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New Edinburgh News
JUNE 2007
The City of Ottawa’s TREE Program
The budget passed by Council this year contained resources to
start on this initiative. The City of Ottawa’s Environmental
Strategy goal to be a Green and Environmentally Sensitive City
is supported by the Tree, Reforestation and Environmental
Enhancement (TREE) Program. The TREE program aims to enhance the
City of Ottawa’s urban and rural forests through the planting of
100,000 trees over four (4) years and to ensure that the City of
Ottawa’s tree planting initiatives are among the top rated urban
forestry programs in North America.
The City of Ottawa’s TREE Program responds to the United
Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) ‘Plant for the Planet - Plant a Billion Trees’.
This program is a global call for individuals, businesses,
corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and governments from
around the world to join together and plant trees for the
environment. Every tree planted through the TREE program will
form Ottawa’s contribution to the ‘Plant for the Planet – Plant
a Billion Trees’ campaign and demonstrate local action toward
global change. This commitment has been the catalyst for the
development of strong partnerships with the community to build
awareness about the value and role of trees, build community
action to plant trees, and create healthier living spaces.
Implementation of the Program
The TREE Program supports a green and environmentally sensitive
City through a multilevel approach to tree planting. Individual
residents, community groups and the City itself will be engaged
in the common goal to grow a greener tomorrow.
• TREEs for Tomorrow-Individuals making a difference!
The City of Ottawa will assist residents to green their corner
of the city by distributing a tree to individuals for planting
on their own property. The first residential tree distribution
will take place in the fall of 2007 through a central
distribution site. Residents will be asked to pick up their
potted tree at the site on a predetermined date. Due to
restrictions in tree availability this distribution will be
smaller in scope than later distributions.
• TREE Program Community Grants-Communities working together!
This initiative strengthens the connection between the community
and their
Environment by assisting and encouraging community groups to
participate in tree planting activities in schoolyards, parks
and other green spaces.
• TREE Enhancements (Parks and Streetscapes)-Doing our part!
The City of Ottawa in partnership with local community groups
will contribute to the planting of trees through the
identification of appropriate planting locations within local
parks and along City streets.
• TREE Outreach-Guidance and leadership!
The City of Ottawa will target rural landowners and assist them
in protecting and managing their forested properties as well as
identify tree-planting opportunities throughout rural areas.
Council has passed an ‘Idling Bylaw’
The purpose of the Idling Control By-law is to protect the
environment and public health by reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, smog and certain air contaminants. This by-law would
contribute to achieving the City’s 20 per cent reduction target
of greenhouse gas emissions within the community by 2012. This
target was previously approved by Council in the Air Quality and
Climate Change Management Plan.
The by-law aims at reducing unnecessary idling and provides that
no person shall cause or permit a vehicle to idle for more than
three (3) consecutive minutes. The by-law would not apply to
occupied vehicles however when the temperature outside the
vehicle is greater than twenty-seven degrees Celsius (27°C)
including the humidex calculation or less than five degrees
Celsius (5°C) including the wind-chill value as determined by
the Environment Canada temperature readings. The proposed by-law
will allow for exemptions for specific vehicles and under
certain situations.
The Ottawa Public Health Department, the City’s Fleet Services
Branch and the Environmental Advisory Committee were all
consulted and all supported the proposed Idling By-law. The
Environmental Sustainability Division of the Planning, Transit
and the Environment Department has had an on-going outreach
program on Idling since 2003. It has reached over 15 schools,
distributed over 30,000 brochures to the community and mounted
over 600 no-idling signs at community centres, arenas,
libraries, and Client Service Centres.
A motion was required at Council since Planning Committee had
deadlocked on the issue. I was pleased to second the motion
brought forward by Clive Doucet. I felt that it was time that we
took some stronger measures to encourage people to change
habits; habits formed when energy was cheap and the effects of
our aggressive use of fossil fuels on the atmosphere we all
breath were not appreciated. Quite apart from the effects on our
health (which ought to be sufficient to take some exemplary
action), I believed that the waste of a precious non-renewable
resource should be curbed. All it takes is a little thought and
to actually ‘switch off’ the ignition. It does not seem like a
very difficult thing to do. The motion passed 12 to 8 (4
Councillors were absent when the vote was called).
At last – A new residential composting program to start in
2008
Finally, the voluntary pilot program that has operated in Manor
Park and New Edinburgh for some time will now be implemented
Citywide. City Council approved the next step towards
implementing a residential curbside organics collection program
to begin by fall 2008. Under this new program, residents will be
able to compost over 100,000 tonnes annually of kitchen scraps
and other organic materials that are currently disposed of in
local landfills. This will be a significant step toward Ottawa
meeting the 60% waste diversion target established by the
Ontario government.
This program lets residents put fruit and vegetable peelings,
food scraps, meat, bones, egg shells, vegetable oil, paper
towels and napkins, waxed and/or soiled corrugated containers,
wood shavings and yard waste into a different container than the
normal garbage can or recycling boxes.
City staff will review proposals from potential private-sector
partners to bring forward a report by fall 2007 for Council’s
consideration on the preferred partner, with full details about
the new program.
A new city-wide Give-Away Day
Council approved a citywide Give-Away Day to be held on a
Saturday in mid to late June, with a rain date on the Sunday.
This new one-day program lets residents place their unwanted
household goods at the curb for their neighbours to pick-up for
free. The intent of the program is to help residents reuse
household items that otherwise might end up in local landfills.
Jacques Legendre
Councillor, Rideau-Rockcliffe
You can communicate with me at (please include a telephone
number):
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2483, Fax: 580-2523
E-mail:
jacques.legendre@ottawa.ca
Web Site:
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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