*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
We need to start thinking of the coming of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The availability of charging stations will be part of the new design process and redesign of existing infrastructure. Electric cars are coming. Commercialization of the technology is now a reality - electric cars are already appearing on our streets. Ford, Nissan, GM, Mitsubishi all have commercial models that are (or will be) available soon. All major car manufacturers will be on board and as a City, we must facilitate the transition. Charging stations at work, in shopping plazas, City EV fleets, special parking, are but some of the changes that will be needed. Electrification of the automobile is but one part of the transportation formula. It's role will be in displacing the internal combustion engine. Our air and streets will be cleaner and our streets quieter. EVs, bicycles, inline skates, pedestrians ... that is the future of healthy and sound transportation.
We need an LRT network that links the suburbs to the Ottawa and Gatineau downtown cores. This would take the load off existing roads highways and interprovincial bridges and reduce single commuter traffic volume. This would reduce GHG emissions. We need an LRT network that links the suburbs to the Ottawa and Gatineau downtown cores. This would take the load off existing roads highways and interprovincial bridges and reduce single commuter traffic volume. This would reduce GHG emissions. This will also aid in the economic development of the region by reducing commuting time for all workers.
Take the emphasis off cars. Build more bike lanes and give people incentive to use their two feet. Improve pathway lighting, build better sidewalks, paint "crossing lines" on some roads (like in the Byward Market) and force drivers to stop and let people cross.
What would it take to make some of our city core traffic free zones? Connect the Byward market to the sparks street area with pedestrian only pathways and squares.
Simple: Have bike racks installed on all buses during all times of the day. This will encourage people to use their bikes more during ANY TIME OF THE DAY. Personal Experience: One late Saturday night (9 pm) I needed to get on the 96 bus with my bike...after waiting an hour, with several buses passing with no bike racks, I had to plead with the bus driver to let me bring the bike aboard (thank you!). Long story short, I don't take my bike anymore because of the UNCERTAINTY of me getting a spot for my bike. If racks were on all buses, then I would be taking my bike all over the city without any doubt.
Transit, rail and low-emission cars are great, but how about reducing commuting itself? Many jobs could accommodate 1 or 2 telework days a week - or even more, with commuting reserved for when face-to-face meetings are needed. The federal government and other area employers should encourage the use of technologies like VPN and video calling to reduce the congestion, fuel use and wasted hours caused by commuting.
Narrow down some of the wide residential streets to reduce the amount of asphalt and widen the sidewalks or provide more vegetation. Many benefits would arise: less asphalt = less heat build up; wider sidewalks or more vegetation; reduced car speeds, etc. There are many residential streets in Ottawa and Gatineau that are much wider that what would be required for two lanes and some parking. Over time as these roads get rebuilt, let's narrow them down to the minimum widths possible. This will accomplish several benefits: less asphalt, therefore less heat build up and lower construction/maintenance costs; wider sidewalks and/or more green space for planting trees or other vegetation; more pleasant environment for area residents; narrower roads reduce driving speeds which leads to a safer environment.
If we are going to sprawl, the burden of maintaining the roads should be shouldered by its users. Tolls have been successfully used to deal with the costs of roads in many cities. Ottawa is sprawling. Road costs are going up. Tolls make sense as they ensure the costs are covered by the users of the roads, not the inner-city cyclists such as me.
People might use public transit more if it was easier to move from one system to another, and working together more closely might free up resources to enhance service elsewhere. Find ways to share information and pool resources to improve efficiency on both sides of the river, particularly in the downtown cores.
Teach children safe cycling skills as part of the standard primary school curriculum - it would promote healthy active living and provide independence to kids. Incorporate cycling skills training as part of standard grade school physical education. Teach children about how to operate and maintain a bicycle, cycling safety, rules of the road, etc. (refer to the MTO Young Cyclist's Guide as a reference). The existing CAN-BIKE program provides a framework on which an education program could be developed.
Ottawa has 3 HOV lanes that allow a minimum of 2 or 3 occupancy buses, taxis. Champlain, Portage and part of Hwy 417. Why not make all HOV lanes? e.g. Hwy 174 that only permit buses usable to all HOV users. Reduce traffic congestion and promote carpooling. Ottawa has 3 HOV lanes that allow a minimum of 2 or 3 occupancy buses, taxis and limos with fare. Champlain Bridge, Portage Bridge and part of Hwy 417 between Palladium Dr and Moodie Dr. Why not make all HOV lanes e.g. Hwy 174 that only permit buses usable to all HOV users Reduce traffic congestion and promote carpooling? These dedicated bus lanes would then serve a multipurpose and still provide a reliable service to bus commuters. Proper enforcement would be required through traffic monitoring in determining an appropriate occupancy to ensure that the regular bus route is not greatly affected by added traffic in the HOV lane.
Collect 10 cents per "free" off-street parking spot per day. Malls, smart centers, and office buildings could charge customers or continue to provide free parking and pay it themselves. Funds could be used for transit, pedestrian, and cycling facilities. There is no free parking. When parking is not paid for by the driver, the cost of parking (and specifically parking lots) is reflected in higher rents, more expensive shopping and dining, and higher costs of home-ownership. Those who don't drive or own cars thus subsidize those who do. Similar to the concept of charging 5cents; per plastic bag at the grocery store, this idea proposes 10 cents; per parking spot, per day that malls, smart centers, and office buildings could charge customers or pay themselves. Funds generated through parking fees could be used to develop or improve transit, pedestrian, and cycling facilities in the neighbourhood. Policy decisions that would also support market solutions to off-street parking include: Set maximum, not minimum parking standards; Increase parking fees to generate 15% vacancy rate; cruising to find empty spaces and the resulting congestion and air pollution will be reduced; Charge variable rates to reflect demand changes over peak and off-peak hours; Use progressive rate in sought-after spaces to favour short-term users; Set parking prices to equal or exceed transit fares; Provide free or discounted parking to car-pooling vehicles. Charging the full cost of curb parking will not only internalize the external cost of free parking, allocate a scarce resource (i.e., parking spaces) to high-priority users, but could also generate a substantial amount of revenue in addition to property taxes for any given neighbourhood.
Charge a nominal fee (25 Cents) for Drive-through services (e.g. Tim Horton/banks) and place a moratorium on any new drive-throughs. Placing a fee (even if small) would force people to reconsider whether to drive-through (and waste gas, and pollute) or to park their cars (or better yet walk or ride). A moratorium on new drive-throughs would be in line with the City's stated goals of trying to get people out of cars.
Ottawa is car-dependent, particularly for commuting. All this driving has negative externalities (accidents, road construction, GHG emissions, etc). The city must institute road pricing (tolls, congestion charging and increase parking fees) to deter this. Ottawa is car-dependent, particularly for commuting. All this driving has negative externalities (accidents, road construction, GHG emissions, pollution, unfriendly communities, etc). In the absence of federal or provincial action in this area (i.e. a carbon tax), cities must take the initiative. Places like the National Capital Region, need to begin to seriously address their unsustainable trajectories. The cities and NCC must work together with their respective provincial governments to institute road pricing (tolls, congestion charging, increased parking fees) in order to discourage people from driving and meet the City of Ottawa/Gatineau/NCC's stated goals. I will provide a simple example. Why should all Ottawa taxpayers (and Ontarians) subsidize the continual cycle of expansion/repair/and construction of the HWY 417. If people want to take their vehicle on the highway every day to work, let them pay a toll. Start with a $2-$5 per day toll on the HWY (dependent on vehicle size), and increase it every year. Logistically it could be done in a similar way to the HWY 407, or otherwise look at other cities that have instituted tolls. The toll itself will easily pay for implementation costs, will deter folks from driving to work, and can fund any necessary expansion/construction (which might not even be necessary). Better yet, we can use some of the revenues (establish a revenue-sharing agreement with the province who owns the 417), to fund better public transportation. How about a light-rail system up and down Carling Avenue? This is a corridor rich in housing, commercial, industrial, and movement of people and goods, and most importantly an area of great potential for intensification. Once these types of price incentives are in place, more progressive planning will further encourage people to stop moving to the suburbs and begin living closer to where they work, play, and shop. Road pricing is a no-brainer, and WILL be implemented at some point down the line in the National Capital Region. The question is how long the National Capital Region (City Ottawa, Gatineau, NCC) will drag their feet. Cheers
Develop a permit system for bringing a car downtown (like is done in cities like London) to discourage car use in the downtown core and encourage the use of mass transit etc..Develop a permit system for bringing a car downtown (like is done in cities like London) to discourage car use in the downtown core and encourage the use of mass transit etc.
Currently Ottawa has only 100 bikes and 10 Bixi stations. Providing support to expand the program increases access, reduces traffic and lowers carbon emissions in the city. Currently Ottawa has only 100 bikes and 10 Bixi stations. Providing support to expand the program increases access, reduces traffic and lowers carbon emissions in the city.
I think everyone in the National Capital region should take a sustainable transportation challenge, whether it is for a month, a season, or the whole year. The challenge is to use a sustainable mode of transportation for 3, 5, or even 7 days per week. The challenge is simple. For example, if you drive to work every day, for 1 day of the week, take a sustainable mode of transportation (e.g. bus, carpool, cycling, walking, etc). Once you do that for 1 day of the week, challenge yourself to make it 2 days of the week. At 3 days per week, you are at the bronze level; at 5 days per week, the silver level. This continues until you have reached the gold level of using sustainable transportation for all 7 days of the week. There could be an incentive for reaching the gold level, which is the ultimate challenge.
We need to have safe segregated bike paths for commuters, separate paths in some areas for pedestrians to stroll, each with appropriate intersection crossings, separate traffic lights, and especially separate bridges or segregated lanes on bridges. In Amsterdam, Copenhagen and other progressive cities, bicycles are considered a main mode of transport. It is less costly to build a bike lane or path than an extra lane for cars, better for the environment and physical fitness. Too many cyclists are injured or killed by cars and that deters many people from using bikes as a means of transportation.
The city needs to focus on developing and investing in the sustainable transportation industry. This includes simpler actions such as creating more bike lanes throughout the city as well as more complicated actions like creating an LRT to connect Ottawa. The sustainable transportation movement in Ottawa must begin with investments into green and sustainable energy - solar, wind, geothermal - thus facilitating a transition from fossil fuels to a more renewable energy system. Pilot projects can be conducted in various communities in Ottawa to test the efficiency, GHG reduction rate, and payback period of completely renewable power grids. In addition, municipal policy should be revised and revamped so as to set a renewable standard for organizations and corporations in the Ottawa region. Further, an LRT or a similar renewable public transit system should be built to ultimately reduce congestion on Ottawa roads and GHG emissions. The effort toward sustainability should also be made visible on a more direct level by creating bike lanes and more generally promoting sustainable living.
Increase the number of cyclists by: Creating connected cycling streets in residential areas by removing stop signs &; stopping thru motor traffic; In commercial areas, create separated lanes or nearby stop-less bypasses; Create paths where possible. 1 The Problem 1.1 Many possible cyclists fear busy streets They feel unsafe and the air is polluted 1.2 Paths ï‚• Don’t go to desired destinations ï‚• Are isolated - scary at night, often unlit 1.3 Residential streets ï‚• Have too many stop signs - drivers &; cyclists ignore ï‚• There are still has dangers at intersections ï‚• Cyclists make slow progress - many stops, starts ï‚• Stops signs make it tiring for cyclists - accelerate, brake, accelerate, ... 2 Goals ï‚• Increased safety and comfort for cyclists and joggers ï‚• Encourage active transportation ï‚• Reduced effort and fear ï‚• More cyclists, cycling longer trips ï‚• More continuous jogging &; cycling ï‚• Reduce greenhouse gas and pollution emissions by substituting walking and biking for driving 3 Methods 3.1 Create a connected network of residential streets; 3.1.1 Characteristics 3.1.1.1 Distinctive road design ï‚• Prioritize cyclists, walkers, joggers, skaters, skateboarders wheelchairs ï‚• 30kph limit ï‚• Blocks to fast through motor traffic, e.g., roundabouts, planters, intersection diverters ï‚• Use Signage, intersection paint, planters, benches to make street people-friendly 3.1.1.2 Pedestrian-friendly features Benches, drinking fountains 3.1.1.3 Arterial crossing help, e.g.: At intersections with arterials, have signals, a roundabout, or a crosswalk with a signal. 3.1.2 Safety Benefits 3.1.2.1 Lower motor traffic volumes, speeds 3.1.2.2 Low speed differential with motorists Less injury potential Easier to avoid accidents 3.1.2.3 Less conflict at intersections 3.1.2.4 Safer arterial crossings 3.1.3 Efficiency Benefits ï‚• Fewer stops or delays than current local streets ï‚• Signals/roundabouts reduce delays at arterials ï‚• Continuous network - go anywhere --result in-- ï‚• Reduced cyclist fatigue, especially when using trailers for goods or children ï‚• More continuous protected jogging routes ï‚• Reduced travel time &; effort for cyclists 3.1.4 Benefits to pedestrians 3.1.4.1 More pleasant environment for walking or sitting Less noise from acceleration or braking Less pollution from acceleration 3.1.4.2 Safer and more pleasant street crossings Lower volume & speeds Crossings protected by 2-way stop sign Signals or roundabout at arterial crossings 3.1.5 Benefits to neighbourhood 3.1.5.1 Reduced through motor traffic 3.1.5.2 Safer, more pleasant environment 3.1.5.3 Locality; improvements more sense of a neighbourhood centre, focus more pedestrian interaction 3.1.5.4 Less stop sign usage reduces acceleration, deceleration, resulting in Less noise Less pollution from brakes, acceleration Less fuel usage 3.1.6 Choosing a street 3.1.6.1 Residential streets E.G., Community routes in Ottawa Cycling Plan 3.1.6.2 Access to neighbourhood destinations Schools, parks, shopping, community centres 3.1.6.3 Connections to Other bike streets, bike lanes, paths, separated bike lanes 3.1.6.4 Avoid ï‚• Truck, transit routes - big vehicles, blind spots ï‚• Retail shopping streets - many stops, parking 3.1.6.5 Create a network of connected routes 3.2 Create a network of separated bike lanes ï‚• Necessary for safety on fast or busy streets like Baseline or Montreal Road. ï‚• Sometimes these big roads avoid otherwise very long detours for cyclists to use small streets or paths. ï‚• Very necessary for crossing the 417 or our rivers or canal, e.g., Eagleson, Maitland, Innes, Bank St., Montreal Rd. 4 Final objective To move personal transport in Ottawa away from motor vehicles and toward active travel, i.e., cycling, walking, skating or board, which is not only more sustainable but healthier.
Favoriser le sens communautaire en faisant du Centreville d'Ottawa un endroit vert, sécuritaire et attirant pour tous éviter au maximum les voitures au centreville Rendre le Centreville sécuritaire pour les piétons, les cyclistes et les personnes avec mobilité réduite (marchant lentement, utilisant des marchettes ou chaises roulantes) Espace pour le transport en commun incluant paratranspo, les taxis, et voitures transportant les personnes handicapées Permettre le transport de marchandises pour les commerçants
In Ottawa South, truck traffic is everywhere. Bank street which is a former kings highway is the worst &; is getting more &; more dangerous for the many who chose to cycle into town to catch the buses. Albion Rd, Hawthorne Rd. &; Anderson Road also to busy. Hunt Club's new 417 exit will help funnel traffic onto Hawthorne then onto Bank Street. Wide Bank to 4 lanes to support the trucks and ever growing population. Get trucks out of Rural Metcalfe Village with proper truck routes, this is very possible.
A belt corridor linking all major commercial and residential areas of the region, without expropriation!!! Includes a tourist attraction as part of its' conception. A properly planned LRT/highway/heavy truck route. Serving communities across the NCR, this project would unite both sides of the River to maximize existing infrastructure and ensure the flow of goods and people throughout the NCR. Beginning at the junction of Highway 50 and Montee Paiement, following the reserved lands for the Deschenes Autoroute, towards the north of Aylmer, along Pink to the River where a suspension structure of stunning beauty would carry over to Riddell in Kanata, along March or Huntmar to Fallowfield, over to the 416, south for a few kilometres to Barnsdale just north of Manotick, over the Rideau and along Rideau Rd, to the 417 junction. This project would be possible without very much expropriation and without disrupting traffic during its' completion. A multi-purpose corridor for trucks, cars and commuter trains. Transit hubs could be created where people can access the train via bus, bike or walk. The bridge itself would also create sustainable tourism jobs as it could be fashioned in a similar way as the Golden Gate bridge in SF. This project benefits every single person in the NCR as it also serves to reduce wait times, traffic conundrums and commuter transit times. It would also not impact harshly on the environment as a toll could be installed at various points along the route (similar to 407) to pay for sustainable agriculture projects within its' boundaries. A win win situation for all!!!
Un train-aérien entre les deux villes comme il y a a Chicago et son métro aérien. Ca couterait beaucoup moins cher de construire ce genre de transport collectif en le construisant au dessus des principaux boulevards et rues des centres-villes. Pour le même montant qu`Ottawa va dépenser a construire son tunnel sous son centre-ville, on pourraient facilement le réaliser. Et en utilisant le Pont Prince de Galles pour un et en y aménageant un 2e pont mais consacrer uniquement qu`au transport collectif (aucunes voitures/camions) làou depuis des années Gatineau voudrait voir s`élever un pont...( Ile Kettle)...On construirait l infrastructure idéale a l`édification de deux nouvelles villes durables.
Transportation planning should think more about how to encourage people to walk - people of all ages- a city for pedestrians. Transportation planning is beginning to give a larger space to bicycles and other solutions that are not the private car - more thinking about encouraging pedestrians would be important - how to make walking in the city a more pleasant experience.
Réduire la surface de roulement des rues et boulevards Que les villes de Gatineau et d`Ottawa ainsi que la CCN commence dès maintenant a revoir la configuration de leurs rues et boulevards pour les rendre moins attrayantes aux automobilistes en réduisant leurs surfaces de roulements. Plutôt que de les mettre a 4 voies et plus, qu`ils en construisent a deux voies forçant ainsi les utilisateurs a opter pour les autres modes de transports comme l`autobus ou le vélo. Voila ce qui serait un bon début de s`affranchir totalement du pétrole.
We need to focus planning on making it possible to live in our region without feeling one has to have his own car, thanks to: complete neighbourhoods with a full range of services, a really good transit service, cycling and walking environment, car sharing It is not about what your car uses for fuel or how big it is; it is about being free to live without one. The city will be a much better place without so many cars, on the road and parked on land that could be used for green functions and/or denser housing/other services. Car sharing allows people to get just enough car access to avoid ownership and to slowly ratchet down their car-dependency. This will be a big improvement for those planner now ignore: the poor, elderly, disabled, children, ill/infirm, visitors, and 'simplicists.' Neighbourhoods will be planned to allow only development that has a net community benefit by reducing the average trip by those living, working, and visiting there, or travel-reducing development.
Redesign the city so that light transportation can have more importance. This would include more space for bikes, wheelchairs, roller blades, skateboards, electric bikes, pedestrians and whatever other crazy methods of transportation we can invent. A mass reconstruction of the city's LT corridors. Conglomerating bike lanes from both sides of the street (eg; Laurier Ave) would give a lot more space to people using LT. This system can have major paths and smaller ones depending on the amount of traffic. It would be great to see LT paths on all roads by either shortening the sidewalk or moving it to the grassy part away from the road. This would give us extra space to create these paths which would encourage all types of LT.
Create overhead parallel road system on the 174 East &; West and in the downtown core(Albert & Slater). Create an overhead parallel road system on the 174 running East & West and also in the downtown core(Albert &; Slater) to reduce congestion on roads especially during peak hours. The downtown system could be monorail transportation.
In the city's core, put bike lanes on the sidewalks (where it's wide enough). All it takes is a little paint, and people will feel safer biking to/from work. Biking in the city can be daunting with cars and trucks intimidating (aka, cutting off) bike riders. If we had a designated area of the wide, city core sidewalks for bikes (just painted a painted bike lane), people may feel less threatened and more incline to bike it downtown. Could be a good step toward a car-free centre, and would complement the bike rental scheme.
One of the problems with adding bikelanes to already congested traffic areas is that the existance of a lane doesn't make new commuters feel any safer. Instead, why not add "floating" lanes above sidewalks? The support structure need not be as massive or expensive as creating a skyway for cars, and with regular "exits", just like a highway, bikers could have a direct route through the core without endangering pedestrians or themselves. The skyway could be placed over wide sidewalks on major routes and make commuting through and to the downtown safer.
I moved into the city! Living an hour from work does not help the environment... I now walk everywhere and bus to work. People need to stop moving so far away. Ottawa needs to cap the expansion of the city and start re-thinking and properly urban plan the core.
Why not on the 417 instead of having 1 of 4 lanes being HOV make 2 of 4. Changing the number of HOV lanes on the 417 from 1 to 2 would really get people thinking about carpooling.. Or breaking the law in which would just treat the 2 lanes as say a $10 toll road enforced by cameras... :) Only do this during rush hours no need to limit the lanes at 10:00 at night.
An extension of the O-train into Gatineau would be easy on the existing bridge at Bayview. The currently used road bridges are jammed every morning with single occupant cars making it a long, carbon intensive commute. A rail link is the obvious solution. An extension of the O-train into Gatineau would be easy on the existing bridge at Bayview. The currently used road bridges are jammed every morning with single occupant cars making it a long, carbon intensive commute. A rail link is the obvious solution.
Building better walkways and bike routes to encourage commuters to leave their car at home. Pedestrians and cyclists need to be considered when creating or redesigning roadways and bike paths, and we need more of them in our urban and commercial areas. There are too many bike paths and sidewalks that abruptly end in an area of heavy traffic. In particular, I would like several well designed paths, bridges and tunnels built that safely allow and encourage Ottawans to cross the Queensway on foot or bike. Many of the existing bike paths in Ottawa are through parks and wooded areas that are unsafe to travel through alone or after dark. When traveling from point A to B, walking or cycling should be a practical and safe option without lengthy detours or shortcuts through heavy traffic that would discourage most commuters.
I have a scooter, but if i drive on the highway with it is too dangerous, I wish we could have a little side road that is easy access to places that people need to go. it could also be used for bikes, but make them wide enough for both with an extra lane for Scooters.
From our roads along the canal, to our parkways, we have spent huge amounts of tax dollars on bike paths. Often one on each side of the road. Let's ban bikes from driving on the road and obstructing traffic when there is a tax payer funded path available. We need to support cyclists, yet we also need to respect that bike paths were built so that traffic can flow freely on our main arteries and roads. A law or a by-law banning bikes from the roadway when there is a bike path available is the best way to make our city more sustainable as our population grows and our roads become more congested.
Mandatory development of bike and pedestrian paths connecting new suburban developments to existing paths (at expense of developer) + retrofit of existing Transit way and development of new transitway to accommodate bike and pedestrian traffic. Sub-urbanization has augmented people's reliance on cars to get around. When a developer applies to the city to develop housing in a sub-urban area, they should be required by law to develop bike and pedestrian (and possibly even scooter) routes that link to the city's other bike paths etc. This would provide safe environments (ie. not major thoroughfares) for individuals looking to leave their bicycles at home. This should also be required of any further development of the transit way for OC Transpo. If bike lanes had been incorporated into the original transitway design we would all be further ahead. A retrofit might also be something the city should look at. A transit way paid for by tax dollars that is exclusively used by buses makes no sense. People should be able to walk and bike along the transit way by means of specially designed and segregated lanes.
We need to have a more integrated transportation plan, pedestrian, cycle and public and private vehicles for the NCR. An NCR Transportation Authority, with the responsibility and authority to plan and implement a truly integrated transportation plan for the NCR.
More and more people are living in rural areas (e.g. Rockland, Casselman and beyond) More efficient mass transit that ran later and all day (even just once an hour) would get more people out of their cars. A rail system like the Go Trains in Toronto or suburban trains in Montreal would be nice but expensive. Buses that serve these areas are few and don't run late (if you have a late meeting you have to drive). An alternative to having these buses run all day, which may not be practical or cost effective, would be to have a better park and ride system in an area like Vars on a major artery (Russell road or the 417) which is serviced by bus on a half-hourly basis all day. The cost for a monthly pass to these locations would have to be low enough to offset the cost of parking/gas. This is about areas to the east (that's where I live) but the areas west and south would benefit as well from something similar. I already ride the bus from Bourget (part of Clarence-Rockland) but it is not very convenient and makes for a very long day with no flexibility if I need to get home for emergency.
Dans la planification des transports il faut vraiment considérer les piétons et encourager la marche. Les personnes qui font la planification des transports doivent prendre en considération des façons de planifier la ville pour des piétons - on commence à penser aux bicyclettes amis il faut continuer à favoriser une ville sans voitures privées - et donc encourager la marche.
I think that we should make larger sections of the downtown core inaccessible to vehicles unless they are emergency vehicles and for mobility issues. The extra space could be used for more market stalls, patios, trees, and pedestrian friendly zones. I think that we should make larger sections of the downtown core inaccessible to vehicles unless they are emergency vehicles and for mobility issues. The shutting down of the streets would be coordinated with public transit. The area could be supplemented by cycling infrastructure and pedestrian zones. The extra space generated by the closure of these roads could be used for more market stalls, patios, trees, and pedestrian friendly zones. This would increase the tourism appeal of the down town and open up the possibility for more urban based festivals in the core of the city. This would further justify the creation of the LRT tunnel in the downtown core, encourage alternative transportation, and increase the effective space of the city center.
Assurer la cohérence de la planification et de l'aménagement du territoire et des transports à l'échelle métropolitaine pour mettre un œuvre des modes durables de dé placement et d'occupation du territoire dans toute la région Les élus, les décideurs, les professionnels de l'aménagement du territoire et des transports, les groupes d'intérêt et les citoyens de l'ensemble de la région métropolitaine doivent se concerter systématiquement pour que l'aménagement des milieux de vie et les modes de déplacement soient planifiés simultanément et conjointement. Cela permettra à la fois de limiter les besoins de déplacement motorisé des gens et de leur offrir un milieu de vie de qualité où ils peuvent aussi travailler, se divertir et avoir accès aux biens et services dont ils ont besoin.
Bike lanes seem to appear and disappear across the city, often ending at intersections, which is where bikes need the most support. For the cost of some paint, MANY MANY useful bike routes could be made much more obvious and safer. Consistency helps! I love the dedicated bike lanes on Laurier, but they don't go far and require significant infrastructure and study. Road networks are, will, still be a main stay of bike commuters since they go everywhere. But markings of bike routes are very inconsistent! Painted bike lanes are always ending at intersections - I run into this at least twice on each ride I take! Clear lane markings throughout the length of an extended route, with lots of painted bicycles (or even some signs on posts) is an inexpensive way to significantly enhance the biking experience and encourage more biking. It also sends a message that bike belong too, which both encourages more bikers and helps to make drivers more aware and hopefully more respectful of bikes. Can we send out a couple of intelligent city workers with sufficient authority in a paint truck to drive all the connector roads across the city and fix the existing bike lane issues?
Wider sidewalks with fewer obstructions such as advertisement boards and vending boxes as well as traffic lights downtown that favour the movement of pedestrians with equal or more time to cross an intersection as cars. Wider sidewalks without obstructing traffic are not an impossibility as the recent re-working of Bank St. from Wellington to Catherine has shown as well as what was done to Wellington St. from Somerset through Westboro. I understand the need for revenue but the advertisement boards set in concrete do reduce the flow of the space. Traffic lights that have a cycle that is only for pedestrians would work wonders at major intersections such as Laurier and Elgin, Rideau and Sussex, anywhere along the downtown sections of Bank, Metcalfe, Kent, O'Connor, Lyon, Bay. Toronto has installed on at Yonge and Dundas, Montreal has had some (I think) in some neighbourhoods where there are more older people. Other major cities have had them for decades. Light cycles where only pedestrians can cross allows people to cross diagonally, of course, making movement through the core quicker for pedestrians. The current light cycles favour cars downtown as the flashing hand appears but a few seconds after the walk signal and technically one is considering jaywalking if one steps off the curb after the hand appears (even though one may have enough time to clear the path). I understand that this is to allow right-turning cars the chance to get through. Further, in areas where there is a button and sensor in the roadway, the roadway sensor triggers the light quicker than the button. See Christie and Bronson, Primrose and Bronson, Percy and Gladstone.
By having the LRT or O Train from Kanata to downtown, the traffic volume and GHG Emissions will be reduced drastically. It may cost the City a lot of money, but in the long run, when you consider the increase in population and cars, this will make Ottawa more sustainable.
We need LRT. Maybe a bit expensive for us now, but will serve to many future generations (let's have a look at history of railways in Europe)...no to mention that Ottawa should look like capital city of Canada! City Council should vote for LRT.
The national capital region cycling network would consist of a network of bike lanes across the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau making cycling in the cities a safe and sustainable alternative. What if bikes lanes actually connected to each other instead of ending at the most awkward points? What if city council decided to make bike paths a priority and established a vision for city-wide networks in both cities of bike lanes and bike paths? Such a network (and the plan for such a network) would create a vision for safe and sustainable transportation in the bike season.
Get more and more people using the city transit, bicycling, or a scooter as an alternative to using a car. Cars pollute our environment meaning air quality, and affects our climate. People still won't understand this, and sustaining our environment is a serious issue being ignored. We all have a responsibility.
At the neighbourhood level, evaluate the walkability of each post-1950 neighbourhood. Determine which links need to be added and create walkable "pedestrian pockets" in the suburbs. New suburban building must be pedestrian friendly, first. Stop building new car-oriented suburban sprawl and start building mixed-use, walkable, transit-oriented communities. For existing suburbs, determine the REAL walkability of a neighbourhood. Is there any where to walk to? Does anyone walk? Publish the results and then work with the communities to improve walkability over time. A walkable neighbourhood is also transit-friendly. Resources need to be diverted from roads and directed towards walking, cycling, and transit infrastructure.
A transit authority that plans & operates transit for both cities (Ottawa, Gatineau) and satellite towns, such as Russell Arnprior Wakefield Thurso Almonte Carleton Place etc. This integrated transit system would allow for easy access to both down-towns. The suggested system would ignore the provincial border and allow not only access to downtowns but also to employment centres and recreation/ entertainment areas, Probably powered by electricity with both buried and raised tracks and surface ones as appropriate.
While Bixi bikes are in Ottawa, they don't work unless you have hundreds of stations. I know a lot of people who use them but if there isn't a Bixi bike station at their destination they won't use it unless the person buys a lock, which defeats the purpose. Install many more Bixi bike locations.
Fast suburban rail transit. Why don't we convert the O train to 25kV electrified line. A diesel train is at best 40% efficient for given power input and an electrified train is between 80 and 85% efficient for the same rating plus more reliable. If you take into account regenerative power savings of the electrical system this beats diesel power hands down. SO while the cost of the electrical system may be more initially we are getting payback at twice the rate of the diesel system. Here is the other benefit. Diesel is fixed cost throughout the day but electricity becomes cheaper in off peak times meaning that you can afford to offer better and more frequent service out of office hours which stimulates recreational and weekend use. Why plan to provide LRT out to the suburbs, the outlying cities are generally loaded with people who only need a fast route into the centre with no stops. Until you offer a service that competes with the car you will not get the riders to make a sacrifice and take public transit over their convenient cars.
With both the Provincial and Federal governments looking to Ottawa to increase transit ridership, it would appear that the city of Ottawa is missing a huge opportunity. LRT from South Keys to the Ottawa Airport along the Airport Parkway. Did you know that Ottawa is the only remaining G8 capital without LRT into the airport terminal? Did you know that the Ottawa airport serves approximately 12,400 airlines passengers daily? Did you know that the airport employs 11,800 full and part time employees, and yet, we hesitate on expanding the O-train to the airport terminal along the Airport Parkway. The Airport Master Plan calls for LRT into the terminal. In fact, since 1999, Mr. Paul Benoit, has expressed his interest in public transit and LRT
http://www.ottawa-airport.ca/Newsroom/speeches/1999-05-04-APM-e.php and yet, Ottawa city council will not vote for LRT along the Airport Parkway into the terminal and beyond into Riverside south. If we want to build a sustainable capital, we need to put transit where people use vehicles. No better example in the city of Ottawa than bringing LRT into the Airport terminal to serve the approximate 24,000 daily (employees and airline) travellers who are all potential transit riders.
Long term capital expenditure and operating costs. Reduce expenditure on road building and migrate savings into public transit, we are spending money on road building programs which are not taking into account the oil costs and the need of modal shift of the public. The capital costs never take into account the maintenance and refurbishment costs over the lifetime of the roads so we have a like for like comparison between transit and highways. The building of more roads just encourages more drivers and diverts taxes from the many to the individuals. Any project cost must take into account total life costs.
Reducing CO emissions at stops and improving safety. Use more roundabouts. The continual stop start of four way junctions only adds to pollution. If we look at the roundabout it has some major advantages: 1) Cars move more freely. 2) The roundabout can beautify the area with central green space. 3) Safer - The collisions on a roundabout are more front and rear, where the car has been designed to safely crumple. In the context of a four way stop you can only get 't' boned where the car is at the weakest and potentially the most lethal for the occupant. 4) The four way stop has to operate at least 4- 150W lamps continually for 24 hours, multiplied by the number of four way stops in the city amounts to a considerable energy bill and not taking into account maintenance. Roundabouts have minimal gardening or simplest repainting.
Accessibility by walking. As we move into the 21st century we have to have liveable cities which are not planned around car access. Any new development should not be fully isolated by roadways in in inaccessible islands. The city must mandate pedestrian access to local amenities so that a car journey is not necessary. Every bridge crossing should have safe pedestrian access to be able to cross it without risking your life.
Make roads pay for themselves. Since road construction and maintenance are major costs, we need to make them sustainable. One way would be to charge access fees for roads. An annual access fee charged on commercial parking spaces at shopping centers and offices could pay snow removal, cleaning and maintenance.
Encourage people to walk more and bicycle more. We need to encourage people to use the existing pathways, sidewalks and bridges. Not sure how to do this but how do we go beyond the usual people who use them now? With better public transit!
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Tell your Councillor you are concerned that there's no plan on how to reduce our city's contribution to climate change. Get your community association business improvement association to do the same. While the City of Ottawa has done quite a bit to try and reduce its own carbon footprint as produced by City operations, this is a drop in the bucket compared to what the overall community contributes to climate change and that continues to increase. Past plans and efforts such as the anti-idling bylaw, ZeroFootPrint.org and the Count Me In challenge have not succeeded in changing this trend. The Choosing Our Future initiative may meet the same fate if decision-makers don't give it higher priority and they won’t do that unless their constituents tell them to do so. This is a large and difficult challenge but if we as citizens don't express our concern then municipal leaders can't allocate resources to even think of how to plan to address the issue. Much less press for changes within their control nor changes up the chain such as provincially through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, etc..
Recognize we have One Planet; focus on integration of systems, employ long-term thinking and champion diversity, creativity, learning and cooperation. A national capital region that coordinates and prioritizes a more transit/pedestrian and bike-friendly neighbourhood and region, with an emphasis on employing passive and active sustainable strategies for site and building design focused on aesthetics should make Ottawa stand out as a gem in the nation’s eyes. A Ottawa-Gatineau-NCC region that takes a stance to become a leader in the existing provincial green economy and towards ensuring the shift towards a more sustainable future also equates to burgeoning (new) economy abundant with cultural growth fraught sustainable practises, including conservation and the 3Rs (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and of course compost). This form of coordinated effort between three jurisdictions shows leadership and will increase a resident and business owner’s satisfaction with one’s quality of life and one’s relationship with the surrounding environment (whether built or natural). This will also create an overall healthier community.
I would encourage a culture of moderation among politicians, corporations and citizens in our community. If living smaller was the goal smaller homes, smaller yards, smaller cars - savings in capital and maintenance costs would be realized. Recognition and incentives for builders to create small energy efficient sustainable communities especially within the downtown cores that emphasis active transportation and availability of goods within walking distances. Incentives to retailers to reduce waste and energy use by turning off lights during daytime hours, asking suppliers to ship without plastic packaging, etc.. Discount to shoppers who walk to get groceries and other goods. Instead of driving, leading to smaller parking lots and less wasted space. In future generations, extra space could be used for community garden areas.
Future development in the downtown core needs to be sustainable. Incentives are given to sustainable green developers who meet criteria to allow for more multiuse developments within the downtown core allowing for more affordable housing, recreation centres and gathering places for people to work live and play in their community.
The participating corporations of the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau, NCC can be mobilized to encourage, support and empower their workforce to be models and champions of sustainable practices. Start by changing the workplace to develop and maintain practices that foster environmental responsibility, like reducing waste, eliminating the use of disposable food containers and cups, choosing better transportation options, etc.. Create teams in each section of each floor of every workplace with the responsibility to educate encourage and empower the employees. Create a model that can be used by other large employers in the City like the federal government.
Build healthy communities though expanding the Community Development Framework model to more neighbourhoods. By adding to the number of neighbourhoods using the Community Development Framework (CDF) model, we can address the social dimension of sustainability by increasing inclusion for all residents and building healthy communities.
With an ever more ethno-racially diverse community - with Aboriginal Peoples and peoples of colour experiencing rates of poverty that are 2X, 3X or higher than local averages - equity and inclusion is critical to ALL green jobs; green economy initiatives. As our Ottawa-Gatineau region becomes ever more ethno-racially and otherwise diverse - a very much welcome evolution of the diversities of our communities - we need recognize the all too real and growing inequities and disparities that very much characterize and define the lives, life chances and life outcomes of Aboriginal Peoples and peoples of colour across the national capital region. So as we explore, design, build & create shared futures for our communities - we need consciously incorporate racial justice objectives as a critical dimension or element of sustainable neighbourhoods. Only then can we effectively address the institutional and structural barriers and systemic disadvantages that lead to rates of poverty that are 2 or 3 times or higher than local averages. Therefore the formal "imbedding" of the twin principles of equity and inclusion into all governmental legislative, policy, programme and practice frameworks is critical to a truly healthy, equitable and sustainable future for all!!
Create a map of all the pathways and links within the Capital Region. Encourage people to use alternative means of transportation by having a singular map of all the pathways within the greater capital region so that people can easily find the links Include all of them (the dirt, gravel, paved etc) owned / maintained by all levels of government. This will encourage people to easily enjoy and travel / recreate easily throughout the region at all times of the year Make it readily available online, at all municipal locations and other locations for purchase / viewing.
Ottawa & Gatineau share vital resources. Air and water quality are impacted by our operations and affect everyone in the national capital region. Therefore, we must encourage each city and province to ensure resources are treated with the same standards. An example of this would be waste water treatment. The current practice for Ottawa is to treat wastewater in several stages including primary and secondary treatment, chlorination, and soon de-chlorination before returning water to the river. Gatineau only goes to secondary treatment. If we are to continue protecting the River ecosystem one that everyone relies on, we need to ensure that everyone sharing that resource is implementing the best of best practices. Not just the bare minimum. This takes communication and collaboration.
During economic down turns you need to teach communities how to use what they already have to go create what they need to compete in a Global economy. To do that requires a Sustainability Investment System that limits the risk of opening new opportunities. What is proposed is to teach communities how to do what IRC Ottawa has been doing over the last 15 years and give them the tools to compete in a Global economy. GO to www.FMLcoach.ca and click on What is proposed to see what is being supported at present. The books show the IRC as supported over 50 Grass Roots R&D/marketing and small Business start-up projects over that time period. In 2002 the Federal government called it the most innovative investment System they had seen in a long time, but they did not support that type of Innovation to help support the demands by even some of their own to take it to most communities across Canada. The IRC even had request to support projects from out of the U.S. at the time, but to handle it would require a lot more support than the IRC could get in the Ottawa region at the time. Have we used Innovation and team work to turn $1 cash into $55 dollars worth of development and marketing effort to support over 50 marketable projects and assisted a lot of students, unemployed and people with learning disabilities to open new opportunities. Understand the top 100 ideas that changed the world; came from Canada. Every last one had to leave the country to make it to market. The IRC has developed a means to remove the reason those projects had to leave ad has shown it works. The Ontario government even changed the investment rules to help when we conceived the idea. The Federal government within the last few years has given a means to raise a lot of investment money, but will require a government partner to open that cash flow. As you can see even though the IRC has had to curtail a lot of what it does. Due to the recession having a major impact on most of its support network. All it means is we have limited what we do based on what resources we have and are in the process of restructuring to meet the realities that came from the recession. That impacted the IRC and can be used to show communities. By using advanced technology to give communities the tools to help themselves through any future economic turmoil by simply using what they already have to create what they need using innovation and a community team effort.
Children and Junior Youth are our future in this region. Extra careful attention must be given to this population in order to ensure a bright future. On the level of neighbourhood, we could change the hanging out into fruitful study circles. Invite representatives of government agencies, private educational institutions, local spiritual groups...etc., to meet, consult, and unanimously agree (see the emphasis on unity of those making decisions) on a particular basic extra curricula to be conducted by volunteers in neighbourhoods for Children and Junior Youth on weekly basis. As soon as individual awareness of the process is felt by the public on a regional level it will gather momentum that will not cease, especially if its focus is on social action at the grassroots. The future will tell that investment in this kind of initiatives directed towards this group of population was very fruitful.
We need the municipalities within and bordering the NCR to forge better collaborative approaches to establish long range development plans that are aligned and mutually supporting. It is time that our cities and towns, and the NCC, recognize that they are part of a global village - well, in this case a Regional village - in terms of how they approach long range planning and community development. The collaboration on this outreach to resident and stakeholders is a good start, but it is just the small tip of the iceberg. The cities and towns along the Ottawa River continue to develop long range community design plans in isolation, with regard to what neighbouring municipalities are planning. The result is a set of non-congruent road networks that impact the sustainability of our communities as they grow out to the municipality's borders. The review of documents like Ottawa's "Ottawa 2020" need to be conducted explicitly in conjunction with the development plans established by the Ville de Gatineau. As our cities grow along the Ottawa's riverbanks, it is increasingly important that each city's new communities support the sustainability of the region, the river, and their respective residents. The difficulties in finalizing the placement of an interprovincial bridge is a good example of the lack of a shared view of the future for community development. Granted, the options discussed today for the placement of the bridge is impacted on both sides of the river by historical development and established communities, but this situation was created in large part by neighbouring cities (pre-amalgamation on both sides of the river) developing and executing city-centric community-development with minimal regard of what other towns and cities were doing around them. Moreover, the relationship between the City of Ottawa, the Ville de Gatineau, and the National Capital Commission needs to be sorted out. Are the two cities paramount and the NCC works to support and enhance both cities' long range plans? Or, is the NCC, being part of the Federal Government, the main power player and the two cities need to adapt their plans to meet the goals and objectives set by the NCC? The governance framework between these three principal entities needs to be determined and mutually approved before any real collaboration in planning and enhance of our community sustainability can be achieved. Long story short, perhaps it is time for exploring the options towards developing aligned long term development plans that are region-centric for the NCR as whole rather than maintaining the historical city-centric long term development plans that we have today.
Create a Community Association for your neighbourhood. Participate in your Community Association to build social trust that can be used to solve problems in your neighbourhood like graffiti, watch over children, neighbourhood watch. When we have strong social trust, built by Community Association annual parties, projects together like clean the capital, and annual general meetings, we can protect our green spaces, help our community and make positive change.
The Ottawa Sustainability Fund was established to provide a channel for businesses, families, and individuals to provide philanthropic support to community based projects that will provide a measurable impact on our City and the Region. That the Choosing Our Future and Ottawa Environmental Strategies publicly identify the Fund as a key tool on the journey to a sustainable future and provide appropriate support to the fundraising efforts.
I have a landlord who prohibits smoking in common areas of the building. I notice that smokers go outside for smoking. I chose this place because of it and no dogs are allowed. Why not support this healthy living to all owners of rental bldgs in Ottawa? Support owners of rental building to have a choice of renting to eco-friendly people by limiting smoking in common areas and no dogs in the buildings. (no noise - barking - that annoys neighbours and pi on carpets in common areas.
I think everyone in the National Capital region should take a sustainable transportation challenge. Whether it is for a month, a season, or the whole year. The challenge is to use a sustainable mode of transportation for 3, 5, or even 7 days per week. The challenge is simple. For example, if you drive to work every day, for 1 day of the week, take a sustainable mode of transportation (e.g. bus, carpool, cycling, walking, etc). Once you do that for 1 day of the week, challenge yourself to make it 2 days of the week. At 3 days per week, you are at the bronze level; at 5 days per week, the silver level. This continues until you have reached the gold level of using sustainable transportation for all 7 days of the week. There could be an incentive for reaching the gold level, which is the ultimate challenge.
The City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and NCC manage a LOT of land! If their landscaping practices could shift towards biodiversity and native plants, it would really help the pollinators in this time of crisis. The City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and NCC manage a LOT of land! If the three parties could work together to develop landscaping practices that focus on biodiversity and native plants, as well as little pockets of wildness, it would really help the pollinators in this time of crisis. Other species would benefit as well. And it would create terrific opportunities for education and community involvement. The National Capital Region could become the pollinator capital of Canada, and a model for other municipalities to follow.
Ottawa employers should provide better opportunities for employees to work from home. For those employee who's position allows it to work remote, working at home for instance for just one a week can solve multiple problems: - less traffic on the road - reduced pollution - reduced costs for day care if there are children - reduced overhead costs for employer Improvements: - better life/work balance - improved productivity.
Ensemble d'initiatives = panneaux solaires, centre ville sans voitures, toits verts, vélos, bus, etc. mes préférés = murs végétaux Patrick Blanc (petits, moyens grands et adaptés au pays) et transition town TOTNES (GB). Nous ne pouvons pas revenir 100 ou 150 ans en arrière, au bon vieux temps. par contre, tous ensemble nous pouvons participer avec différentes actions d'une ampleur variable en fonction de nos moyens. toutes les initiatives sont bonnes, mais il faut accepter le prix élevé dans certains cas.1ère étape = changer les mentalités, ensuite les actions viendront. ex. l'Am du N offre beaucoup de toits plats en superficie; s'ils sont suffisamment résistants ils peuvent accueillir de la végétation. + de pistes cyclables et de bixi/vélib', - de sel l'hiver. reconceptualiser le train et tous les transports en commun interurbains et interurbains. etc.
Public forums with environmental scientists - have public forums where people can sit down and discuss environmental/climate change issues directly with scientists - to learn, debate, explore.
Designed in 1995 to handle the issues that came out of the 1989 economic down turn. Use a sustainability investment System that allows everyone to remain independent but come together to create new jobs. See the latest project it is working on to create sustainability in a Global economy. Go to www.fmlcoach.ca click on what is proposed.
The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau should adopt municipal-level economic instruments in line with valuing the ecosystem services provided by nature and currently taken as "free". The cities of Ottawa and Gatineau should adopt municipal-level economic instruments in line with valuing the ecosystem services provided by nature and currently taken as "free". Ecosystem services - the goods and services supplied by the natural environment are too often overlooked in traditional economic analysis. The Ottawa-based sustainability policy group, Sustainable Prosperity http://www.sustainableprosperity.ca/article1431 recently published a report on Economic Instruments for the Conservation & Protection of Biodiversity. As the cities embrace this concept, local expertise in this field can be developed - a win-win-win situation: better environmental performance (such as less pollution in the Ottawa river as one example), better economic performance (lower costs of City services), better social performance & regional prosperity (development of knowledge workers (jobs) who can export this expertise).
Un projet d'habitation durable pour conscientiser les citoyens habitant dans des quartiers défavorisés près du centre-ville d'Ottawa et dans le secteur Gatineau. La ville d'Ottawa et la ville de Gatineau devraient s'associer pour étudier la possibilité de créer un partenariat public-privé qui serait charger de construire un projet d'habitation durable au centre-ville. Ce projet respecterait les principes de développement durable, serait abordable et ferait appel à la coopération des citoyens qui désirent contribuer activement à l'amélioration de la qualité de vie dans leur quartier. Ce projet pourrait avoir un volet d'éducation populaire sur les enjeux communautaires, par exemple.
Les villes d'Ottawa et de Gatineau devraient s'associer avec des gens d'affaires qui ont à cœur le développement de la région afin d'étudier la possibilité de créer des projets d'habitation durables, sécuritaire et abordable. Beaucoup de tours à condos "luxueuses" sont érigées tant à Ottawa qu'à Gatineau. Ceci laisse très peu de place pour la construction d'habitations de qualité qui sont construites selon les principes de développement durable et qui offrent aux résidents une tranquillité; d'esprit, tout en étant abordables. Ce type de projet d'habitation pourrait naître d'un partenariat public-privé; et servir à repeupler les zones à faible densité; et ainsi redonner de la vie aux quartiers défavorisés. Ce modèle permettrait aux résidents de se responsabiliser socialement et participer activement au bien-être de leur communauté.
To avoid repeating our mistakes, to more quickly help society live sustainably, we have to educate our children about designing and living sustainably. If the children learn how and why their parents will understand sooner too. Children need to be educated from kindergarten on about how and why to live sustainably. Waldorf schools have been promoting responsible attitudes towards the environment that sustains us since 1919. Mainstream, state funded schooling must teach, on a more basic level than reading, writing, or 'rithmatic the following principles: 1) Social justice and strength in community. 2) Thinking for oneself. 3) Designing for sustainability from research, development, prototyping, production, to marketing, sales, delivery, use and disposal. 4) Toxins that are end products or by-products of production are poisoning us as much as the environment. We have to find alternatives. Millions will be saved in health care costs and productivity levels if our environment does not cause the levels of respiratory disease, allergies, numerous cancers and fatigue etc that it does now, purely because of the toxins we have put into it. 5) Quality of life is more important than convenience - build our cities around the needs of people, not around cars - promote supportive communities, pleasant living space for all, encourage activity. 6) Appreciate, explore and respect the natural world, respect the critters that share our planet. Live healthily and happily in our world while living lightly on it. 7) Support sustainably produced goods that do NOT exploit any humans or animals or exploit our planet faster than it can regenerate. 8) Measure success by happiness, not by material wealth. 9) Aim to equip young adults with skills that are immediately useful in the workforce and that make them self-sufficient. The focus on academic schooling is inappropriate for the nature of the population or for society's needs. Allow people to feel productive and worthy while pursuing trades and crafts. To properly pass on these skills and understanding requires a far higher mentor to student ration than currently practiced, and a new approach to teaching. I suggest adopting the following strategies: 1)Encourage retirees with their fund of experience and knowledge - currently often mostly wasted - to become a part of the school system - with criminal record checks etc where required. 2) Reinstitute the 13th school year, but make it a year of assisting teaching staff and helping students still in school. One learns best by teaching, and this will be a valuable way to help youngsters acquire workplace skills. 3) Eliminate note-taking and listening to lectures from teachers - encourage the children to learn hands-on, outside as much as possible, and only re-introduce the blackboard learning style as children approach puberty and are more able to learn the supporting theory in this way. 4) make exercise a part of every day, in short burst. This promotes concentration and ability to absorb information hugely. 5) attend to the spiritual side of children, encourage meditation and attention to their religion, sharing with others to promote understanding. 6) Explore behaviours to promote empathy, understanding, appropriate behaviour and community building through drama, dance, art and music as more active parts of the curriculum, with specialist teachers, from kindergarten on. 7) teach subjects as integrated as possible, not in isolation until the later years if the child chooses the academic route. Make schooling more directly applicable to life.
With an aging population there will be many more retired healthy seniors. Once there were buses to skiing in the Gatineau, streetcars to Britannia Beach. The Transit system should be designed to bring more people to natural areas and recreation. If we wish to eliminate the car we must design transit not just for the commute to work but for other activities as well.
I would like to help the rural towns around Ottawa create their sustainability plans together. Have the mayors and planners from all the small towns meet together twice a year for three days to hammer out some joined up thinking on sustainably planning using a strategic framework.
Assurer la cohérence de la planification et de l'aménagement du territoire et des transports à l'échelle métropolitaine pour mettre un oeuvre des modes durables de déplacement et d'occupation du territoire dans toute la région d'Ottawa-Gatineau. Les élus, les décideurs, les professionnels de l'aménagement du territoire et des transports, les groupes d'intérêt et les citoyens de l'ensemble de la région métropolitaine d'Ottawa-Gatineau doivent se concerter systématiquement pour que l'aménagement des milieux de vie et les modes de déplacement soient planifiés simultané et conjointement. Cela permettra à la fois de limiter les besoins de déplacement motorisé des gens et de leur offrir un milieu de vie de qualité; où ils peuvent aussi travailler, se divertir et avoir accès aux biens et services dont ils ont besoin.
Permettre aux citoyens frontaliers d'accéder à un système de santé; équivalent à celui de nos voisins ontariens. Par l'introduction de liste de cliniques médicales en ligne indiquant le temps d'attente (similaire à Apple Tree Clinics d'Ottawa). Besoins de conjuguer nos efforts pour l'amélioration des soins de santé. Améliorer l'accès, le nombre de médecins, attirer l'échange de services entre les 2 provinces frontalières quitte à instaurer un paiement de la différence de coûts entre le remboursement de la RAMQ et leurs frais.
Flexwork doesn't put stresses on any city systems the way that rigid 9-5 does, and it is nice to find a better balance between having money and no time to enjoy, and too much time, and no money. Netherlands is a great example... http://jobs.flexpaths.com/resources/tools/europe http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/world/europe/30iht-dutch30.html? "Richard Freeman has defined the Netherlands as 'the only part-time economy of the world, with a finger in the dike of unemployment'" http://dare.uva.nl/document/115457 I love Barcelona which stays up late and accommodates the night owl and there are many fellow night owls who would be much more productive with alternative schedules as well. Traffic happens when everyone decides business starts at 9am. Well, in Vancouver it is only 6am..etc, and many businesses work nationally and internationally.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
When demolishing an old building builders should be forced to recycle all usable materials to have less going to the landfill. Building materials constitute much of the material going to landfills We need to do whatever we can to divert usable materials from the landfill and recycle them into new products.
We need to support the development of dense mixed income housing in the core. We need to support the development of denser mixed income housing in the core in order to support local neighbourhood businesses, shorter commutes and better use of space infrastructure and resources.
Provide incentives to encourage building owners to install greener roofs (e.g. living roofs, reflective materials) and parking lots (e.g. more sustainable materials, shade, and run-off management). Require new developments to meet sustainability criteria. This idea is targeted at the industrial / commercial / institutional (ICI) sector. Apartment buildings could also be included. Incentives for retrofits could be in the form of tax credits or reductions, and there may be opportunities to partner with other funding sources. New developments, such as power centres, should be required to meet sustainability criteria for their roofs and parking lots. As a further incentive/funding source, the levy on parking lot spaces could be adjusted so that "greener" spaces are assessed at a lower rate. The benefits of greener roofs and parking lots in the ICI sector include reducing the urban heat island effect (mitigating a climate change impact); reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions through reducing the need for air conditioning; improving air quality (trees and living roofs) and reducing associated health-care costs; improving water quality by reducing run-off to the sewer system; and increasing public awareness.
Big box stores create asphalt deserts. Requiring these facilities to have green roofs would go a long way towards reducing GHGs, and cooling suburban areas. Green roof technology is now well-established and often represents long-term cost savings. Why not make them mandatory for any building over a certain size (say 10,000 sq ft).
Currently, a property owner can do anything on his property, including remove topsoil and cut trees (in the rural area). Typically, that's what land developers do, before they become subject to conditions in a subdivision agreement. Under the Ontario Municipal Act, municipalities have the authority to adopt a site alteration by-law. Regulating site alteration would go a long way to preserving the natural features of a site.
All builders must include Green Space in their Condo Development plans. Money instead or space is unacceptable. Green Space is essential for a healthy environment for people and the planet. Green space is a place where rain water returns to the water table. Green space provides a sink for CO2 and the release of O2. Green space is place where all ages can connect with nature and be rejeuventated improving mental health.
Invest in parks and recreation services and places, particularly in at risk communities or environments to improve the quality of life and social well-being for residents today and tomorrow. Communities that invest in leisure services (e.g. community centres, parks, green spaces) rank highly in national and international quality of life, livability, sustainability and 'best places to live' indexes. A healthy and sustainable community is one that values green spaces, leisure places, and is sensitive to demographic diversity through leisure policy and programming. Award winning communities such as Vancouver have policy and programs to ensure the protection of nature and urban parks (including playing fields) as well as their accessibility to all residents (including those at risk and minority groups). The priority given to parks and recreation ensures that community members of all ages have access to places and services that enable active living, the celebration of cultural identities, and the development of community pride and sense of ownership. The National Capital Region has a wealth of invaluable green spaces, nature parks and leisure places such as playing fields, community centres and urban parks and in 2009, the City of Ottawa identified 'parks and recreation' as an essential services like public transportation and clean water. For a sustainable today and tomorrow, partnerships between the City of Gatineau, the City of Ottawa and the NCC should include policy imperatives that confirm the importance of leisure to residents and visitors to the national capital region.
Let's have incentives for building small, comfortable, lovely, and relatively inexpensive, simple and energy efficient homes - without garages ... have a competition to get considerable density but have height limited to "walk-up's"
A new subdivision should be planed around a "village" core that would provide community needs like doctor/groceries/baker/park/schools etc. This would create strong community bonds, greener living, eliminate some only by car accessible large strip malls. A new subdivision should be planed around a pedestrians/ bike accessible attractive "village" core that would provide all community needs like doctor/groceries/baker/library/coffee shop/community centre/ schools/ small park etc. This would create 1)strong close community bonds which would create so many benefits to an area and the people living in it. 2)Greener living and healthier lifestyles, 3)Eliminate the need of some only easily by car accessible large box store strip malls
Each neighbourhood should have a plan that includes density targets for infill and allows community members to identify where that infill should happen. These plans should allow for diverse housing and commercial spaces to create "complete neighbourhoods". Current neighbourhood plans don't seem to pull any weight at city hall (for example, the recent convent redevelopment by Ashcroft). We need to create strong plans that include the level of detail needed to inform planning decisions and clearly demonstrate how that neighbourhood can achieve its share of density targets for infill. These plans should include mixed-use and commercial space to encourage the development of walkable and bikable communities where people can work, live, shop and play.
Why should people in the Glebe, Westboro, and Little Italy have the only walkable urban villages. Ottawa should work to create dozens of these medium sized walkable community centres throughout the city. While the old pre-war suburbs of Westboro, the Glebe and the New Edinburgh have small downtowns where local residents can walk or bike to nearby shops, schools, transit and places of worship, this lifestyle is not the norm for most of Ottawa. In essence, there are two Ottawas, a walkable city of neighbourhoods and a drivable city of shopping malls. Lets create walkable centers in Stittesville, Orleans, Blackburn Hamlet, North and South Kanata.
Affordable condo buildings for young families. Real estate builders often build expensive condos for elder people or couples that don’t have children. They often include a fancy restaurant, bar & pool hall, gym, etc. But why not build affordable condos with young families in mind? With house prices skyrocketing, housing is becoming much less affordable for young families. Imagine a condo building with sound proof units and underground parking. On the first floor, you get a nice Olympic size swimming pool with one or two water slides for the kids. There’s also a nice indoor park with real trees, a sand box, slides & swings, with natural lighting from outside and inside. There are also indoor volleyball and tennis courts to promote activity for both adults and kids. There’s even a nice big theatre room for those rainy days and a nice community room if someone wants to host a party for their kid’s birthday. You get a nice roof top that has a garden with fruits and vegetables along with a terrace and an outdoor park. Let’s not forget a day care centre. No fancy penthouses here. Everybody pays the same affordable price, like a 3 bedroom condo for $200K + reasonable monthly condo fees. Now that would help stop rural expansion and promote community living.
Make King Edward more people friendly. Having up to six lanes of traffic with transport trucks entering the city core makes King Edward a noisy, unpleasant place to walk, bike, or live. It’s very difficult to cross the street, let alone commute by bicycle. Reduce the speed limit and number of lanes, introduce more crosswalks for pedestrians, and find an alternative route for transport trucks.
Use energy conservation/generation techniques (such as green roofs, solar panels, using waste heat from cooling ice rinks to warm adjoining swimming pool areas, etc) to lower the overall environmental impact of new and existing Build new community centres and retrofit existing centres with Green roofing to lower heating and cooling costs. The green roof could also have areas leased out for use for growing vegetables. Also, add solar panels above parts of the green roof to generate power for the building to use or sell back to the grid. More energy could be saved by taking the waste heat created by the cooling process of forming ice rinks to heat the water and/or enclosed space around swimming pools in the same facility.
Do not let infill degrade older neighbourhoods by putting up ugly houses; mature trees must be protected. Houses cannot take up the entire footprint of the property; permeable surface must be mandatory. Ideas which have been brought up in the Choosing Our Future discussions are being ignored. Established neighbourhoods within the greenbelt are being destroyed with ugly houses that tower over the older houses, have no permeable surface in front of the house, increasing storm water runoff; have no place to put snow removed from the property; are increasing traffic beyond what the neighbourhoods can manage; removing the green infrastructure of mature trees... the list goes on and on.
Buildings with white rooftops have lower costs for summer cooling as the roofs reflect the sun's heat, rather than trapping it. Buildings with white rooftops have lower costs for summer cooling as the roofs reflect the sun's heat, rather than trapping it. This policy could be associated with green rooftop policy, where green roofs offer additional benefits as well as using rooftops for solar PV and solar thermal installations.
If a owner improves the energy efficiency of a building through the Eco-Energy audit process, the city could recognize this with a property tax break or some other form of recognition. Fuel prices are increasing over the long term. Buildings that are inefficient in their use of energy are going to become increasingly expensive to run. Building owners who don't improve their building's efficiency may over the long term have difficulty paying operating costs, such as heating bills and property taxes. The energy efficiency of a building needs to become important in determining the value of the building. Presently homes are valued for their marble counter tops and hot tubs. We need to change this, and change it quickly. It is in our collective interest and it is vital.
When you look at European cities you see lovely cobblestone and flat-stones. In Canada we use asphalt and concrete. Why don't we do the same in the market and in Centretown, little Italy and elsewhere? Stonework lasts much longer than cement. We could use Canadian granite and other hard stones and create charming little neighbourhoods. In Rome you often stones that look like they have been in place a thousand years, why don't we take a page out of their book and start planning for the next 500 years of downtown Ottawa urban life.
Chaudière Island and surrounding properties could become a sustainability showcase at the heart of our community. Imagine a Granville Island-style redevelopment, incorporating "people places" and environmental features, in partnership with the fed govt. The islands and surrounding properties are currently eyesores at the centre of our communities. Let's create the political will to acquire these properties, clean them up, restore heritage buildings, and create a leading sustainable development. There are already draft plans to relocate the Science and Tech Museum to the Gatineau side of this site; they can be an anchor for a whole new museum/tech/arts district on the islands, with mixed-use neighbourhoods and great places to work and play.
Greenbelt NCC lands that are just farm fields should be sold and used for housing. These lands are not that attractive from a recreation POV. I don't see a need to preserve that type of land in the Greenbelt. In fact, why not swap, say the farm land just east of Eagleson for the March Highlands that are currently being developed in Kanata. It would be more cost effective and I am sure more lucrative to developers to build on that parcel as it is closer to transit and down town, and it doesn't require blasting through rock.
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Develop the Region's transportation system so that first priority is given to commuting by foot or bicycle and to support systems that encourage them. For longer trips priority to emission-free vehicles powered by electrical or hybrid engines. Build many more pedestrian bridges and a system of segregated bike lanes for all of the urban centres of the NCC, and generate revenue for public transit LRT and hybrid buses by implementing road pricing across the Region which would lower rush hour peak traffic. Implement many more modern roundabouts to replace conventional traffic signaled intersections and making them safer for pedestrians and less polluting with reduced or nil idling.
Make Ottawa the solar capital of Canada. Solar panels on all government buildings. Install visible, obvious solar panels throughout Ottawa, on all government buildings. Offer more incentives for other businesses. Lead by example, putting panels on the Parliament buildings, and show off the investment Ottawa is making in renewable energy. Create artistic solar panels, incorporating them into the already beautiful architecture.
Improve energy efficiency of housing stock by making housing more airtight, adding insulation, and by identifying the weakest points for heat loss. Utilize all suitable roofs in Ottawa for installation of solar panels. Poor energy efficiency of housing stock is relatively easy to rectify; most homes could have reductions of heating bills by at least 50% with minimal costs. My own house was built in 1906 and I have reduced my heating costs by a factor of 3 compared to neighbours and my electricity costs to $35-45 per month (about 3 times lower than average)...In a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) study of the Glebe area in Ottawa my analysis of rooftops (using satellite and low-flying aircraft images) determined that about 38% of existing electricity use could be provided by rooftop photovoltaic solar panels.
Although electrical cars are a great idea one must stress that an electric car is only environmentally friendly as the facilities that produced the electricity used to power the vehicle. Although electrical cars are a great idea one must stress that an electric car is only environmentally friendly as the facilities that produced the electricity used to power the vehicle. As such Municipalities and Provincial governments should recognize that putting more stress on our already overtaxed hydroelectric dams and environmentally unfriendly nuclear power station is not a viable solution or intelligent plan. A great alternative to the quandary of the environmentally friendly and green idea technology with the potential to be powered by unsustainable power sources, could be to have the city provincial government sponsor entrepreneurs to invest in solar powered electric stations, kind of like a gas station but with solar panels collecting energy instead which could then be sold and taxed like petroleum is now. Solar powered electric vehicles are the only way that an electric vehicle can carry its weight. If powered by other sources of energy we increase disturbance to ecosystems, hydroelectric and take an extraordinarily big gamble with nuclear power. I don’t think we have the right to make that kind of choice for future generations. Hence a solar power electric station to recharge vehicle promoted by local governments this idea could also be applied to vehicles destined to public transportation.
Provide low interest loans to building owners to do energy efficiency retrofits on their buildings. The loans would be transferable to future owners so the payments would be offset by the energy savings. This model has been used in Vancouver and Halifax. It could overcome the barriers that many building owners face to doing energy efficiency retrofits.
Wait until panels are more efficient (I think by the end of the summer, new high efficiency models will be available) and start spreading it. South facing apartment buildings could collect thousands of MW on a consistent basis! Utilize South facing buildings for solar energy collection. Could either run small localized things (e.g. laundry room, street lights, water heaters, etc.) or feed it back into the grid. This would have the benefit of relieving some of the energy demand, would increase energy security and would make for cleaner power production. Also, knowing that Canada has a unique variable climate would be a good opportunity to encourage Canadian companies to develop weather resistant panels and systems. Great for the planet, great for the economy, great for the people! Everyone wins!
Reduce residential energy use and install green energy applications that minimize carbon emissions, then add green power generation to become a net sink. We've done it, so it is replicable. Take an old house, upgrade insulation, seal the envelope, install Energy Star windows and appliances, incorporate timers and motion sensors, install geothermal heating, add a HRV, switch to LED lighting ... raise the EcoEnergy rating of the house to 85 or more. Add solar PV and/or wind turbines to handle internal load or to feed into the grid (microFIT). Net impact: saves money (saves a lot under TOU rates), increases occupant comfort, reduces carbon footprint to negative without the purchase of offsets. See http://my-green-home.ca for details.
Refocus Ottawa hydro on the "Bullfrog" power model - that is, source ALL of Ottawa's electricity from eco-friendly sources. Eco-friendly Electricity for ALL.
Institute a carbon tax on all fossil fuels used in the city (mostly gasoline, natural gas, diesel, propane, and electricity from fossil fuel sources). A carbon tax could be in the form of a rebate on property taxes for those who have reduced fossil fuel usage, thus homes that use more fossil fuels pay more tax than those that use less fossil fuel. For example, a homeowner that choosing a green energy provider like Bull Frog Power would receive a credit on their property taxes. Someone who replaces an oil or natural gas furnace with a ground source heat pump would also be get a property tax credit. The credit should reflect the recommended carbon tax target of around $100 per tonne of CO2. Credits for type of automobile (SUV vs hybrid vs electric car), or car-free, compared to the average, could also be done on the property taxes. For renters, rent would be reduced by property tax benefit that is contributed to by the renters (e.g. car-free), versus the landlord's actions (e.g. ground source heat pump for the building).
The new Kanata North Recreation Complex provides Ottawa with a unique, zero cost opportunity to show how larger buildings can use their rejected summer heat to provide the heating they need in the winter. The UOIT campus in Oshawa provides an example. Large buildings dissipate as much heat in the summer as they require for heating in the winter. Their need for using fossil fuels for heating can be eliminated altogether if they simply store the summer heat. The KNRC will have a ground heat exchanger that could store the heat if the exchange tubes are close together but the city wants to spread them widely to collect ground heat. That wastes the opportunity to deliver twice as much heat via storage, resulting in the unnecessary need for a conventional furnace in the city's plan. The present plan also uses almost twice as much electricity for cooling in the summer because it uses the hot air as the primary heat sink.
Ottawa is fed from Toronto over long power lines. Gatineau is fed from Quebec over long power lines. For resilience cross connecting power would mean if either set of lines or feeds had problems then the impact would be minimized. Ottawa is fed from Toronto over long power lines. Gatineau is fed from Quebec over long power lines. For resilience cross connecting power would mean if either set of lines or feeds had problems then the impact would be minimized.
Erect solar panels above existing small pumping stations so they can power themselves or provide energy to the grid. Throughout the National Capital Region, there are over 100 pumping stations of various sizes that move either water and wastewater to all parts of the city. Many of these sites are simply a city-owned property containing a concrete cylinder in the ground with a NEMA class enclosed box on a metal stand protecting the control systems from the elements. That stand could be braced with additional framing elements that could hold a solar cell array and small converter box and battery system that could be used to augment the power required to run the pumps. Power that is not used or not strong enough to run the motors could still be sold back to the utility.
à l’image de la goutte d’huile dans l’eau, la ville de Gatineau s’étale dans toutes les directions, polluant sur son passage des dizaines de fois sa superficie. L’ordre des 3 priorités proposé : L’ordre des 3 priorités proposé : Feu rouge à l’étalement urbain, feu vert à la densification. http://www.ville.gatineau.qc.ca/docs/la_ville/participation_citoyenne/consultations_publiques/consultations_publiques_2008/activites_consultation_elaboration_politique_environnementale/Jacques_Demers.pdf
Put solar panels on public buildings and OC Transpo stops to garner sun's energy. We get a lot of sunlight in Ottawa every year, since Canada Day alone I believe we've had one day of rain and that was at night. We must be able to harness this in some way towards our electrical costs and save money and energy this way.
Few people, businesses, maintenance staff or government officials understand how to set air conditioning thermostats to a reasonable temperature. The temperature is typically set too low, using heating settings, with then extremely cold indoor environments. Educate the public, large business operations managers, small business owners, government officials and those responsible for running and setting heating and cooling systems about reasonable temperature levels for air conditioning. Teach all groups and the public about the energy, health and financial costs of excessive air conditioning based upon too low temperature settings. Most people are unaware that A/C uses three times as much energy to reduce the temperature by one degree than is used to heat a space by one degree in winter. Huge cost and energy savings can be achieved by this education program - these savings can be used in other areas for social and economic benefit.
Replace every incandescent light bulb in the city with more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or even better LED bulbs. This alone will reduce overall electrical energy consumption by 10%. Some facts/technical information on electrical energy consumption of lighting are in the following link: http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2011/highlights15 . Specifically, lighting uses 19% of total electrical consumption and can be reduced to 9% of total consumption, for an overall power savings of 10%. The city can get a loan to pay for the bulbs up front and deliver them to people. Electricity bills can rise a few percent until the program is paid for at which time they will drop back to the original level, the city can recoup its costs from Ottawa Hydro. Consumers who make the change save 10% on electricity costs less the few percent rise, those that do not pay a few percent more (only until the program is paid for).
Put solar panels over the acres and acres of parking lots across this city. It would reduce the amount of heat-absorbing asphalt exposed to the sun and use those rays of sun to produce green electricity.
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I don’t use pesticides on my garden and pick native plants every year. Natural deterrents like baby powder are a great way to keep critters out. I grow heirloom tomatoes peppers and herbs.
Encourage and offer info re: veggies to grow on balconies safely. Offer free seeds, plants and info in low income housing areas. Offer others info.
Rooftop gardening on high rise buildings in downtown Ottawa. This would reduce overall asphalt heat producing surface in downtown and empower urban residents to produce their own food, keep physically active while gardening and greening the downtown. Rooftop gardening whether for vegetable gardens or as a quiet oasis of flowers and greenery for residents of high rise condo buildings has been successfully achieved in Montreal. Semi-hydroponic gardening is one of the many options available. There are benefits for the city - more greenery less heat producing surfaces. And benefits for the condo residents with production of vegetables enjoyment of pleasant garden areas, exercise and community building.
No doubt meat eating is unsustainable. The environmental aspect, not just in regard to emissions and energy, but great loss in biodiversity is undeniable. Let's join cities around the world promoting Meat Free Monday. For the city of Ghent, it's Thursdays. http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/03/30/save-the-planet-stop-eating-meat/ . We can make a massive impact with such a small little action that is hardly an inconvenience being just one day out of 7. http://www.meatfreemondays.com and http://www.meatlessmonday.com are great resources along with the local NVCA. This little video highlights the huge impact one day can make! For further inspiration of health benefits, one can look to the recent Forks over Knives http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110511/REVIEWS/110519995/1023 , after all health is an important aspect of a sustainable city.
Initiate food programs in Ottawa schools that engage students in learning about local food systems and provide access to healthy, sustainable food. Programs such as providing healthy cafeteria food that is sourced locally , school food gardens that are linked to curriculum, local farmer days/tours etc. will help connect students to the local food system, engage them in their community and provide nutritious food.
Let's increase local organic food production. Connect would be gardeners and people with land so more people can garden. Support new gardeners by providing advice(maybe through volunteers). City-planted trees could include fruit trees when residents agree. It is important to develop our capacity to produce more of the food we consume, and to grow it in a sustainable way. Connecting people who want to garden but have no land with people who have suitable land but do not want to garden would be a step in this direction. So would making more NCC land available for garden plots. More people might be willing to try gardening if advice was available. Perhaps there could be an office at city hall that provided such advice, or a network of volunteer advisors could be coordinated. Organic urban farming could well be one of the "growth jobs" of the future. Let's provide ways for this knowledge to be spread and for these skills to be developed.
Food sustainability is crucial. Make available parts of the Experimental Farm to Neighbourhood/Community Growers. Include Sustainable Farming Best Practice Education as part of the contract and a commitment to mentorship.
Work with local groups like Sustainable Living Ottawa (West or East!) and Kanata Environmental Network to plant public access fruit trees on city land. Several local groups offer re-skilling workshops to help people preserve and use the fruit. Local place based groups like the Sustainable Living Ottawa (SLO) groups, Kanata Environmental Network, Just Food, and Transition Ottawa already offer resources which help people harvest, use and preserve locally grown food. If the city helped out by creating 'community orchards' in city parks and green space it would help make Ottawa more sustainable and food-secure.
Agriculture is facing more severe floods, droughts; storms: global food production is dropping fast. We have the urban farmland here for 21st century self-reliant agrarianism: lets recruit, train & launch our needed thousand new eco-farmers this decade. Peak oil, adverse climate change, shrinking water resources, increasingly lethal crop diseases and more, are already hammering industrial agriculture production. A new self reliant agrarianism is urgently needed that brings home food farming to assure at least basic nutrition for our region as soon as possible. Our local governments working together can make this happen, fast. We need a thousand new ecological farms to be underway this decade. A special purpose school is needed to recruit, train and launch these new eco- farmers and eco-farms onto our extensive urban farmlands. The closed Torbolton School in rural West Carleton is looking for a use, and this new agrarianism is exactly it! It is ready and waiting to take us to 21st century sustainable food security. Let’s use the site for the crash courses needed to recruit, train and launch the needed thousand new eco-farms that collectively can feed us our basic nutrition year round. We may have less than a decade to be self-reliant. Let’s start today.
Our urban gardens are over-groomed 'deserts' to most native plants and animals. We are losing urban biodiversity and, with it, complexity. Resultantly, citizens' health and wellbeing are declining. Shifting to urban pollinator gardening is the answer. The switch from mown-lawn-anchored, bragging-plant gardens to the new wave of chemical-free, natural, native plant urban pollinator gardening is still spotty across Ottawa. It is time to accelerate the switch, till urban pollinator gardens come to dominate the landscape. The newly formed, Ottawa-based, amateur 'Pollinator Gardeners of Canada' can show how. Here's the problem. Today's green-carpet gardening often harbours noxious weeds (e.g. allergenic ragweed is very common), happily hunkered down below the cutline, and destructive bugs, too. High maintenance water hogs, needing continual machine mowing, they are costly all round. And not really very exciting to look at or be in. Pollinator gardening emphasizes meadows over lawns, native plants that feed native pollinators and a more rustic look and feel. It is trickier to do than it looks, but offers many more benefits to city denizens. It is mostly low cost, rain-watered, low-maintenance, easily freed of invasive plants and noxious weeds, and buzzing, flittering and humming with life. One pollinator garden might look like a today garden, with paths and cultivated flower beds, though the species therein would be predominantly native. Or it might look more meadow-like. Overall, it would tend to be taller, as many native plants grow majestically tall, for example, our dozen or so species of insect-pollinated goldenrods. With pollinator gardens widespread, our complementary urban food gardens, with their urge for much more diverse crops, could really flourish. Our regional market gardens would be able to offer greater crop variety, with so many more healthy wild pollinators now available. Our personal feelings of wellbeing would be noticeably bolstered living in such pollinator garden surroundings. And the dollar cost for all this? Today's costs would plummet - the new wave would be much, much cheaper for all!
Like community gardens, involve the communities in building and caring for community greenhouses and hydroponics - in colder months. Educate the community on the positives of growing their own food year round &; the unique ways that it can be grown. Since a sustainable city requires food sources and Ottawa, at this point, has many months of cold weather, it requires more indoor growing time - making use of the sunshine &; it's warmth. Less food will be available from afar in the future so, Ottawa needs to become more self-sufficient and less dependent. One thought is that 'greenhouses' could be build atop the community change rooms at the local parks. The community will work together to grow their food.
Build a root cellar into your basement to store local root vegetables and preserves for the winter. Root cellars can be built easily into most basements by insulating a portion of the basement next to an external wall and creating a vent to the outdoors.
Encourage farming in the greenbelt to produce more local vegetables and fruit that can be consumable locally. Farming in the greenbelt consists largely of grain, corn and soybeans for consumption by animals elsewhere. With the growing popularity of local markets in Ottawa, there is now ample opportunity to provide locally grown food for human consumption unencumbered by the escalating transportation costs or the carbon emissions they create. In addition, the City could adopt a policy of replacing trees on public property with fruit and nut trees instead of maple, elm or oak.
There are thousands of balconies across this city that are unused. Encourage urban gardening by providing grants (or reimbursing a certain % of expenses) to set up a garden balcony. A more flower-filled city, produce at the fingertips of citizens, cleaner air, insect habitat, etc. etc. etc.
Application program where public land is allotted for community agriculture. I'm sure most people don't know this but cities are built on the best agricultural land around! It's the best place for development! Urban agriculture is a great way to get cheap local food. It reduces toxic gas emissions from transportation and saves you money. Farming becomes a community building exercise that can benefit students, schools, local farmers, impoverished people and all sized families. Small plots strategically distributed would; - Enable a good local food source for communities - Provide fun outings and intelligent curriculum building for students and teachers - Reduce the amount of distance our food travels - Entice cooperative with local farmers - Help feed people who could use the help - Create fun family atmospheres throughout the city! Everyone can participate!
Image a future of high electricity and oil prices compared to income. Most of our foods come from afar, and those cost us more than prices reflect. The irony, by contrast buying local feels affordable. But are farms able to serve us more than exports? The City of London (UK) has a Food Policy, where emphasis is placed on figuring out how to provide access and affordability to its citizens. Some communities (mostly the poorer ones) have grocery deserts (hard to find shops). The City also uses its massive might as a local food procurement to help support farmers. There are a bunch of ideas out there (e.g. community gardens). Perhaps it’s time to have our own local food policy?
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Put paper bags in every room of the house! It's amazing how much Kleenex and other compostable items can be collected. Don’t forget lint from the clothes dryer (if you use one) and q-tips (the ones with cardboard sticks).
Garbage should only be picked up bi weekly and on one way of the street. Garbage should only be picked up bi weekly and on one way of the street. This idea would mean less trucks on the road and shorter routes for collecting garbage.
I return all my plastic bags to my local grocery store. I return all my plastic bags to my local grocery store.
It's embarrassing that all city of Ottawa facilities do not promote and/or support recycling/organic waste programs. How can the city expect it's citizens to support the programs when they can't even do it in their own facilities? It should be mandatory for all facilities to operate and promote full recycling and organic waste.
Make recycling and composting an accessible option in more public spaces, such as businesses and offices - not just for homes. We need more than the generic garbage can. By increasing the availability of recycling & composting outside the home, it makes it visible and makes the practice more widespread.
Spend the needed money now to save the potential pitfall in the future! If we spend the tax dollars now to properly fix our sewage treatment plant and stop the pollution of the Ottawa River it will provide a clean future for our beaches and children as well as reduce the future tax dollars required to keep fixing the same problem.
OC Transpo could implement a card system and eliminate paper passes. Cards can be digitally refilled with monthly passes or tickets, which are convenient and cuts down on the amount of paper and ink being printed out every month. Instead of using paper month after month for passes, OC Transpo could implement a card system. Anyone can get a card, which can be filled with a monthly pass or with digital tickets. Cards are passed over a reader when getting on the bus. Refilling your card would take place at kiosks in bus stations. Systems such as this are implemented in other major cities such as Montreal; they are not only greener but add more efficiency to the transit system and provide a convenient way for users to purchase tickets. Ottawa has a very high per capita ridership of its public transit system, so if this idea were implemented it would create an immediate impact while helping the city avoid wasting paper and inks to print hundred of passes every month.
Support a system of standard design, reusable product containers in a range of sizes. They could be easily mechanically sorted and reused. Suppliers could use non-standard containers, but would have to pay a premium to cover the extra environmental costs. This is a much broader idea, and hard to get off the ground, that would have to be done on more than a City-wide basis. But it would have a huge environmental benefit.
Everything we eat comes in packaging. The city should be providing incentives to companies who can produce food with minimal or re-usable packaging. A lot of people who are concerned about the environment get discouraged because unless they grow all of their own food, they can't escape from the packaging that all food is purchased with. If someone wants cereal, why do they need to buy a bag? The city should create incentives for companies who can provide food with less packaging. A food supplier could also sell a re-usable container that is brought to the store and filled with cereal out a bulk dispenser. The cereal itself would be grown as locally as possible and would be shipped in it's own large re-usable container to the bulk store. This would incredibly reduce waste from our food industries.
Charging fees (particularly for small businesses) discourages more sustainable behaviour. Greener actions should be made as easy as possible to encourage better habits.
Currently there are only a few outlets that recycle old electronics like tv's and computer monitors and many people do not have the means to transport their old electronics to these recycling centres. As a result many people hide them in their garbage. The City could arrange a special pick-up of electronics twice a year - one in summer and the other in the winter time.
Currently there are only a few outlets that recycle old electronics like tv's and computer monitors and many people do not have the means to transport their old electronics to these recycling centres. As a result many people hide them in their garbage. The City could arrange a special pick-up of electronics twice a year - one in summer and the other in the winter time.
Reward households that recycle a lot and/or have very little waste. Hamilton has a golden recycling bin program whereby 'excellent' recyclers receive a golden recycling bin to encourage others to recycle more. Or individuals can be charged a fee for each bag over the city household limit of garbage (based on the number of occupants). This encourages people to recycle and compost and not just throw everything in the garbage. Then if people are caught dumping garbage they should be charged a high fine.
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Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Most city councillors are beholden to the development industry for the financing of their election campaign. (Of course, they deny this!) prohibiting contributions from this industry would be one important step to improve municipal decision making. Improve municipal decision making by prohibiting corporate & trade union campaign contributions.
I have a nagging suspicion that decisions are frequently made by people without a strong sense of what it means to commute by bike in Ottawa. Take our councillors away from the lovely canal paths and into areas which are very difficult to navigate by bike: through the Market and then along Wellington into Centretown, for instance.
Integrated planning by both cities would help create a cohesive and vibrant downtown core. In addition, Ottawa and Gatineau could work together to increase density as well as create affordable and sustainable neighbourhoods within their boundaries. Many young families move outside the Greenbelt and to the Gatineau suburbs because it is too expensive and there isn't enough green space in the core to entice them to stay. There needs to be a integrated strategy to make both downtown cores more accessible and make suburban neighborhoods less dependent on cars by increasing multi-use zoning and making communities more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
Instead of urban sprawl, smart cities are sustainable and create happier, healthier people who can walk or bike to work, school, store, etc, and are not reliant on their cars. Instead of continuing the urban sprawl which requires people to be dependent on their cars to go home, go to work, go shopping at big box stores, etc., Smart Cities condense the living areas. These areas have natural spaces within short distances where people can go for walks, runs, bike rides, etc. These areas have bike paths built in them, schools and shops near by, encouraging people to walk, bike, roller blade, etc. to these locations. This creates healthier and happier people and communities, which are much more sustainable.
Environmental initiatives (such as composting, bike lanes, energy efficiency) have to have higher priority. One way would be to ensure that the budget spent on building roads and bridges for cars does not exceed the budget for sustainability initiatives. I am always amazed at how much time and energy goes into debating the merits of a small environmental initiative at City Council while the budget spent on roads is hardly even examined. One way to reduce the reliance on roads would be to reduce the budget for roads and spend it on environmental initiatives. We should be bold in our thinking - Make all buses free. Make every street a one way street for cars which would make the other half safe for walking, bicycles, roller blades. Then there would be enough room that these groups would not be crowded in the same space.
City permitting for new businesses should take into consideration the mix of services already in place. Does a neighbourhood really need another drug store if there are already 5 in place? Perhaps the area needs another type of business instead? Some neighbourhoods are over-serviced by one type of business, but under-served by others. Our neighbourhood has 7 drug stores within a 20 block radius, but not a single grocery store.
Ottawa will at times facilitate the development of community design plans, bringing stakeholders and the requisite experts together to create a long-medium term land use development plan. Critical flaws include lack of implementation budget & limited scope. 1. Work with Province and Feds to attach an implementation budget to finalized community development plans. Right now funding from other levels of gov are not strategically applied. A more community based approach is necessary. Funding could be applied to the City's purchase of brownfield sites etc, offer incentive packages to development industry to encourage development proposals consistent with development plans, to implement transportation management, economic, and green space plans responsive to the community/area. 2. Expand the scope of Community Design Plans to include economic development factors (talent management, environmental strategy, green space master plan, transportation management-all modes, etc), and environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation factors.
Build an economic model which forecasts transportation, business, accommodation and City design based on 4 fold increase in energy costs. Plan various action scenarios towards this eventuality, including the current- do nothing – plan. The City will necessarily shrink from the current auto centric -large house design as energy costs rise. The current City design will become uneconomic, as energy costs make private car ownership impractical, resulting in the closing of shopping malls and the abandonment of suburbs which are too far to walk or cycle to, or provide public transportation to
Nepean (a community in Greater Ottawa)has partnered With communities in other countries. This is a civil society initiative to encourage active participation in our world's development. Nepean Outreach to the World has developed friendly relations with people in Africa for over 25 years. We need to share common aspirations and objectives to build a peaceful and productive future.
Too much Government for agile movement in this area - Federal, plus 2x provincial, plus 2x city, plus NCC. Need to take Outouais out of Ontario and Quebec and create a capital district. Too much Government for agile movement in this area - Federal, plus 2x provincial, plus 2x city, plus NCC. Need to take Outouais out of Ontario and Quebec and create a capital district. Remove the Outouais from Ontario and Quebec. Create an Outouais District Government. Right now any regional decision has to be approved by two cities and two provinces. These four things should be replaced with one thing.
Crowd-sourcing is a great way to glean from community knowledge, research and innovation and should be continued in the future in some form. More crowd-sourcing I loved this initiative and put in as much time I could from my vacation. I did find because it wasn't as organized there was a lot of repetition and duplication of suggestions with only two categories; there should have been more categories to better determine if the matter was already covered. I understand with suggestions that they may fit into more than one category so would probably be more appropriate. On my computer it was very difficult to scroll through the suggestions but could have partly been due to my internet connection. I think there should be a continuation of this, but perhaps what is needed is an app, an easier, up-to-date way of communicating with the council, etc without formal email writing, or having to get in a car, drive downtown, find parking, to get into the open council meetings. I suppose the council doesn't want to be overwhelmed by the public and prefer the few who feel that especially strong about the issue to show the effort to make an appearance but as with all business the City of Ottawa/etc revolves around 9-5 which penalizes anyone with a 9-5 themselves! Crowd-sourcing needs to be focused on particular/specific problems, not so generalized. This scenario voting up ideas the way it was set up did not lend as well to a more structured approach. I see something that is a mix of Facebook and Wiki but also with a kind of voting system fit in would be best. One thing with this site is that it is not possible to have one log-in and then be able to track your own posts, be given reasons for rejections/ideas being censored, or be able to follow other people whose ideas you find especially interesting, or follow particular ideas to allow more dialogue following up on the original idea. There is certainly more I would have liked to contribute and expand on, but I think this project has reached its deadline now.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
When Developing a large subdivision developers come in and automatically clear cut everything off the whole lot. There are usually may trees that have been growing for more than 20 40 or more years. Development should work around existing GOOD trees. Clear cutting seems to be just the opposite of sustainability being green and environmentally friendly. Surely if a developer can come in on an existing lot, demolish 1 house and keep 4 full grown trees around the property, why can they not apply the same principle to a whole subdivision? Have an incentive. A new subdivision with the most full growth gets a financial reward or reduction in development charges or some other incentive. I bet they will try harder to save the trees then!
Protect the South March Highlands from continued piecemeal development facilitated by changes to urban boundary and zoning. Create a conservancy to manage the land and engage local citizens in stewardship of the area. The South March Highlands currently fall outside of the NCC greenbelt and have suffered repeated down-grades in their protection by being brought into the urban boundary and re-zoned. This area needs permanent protection. A conservancy trust, like the one that managed the US's largest urban park in Portland Oregon could be created and used to manage the area if the NCC is not willing to incorporate it into the green belt.
We could use one of the many safe alternatives to salt to keep our roads safe in the winter and benefit in many ways. Some benefits of using a salt alternative: -Less road maintenance -Easier on our personal possessions -Less pollution of our environment -Friendlier to our animals, wild and domestic -Cycling year round!
Enact bylaws and codes to eliminate light trespass from the floodlights of car dealerships, stadia, malls and other venues whose lights are insufficiently shielded, thus disturbing people's sleep, privacy and enjoyment of their own living space. Many locations, both public and private, around the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau have lamps that send light to places where it is neither needed nor wanted. Worse, it disturbs sleep, thus leading to health disorders such as some cancers. Light should only be sent where it is needed, not into neighbours' homes and backyards. All exterior lighting should have full horizontal cutoff shielding and should only be of the intensity and colour spectrum needed for the job. Excess lighting does not necessarily lead to greater property security. It can also impede people's enjoyment of the night sky.
Plant trees next to highways and main roads: reduce snow drifts, reduce pollution, reduce heavy rainfalls and reduce municipal costs. We should be planting evergreen trees next to our city’s highways and main roads. When they would grow older, three rows of evergreen trees on each side of a highway would reduce snow drifts dramatically and reduce municipal costs for maintaining them during windy winter days. They would also help reduce CO2 emissions from the cars that ride next to them. We should also plant pine trees around highway interchangers. Their falling pine needles would cause the ground to become acid, thus killing all the ragweed that grow along highways and also reduce municipal costs for cutting the high grass. Finally, by planting these trees, they will absorb more water; hence less water will be evaporated in the air which is necessary to create large thunderstorms and heavy rain fall like we’ve been having.
Larger than most buildings, trees are an important part of our green infrastructure. Let's plan how we can use & maintain them to best service our urban and rural areas for storm-water management, air quality, cooling, food production, etc.. Natural systems can often provide a less expensive way for the city to deliver services that my family needs. Clean air, Clean water, storm water management, sun/heat protection, and food are all services that the City currently provides in one way or another; think pollution bylaws, water treatment, heat advisories, food bank funding. Trees can help provide many such services yet there is no comprehensive plan for managing and maintaining our city's tree canopy. To make Canada's Capital Region more sustainable, we have to *know* which natural resources we have in our area and *how* best to manage them.
As the urbanization of the NCR is rapidly consuming natural environments, efforts have to be made to sustain and protect regional forests and wildlife habitats. Ensure that city planning incorporates and protects natural environments. Control development and reduce impact on nature.
Canadian Wildlife Federation encourages home-owners to make gardens friendly to wildlife. (http://www.cwf-fcf.org/en/what-we-do/habitat/get-certified/ ) The City could recognize neighbourhoods that pursue this program or offer tax breaks. Homeowners who qualify for the Canadian Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat program would get a small break on property taxes. Neighbourhoods might be recognized with a plaque or reduced mill rate.
Since Aboriginal People lived in harmony with mother earth for hundreds of years, the time has arrived to once again begin living in harmony. That means fix up areas in disrepair and stop building in marshlands and forests. To be truly a sustainable community, we need to truly begin recycling programs that work. I mean, rebuild, refurbish or renovate current sections of the city rather than allow developers to continually destroy forests, marshlands and other natural habitats where our animal brothers and sisters reside. By doing this, the NCR would be seen as the world leader in recycling and Saving the Planet one step at a time...
New high-density/infill developments do not have room for trees. Make trees an infrastructure priority, like water, sewers, and power. Set tree canopy density targets by neighborhood, i.e. 10 years after development area should have 30% tree canopy. Ottawa supposedly has a tree canopy (shading) of 27% in its urban area, with a goal of 30%. But we are losing trees in many neighborhoods. Smaller lot sizes in new developments may not support a tree, and infill housing may destroy trees. Making trees more of a priority will reduce storm-water runoff and cool residences and streetscapes.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Let’s make it a goal for our region to be a leader in jobs of the future jobs that support a sustainable economy. The Choosing our Future partners should create a program that recognizes and profiles local employers, industries and businesses that are leaders in sustainability. The recognition could be across all dimensions of our region and community - cultural, social, environmental and economic.
Let’s create an identity for Canada's Capital Region as a cycling tourism destination. We have so much of what we need to do this already in place including cycling events and community organizations who would support it. The City of Ottawa City of Gatineau and NCC should collaborate to make this happen the same way Winterlude happens in the winter.
We need to establish more social enterprise businesses in Ottawa which train people in good jobs, such as construction. Unemployed people with low educational attainment can participate in social enterprise apprenticeships with a goal to future employment. Social enterprise businesses are usually run by charities or other nonprofit agencies. They train people who might be otherwise considered "unemployable" in various jobs. My idea is to have a social enterprise business training people in skilled trades. Thus youth and adults who may not have high educational attainment can still train for future employment above minimum wage and help fill the gap in people entering skilled trades.
One way to ensure that the capital region is sustainable is by supporting local business, especially in the food industry. By supporting local businesses we know that the money spent goes to support local initiatives and the well-being of our neighbours and friends.
We need to create more of an incentive for people to become regular public transit users. Give residents a discount on their property taxes if they can produce receipts to confirm they are a "regular" public transit user. Look at negotiating merchant discounts for transit pass holders in exchange for advertising on buses, bus stops and transit stations.
I truly believe we need more Canadian Growth both in retail and industry. More subsidies and opportunities for Canadian companies.
Many Americans and foreigners do not know that Ottawa is Canada's capital and presume it is Toronto due to its size. Aggressively market Ottawa as the capital of Canada to the American and global community.
If money wasn’t people's daily needs many crimes wouldn't need to be committed by those finding no other way to survive. We learn of people low incomes and poor are the turn outs of crimes, money is not good enough to assist with them staying away from crimes, for others it’s the way they were raised by not so good parenting, education is key to it and raising the income for those in need Gov taking responsibility rather than its other agendas.
It's very difficult to commute to jobs outside the Greenbelt because the business parks are isolated, difficult and dangerous to access by bike, and even worse by transit. We need to rethink business parks so that most people won't have to commute by car. City Council needs to * set site plans for new business developments so that the location of the buildings and the roads makes it safe, easy, and efficient to run transit to those parks and to access them from major cycling routes (and walk in from neighbouring areas) * emphasize employment development inside the Greenbelt, where transit and cycling facilities already exist * in particular outside the Greenbelt, insist that business developments be situated where easy connections to rapid transit nodes (or lines) can be made, so that employees can have a quick trip to work. * if developers wish to make changes to existing business developments, require changes to make the developments more transit, cycling and pedestrian-friendly * create more transit linkages between Barrhaven and employments nodes in places like Colonnade Road, Auriga/Antares business park, and Kanata business parks (possibly using existing rail lines). * lobby the federal government to stop putting major employee nodes (like the new RCMP HQ) in areas with dreadful transit linkages.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Encourage people to DIY buy local and buy used. I choose to buy local as often as I can. Ottawa is a great place to do so with the Parkdale and Byward markets. I also try to buy used clothing a sustainable bonus there are a ton of thrift stores that support local branches of charities. I also sew and knit my some of my own clothes and accessories.
Help keep municipal trees living and healthy by watering them once a week with a bucket of water. Help keep municipal trees living and healthy by watering them once a week with a bucket of water. Kids would love to do this Find a few in your neighbourhood that look like they could use some water and adopt them.
I will hang my wash to dry instead of using the dryer. Think of all the energy we could save if we used a clothes line instead of a dryer.
My Idea is to cut the use of plastic bags down to zero and to create an incentive for people to return plastic pop bottles and aluminum cans. Like several areas around the world, we as Canada's capital should be leading the charge at reducing household waste. If people are truly looking for sustainable ways to improve the city and the environment we need the city to take a stance and outright ban Plastic bags. Secondly, we must raise the recycling rate in which we recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans -a 5 or 10 cent deposit on pop bottles and water bottles would be enough to raise the recycling rate from a mere 25 to something that truly says WE WANT CHANGE!
We know the 3 Rs - but there are two more: REPAIR + RESIST!! RESIST and REPAIR need to be added to REDUCE, RECYCLE and REUSE. Every time I contemplate buying something, I mentally use the "resist" as a pause button. Do I really need this or am I just reacting by habit of living in our consumerist culture? And how many times have you seen a teenager toss out a pair of jeans because the zipper's broken? Teach them to repair!!
I'll ride my bike everyday to work for sure. I love the NCCs bike paths. I'll ride my bike everyday to work for sure. I love the NCCs bike paths.
A day a year or even a month or better yet a week where we unplug the printer in the office and at home. Make people think twice about printing. I have worked in many work places where everyone uses a computer but people still print tons and tons of stuff. There is no need to print when you have a screen to read on. Stop wasting paper. If we just unplugged the printer one day a year/month/week maybe people would learn to not rely on it so much.
In large office buildings with recycle containers why night leave today's newspaper on top rather than in the recycle bin. Rather than everyone buying a newspaper why not recycle today's newspaper by leaving it so someone else who would normally buy one could read the one you are finished with.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Have a smart phone app that would help you locate the nearest drinking water fountain so that you could refill your water bottle. This could help to discourage bottled water use. The app would locate your GPS position and show a map that locates you in relation to the nearest water fountains/refill stations
Put in solar hot water tanks and grey water recycling at all City Pools/ recreation centres to conserve and protect water at facilities where it's used in high quantities and where the public can all benefit from the investment and can see it firsthand. Put in solar hot water tanks and grey water recycling at all City Pools/ recreation centres to conserve and protect water at facilities where it's used in high quantities and where the public can all benefit from the investment and can see it firsthand.
Hydrofluorosilicic acid: a toxic waste product of the fertilizer industry added to tap water to satisfy claims of elimination of tooth decay. It doesn't work, wastes tax dollars, increases healthcare costs, damages the environment. Time to get it out! Very simple: turn off he injection equipment and send it out for recycling.
Consider measures to prevent the flooding of our rivers. Few people will think of this idea, but people in flooded towns in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec will agree, that river management of the Ottawa River watershed is important for our sustainability. This year our rivers were very close to flooding. With ongoing climate changes we might be victims next year.
Everyone talks about how dirty the canal is, well why not clean it up with interesting plant rafts/floating islands that clean the water as the plants grow? After the canal, we could look at other local bodies of water. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVHi-Pt3npo is a successful example. This website shows a variety of applications that may be useful to the city http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/gallery/ If building these is turned into an education course, you can have the labour of building these done for free, or even make some money off of them towards materials... or perhaps sponsored by water quality related businesses.
We have excellent tap water in Ottawa - let's encourage more people to use it! Ensure that there is access to water fountains in all public buildings and parks. Put up signs to discourage the use of bottled water.
What if both cities, provincial and federal partners provided some incentives (e.g., tax reduction) for those large buildings with outdoor sprinkler systems to be converted to use rain water instead of treated water. The Woodroffe water main break clearly demonstrated that summer use of treated water is significantly higher in summer than in winter. The Ottawa-Gatineau area has several commercial/industrial buildings that already "collect" storm water on their flat roofs and direct those to the sewers. Making use of that water could mean a significant reduction in potable water production over the summer months and reduce the strain on the treatment plants (with all of the financial benefits due to maintenance, operations and renewal)
Have the NCC, Ottawa and Gatineau each "ante up" a certain amount of money into a pot. Whichever agency commits the most sustainable acts in a given year WINS the pot. Devise a scoring system whereby each sustainable action earns the agency points. (i.e. Reduce carbon emissions 10 pts. Build a LEED silver building = 20 pts. Build bike lanes = 10,000 points, etc...). Perhaps only Gatineau and Ottawa should participate and NCC is the referee. This idea can be exported to challenge other municipalities as well.
Why are we not moving forward on some type of rail system that uses Electricity? Materials that will be used, will rise in price, and meanwhile more and more people are buying cars that clog up our busy roads. We need to get on it. Pressure the mayor! I saw a video for PVTs I think they are called. They travel to where you want to go, using electricity and there are many cars. Sort of like taxis but on an elevated rail system. We could use a system like that. The other thing that bothers me about the transit system LRT is the raising of prices across the board. This transit system would alleviate our roads, if it were free or nearly free. Adelaide in Australia has free buses in the downtown core. And everyone uses them.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Let’s make sure that all residents have access to affordable housing. So many of the health and social problems we see are related to a lack of affordable housing. Wait lists for social housing are years long. Families are put into hotels as a temporary measures but this can go on for months. How can children thrive in school and develop socially when they don’t have a home?
A sustainable community is a community in which individuals, families and neighbourhoods are safe and feel safe. Our conception of sustainability must encompass an inclusive, safe community.
Plan and build mixed income, mixed use neighbourhoods with easy access to shopping, recreation, leisure, green space. We know that human beings thrive on positive connections with one another. We also know that the best way to good health is to not be poor. The two cities - Gatineau and Ottawa - and the NCC can work together to ensure sustainable neighbour planning now and into the future. Plans that combine mixed income housing, mixed types of housing, mixed use - housing, employment, culture, recreation, leisure, shopping etc make for the healthiest, most vibrant communities
The City needs a "Seniors Department" to coordinate all the City services and responsibilities for seniors. Seniors will double in numbers and also significantly increase in the % of the population. Currently all seniors aspects are "stove piped" within departments. We need a corporate wide view to ensure that services and policies regarding seniors are fully integrated without gaps and without duplication.
Permettre aux citoyens frontaliers d'accéder à; un système de santé; équivalent à; celui de nos voisins ontariens. Par l'introduction de liste de cliniques médicales en ligne indiquant le temps d'attente (similaire à; Apple Tree Clinics d'Ottawa). Besoins de conjuguer nos efforts pour l'amélioration des soins de santé. Améliorer l'accès, le nombre de médecins, attirer l'échange de services entre les 2 provinces frontalières quitte à instaurer un paiement de la différence de coûts entre le remboursement de la RAMQ et leurs frais.
*NOTE: Les idées sont affichées dans la langue où elles ont été reçues.
Le rang de l’idée et le nombre de votes qu’elle a obtenus sont indiqués à côté de chaque idée.
Put a 10 or more year moratorium on the development for housing, on lands that are currently being farmed. Everyone talks about local farming but we cover over the best land. Stop this process.All current "farmed lands" would be not allowed to be used for anything other than farming for at least the next 10 years if not more. Land currently used for housing, but that is either old, falling down, underutilized etc would be made more economically advantageous for developers to use for development in place of farmland. Governments and scientists say we need to keep farmland close to home, environmentalists all say we need to cut down on the transportation of goods, for environmental reasons and for so many more reasons we should be doing this but we never do what is right do we. We sell out at every political level for what is easy and financially expedient. Redevelop old lands, tie in with mass transit, set a community plan that can be locally sustainable. It can be done.
Very few cities have national parks at their doorstep. Gatineau Park is currently administered by the NCC. Let the Federal Government assume responsibility, legislate its boundaries, and ensure that Gatineau Park's 88,000 remaining acres is for public use. Gatineau Park is not a 'real' park, in the sense that it is not protected under the Canada National Parks Act. As a result, it remains open to private development at the discretion of the National Capital Commission. Although ENGO's put pressure on the NCC to prevent development, numerous housing construction projects as well as highway routes have been historically built in the Park. If the boundaries of Gatineau Park were defined in law by the Federal Government, the citizens of the Capital Region would guarantee the remaining 88,000 acres of the park for public use, in perpetuity. On the other hand, if we continue to allow housing and infrastructure development, we put Gatineau Park's ecological integrity in jeopardy. The present and future needs of all citizens in the Capital Region requires us to legally protect Gatineau Park, thereby making it a true Park and forever granting us the privilege of having a National Park at our doorstep.
How about making the experimental farm become our "Central Park North"? The total land that could be available for this would be even more than Central Park NY. Imagine how great it would be if such a destination park were created in Ottawa!
Preserve the ecologically sensitive and biodiversity rich South March Highlands. It would be the equivalent of having an Algonquin Park within the city's boundary. Petition the provincial and federal governments to protect this rich and diverse ecologically sensitive forest right within the city boundary which is also a sacred site for the Algonquin First Nations. In one act we would protect a sustainable environment and respecting and protecting our history.
Eco-systems including mature trees in older neighbourhoods need protection. Infill developers have little regard for on-site vegetation or immediate neighbours. This contravenes the OP. Destroying mature vegetation ups energy use and overloads sewers. Neighbourhoods are more than the sum of their houses. Thoughtless infill is bad for neighbourhoods and the environment. The long term economic cost of destroying local ecosystems is very high. No amount of transit use by the new owners of intensified properties will ever compensate for economic costs due to loss of mature trees and green space. Big trees cool, clean and humidify the air, reduce sound transmission and control storm water runoff. Deciduous trees promote human health, reduce air conditioner use in summer, allow solar warming in winter and extend the life of city sewers. Green neighbourhoods are pleasant, walkable neighbourhoods. Prior to receiving building permits or filing COA applications, builders must be required to file preservation plans for mature trees and show that they have actively consulted (includes exchange of ideas, willingness to listen, modify the design and not insist on a particular fait accompli) with the neighbours of their projects. The city must require adherence to the "design with nature" principles in the OP and recognize that not all lots in existing neighbourhoods are suitable for intensification.
À l’image de la goutte d’huile dans l’eau, la ville de Gatineau s’étale dans toutes les directions, polluant sur son passage des dizaines de fois sa superficie. (Applicable au centre-ville d'Ottawa et de Gatineau). L’ordre des priorités proposé : Feu rouge à l’étalement urbain, feu vert à la densification. 1) J’estime que la ville doit mettre un frein immédiat à l’étalement urbain (Septembre 2008). 2) Un programme agressif de Télétravail doit être élaboré, accompagné d’incitatifs aux fonctionnaires de la ville de Gatineau pour qu’ils adoptent ce mode de travail au moins 3 jours semaine dès l’automne 2008. Bien entendu, prioriser les fonctionnaires qui se sont étalés sur le territoire. 3) Parallèlement, mettre sur pied un projet concret de densification au centre ville. Cette action immédiate lancerait un message clair d’une réelle volonté politique de la part de la ville. Ce message serait destiné surtout aux développeurs, mais aussi aux citoyennes. Ainsi, ce projet concret de densification compterait l’ordre des priorités suivant : Suite http://www.ville.gatineau.qc.ca/docs/la_ville/participation_citoyenne/consultations_publiques/consultations_publiques_2008/activites_consultation_elaboration_politique_environnementale/Jacques_Demers.pdf