The City of Ottawa announced today that it has received a $350,000 grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund to be used towards the Choosing our Future initiative.
Choosing our Future is an innovative joint planning initiative of the City of Ottawa, the City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission (NCC). The goal of this multi-year project is to help the National Capital Region (NCR) identify and prepare for the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, new population dynamics, a shifting global economy, resource scarcities and price fluctuations, alternative energy systems, and new technologies.
The project, which was initiated in 2004 with a major conference on community sustainability, also aims to integrate concepts of sustainability and resiliency into all facets of regional planning and design in order to create a community that is designed to be adaptable and prepared for the future.
“Choosing our Future is an important initiative that will help plan for a more sustainable and resilient future for the National Capital Region,” said Acting Ottawa Mayor Michel Bellemare. “The work we do today will shape our region for generations to come. It is essential that we plan for the potential challenges of the 21st century.”
In addition to the Green Municipal Fund contribution and the $450,000 committed by the City of Ottawa, the project has received funding from the City of Gatineau ($100,000), the NCC ($100,000), the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation ($75,000) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation ($35,000).
“The Gatineau-Ottawa area is one of the best places to live in Canada. The global approach used in this study, and the shared vision underlying it, will enable us to retain this quality of life for future generations. It will propose long- and very long-term solutions to common issues, such as transportation, population growth, the economy and the environment,” said Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau.
“Choosing our Future will contribute to harmonizing our planning on both sides of the river and help to make the Capital Region a model of sustainability for all Canadians,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC. “I invite everyone to participate actively in this innovative project to help shape the future.”
“The Federation of Canadian Municipalities recognizes the importance of developing communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable,” said Andrew Cowan, senior manager, Green Municipal Fund. “The FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically addresses the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments.”
Extensive community engagement and the initiation of a large interdisciplinary consulting study will involve residents, businesses, industry experts and all levels of government in the Choosing our Future project.
The selection of an expert multidisciplinary team, which will assist the project partners in the development of a sustainability plan, mitigation and prevention plan and community energy plan for the NCR, is the result of a competitive process and will be announced at the end of May.
A community partnership program will be launched in June 2009. It will provide opportunities for organizations to become engaged in the various project activities and increase their knowledge about sustainability and its relation to the NCR. This program will be open to any business, non-profit or community organization that wants to align itself with the Choosing our Future goals and objectives.
In addition, the Choosing our Future symposium, which is scheduled for the end of September 2009, will invite the public to assist in the review and refinement of sustainability principles and the project’s end-state goals for the NCR. The event will also provide community grassroots organizations and other partners with the opportunity to present their point of view and ideas on how a sustainable and resilient region can be developed.