separated bike lanes and having green strips running alongside the roads to absorb stormwater runoff from them.

Establish a volunteer brigade to assess proximity of tree limbs to power infrastructure so city can proactively prune

discourage driving

Educate our population on the URGENCY of climate action

Changing seasons is one of the many consequences that will come in the following years. There isn't enough urgency in our response. We need to make bigger and bolder changes. We need to be more strict on recycling and composting, like many cities in Europe and Asia. We need to encourage Reducing and Reusing before recycling. We need to spread this type of messaging more efficiently and frequently.

Plant trees suitable for future climate conditions

The City of Ottawa has several programs that support tree planting

Assess cooling capacity of community buildings to meet new heat extremes and upgrade / provide shade as needed.

replace more and more asphalt with soil and trees, bushes to absorb runoff from rain and snow