Daniel Buckles Ottawa’s new Official Plan will be a policy framework for the physical development of Ottawa to 2046. It will define key targets and set broad policies for land use and related housing and infrastructure decisions that guide many other policies, programs and bylaws including zoning, community design guidelines, the Transportation Master Plan, the Climate Change Master Plan, the Green space Master Plan and the Waste Management Master Plan, among others. These in turn affect virtually all aspects of day-to-day life in Ottawa. By the time the new Official Plan is formally adopted in late 2021 we will be well into the most critical period in human history, the ten-year window scientists consider our only hope for keeping global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. This marker, the bare minimum needed to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate, is now considered by many scientists to be exceptionally difficult to achieve, and catastrophic heating in excess of 2 degrees Celsius increasingly likely. In fact, green house gas (GHG) emissions globally and in Canada continue to climb rather then turning the corner for the steep decline urgently needed to meet any of these targets. Dianne Saxe, the former Environment Commissioner for the Province of Ontario, has described land use decisions as Ontario’s oil sands. “Our decisions on land use”, she argues, “are the largest driver of our emissions and they lock us into, if they are done badly, a high fossil fuel future we are not going to be able to survive” (see her Video presentation). For this reason, the political choices about land use and supporting infrastructure embodied in the new Official Plan are the most important decisions that residents and Council can make to do our part and help protect ourselves from the worst effects of climate breakdown. Starting in April, 2019, neighbourhood groups, environmental organizations and social justice advocates have gathered face-to-face and online to discuss Ottawa's Climate Emergency under the umbrella term "The People's Official Plan for Ottawa's Climate Emergency", or POP. A first large meeting took place November 15 and 16, 2019 where some 120 people gathered for a day and a half at Bayview Yards in Ottawa to begin seeking consensus on the climate solutions that need to be accommodated in Ottawa’s new Official Plan. The umbrella initiative and subsequent meetings are motivated by two things. First, neighbourhood groups and environmental organizations that follow City of Ottawa politics are deeply concerned that the new Official Plan is not moving far enough and fast enough on the climate agenda. Signals from City staff regarding strategic directions for the Official Plan, while encouraging in many respects, still include urban expansion and related sprawl. The potential to harness climate solutions as drivers of economic prosperity for both urban and rural Ottawa are largely overlooked, as are important themes such as food security and the vital role of biodiversity in maintaining healthy ecosystems and people. The need to embrace intensification is acknowledged in the City's strategic directions, but without a clear and strong commitment to bringing the benefits of denser communities to all residents, including the most vulnerable. More broadly, there is no indication in staff reports that the climate emergency, declared by Council on April 24, 2019, will be the central frame for all decisions in the Official Plan, and the guiding measure of its success. We consider these major failings in the plans developed to date, and a reason for residents to get more involved. The second motivation behind the initiative is that the City’s consultation process, while wide ranging in its attempt to ensure that many voices are heard, is missing the opportunity to truly engage people in co-creating public policy. Consultations by the City include organizations that work with marginalized groups, established urban neighbourhood associations and representatives of the builder and investment community (environmental organizations were not identified by the City as a stakeholder group, despite the serious environmental consequences of land use decisions). While inclusive consultation by the City is commendable as it can raise otherwise neglected issues, the consultation is limited to reaching out to these groups as though they are separate spokes in a wheel. It draws multiple perspectives into an opaque hub where few are involved. Ideas are interpreted, weighed, compared and filtered inside the City system, and decisions made privately about what to keep and what to bring forward for public consideration. This approach to consultation, while typical of public engagement at all levels of government, fails to adequately mobilize, circulate and connect people to each other directly or support dialogue between and among different stakeholders. Scope for creative thinking and invention outside of the range of ideas city planners are already familiar with is also limited, unnecessarily and to the detriment of a rigorous city-building process in a complex world. Moreover, the potential trade-offs between priorities and the values underlying these trade-offs, are obscured by the hub, which acts like a black box before options are brought to City Councillors as representatives of the people. It doesn't help that City management has a practice of only bringing one option at a time to Council for debate. Decisions that are fundamentally moral and ethical rather than merely technical, such as the value of environmental sustainability and social justice in a time of existential crisis, are hidden from view. The process created through POP contrasts with the spoke and hub approach in that it seeks to elicit, share and synthesize ideas through connection, reflection and dialogue, forming a spider web of interconnected and responsive threads. The priorities and policy actions that emerge and are share here and elsewhere do not necessarily represent the full and final positions of all those involved. Many important voices, such as indigenous peoples and rural residents, are under-represented or missing (but welcome). Nevertheless, the process and outcomes to date reflect a sincere effort to seek consensus among those involved around the priorities people want to see embedded in Ottawa’s new Official Plan and related decision-making framework. Moreover, the priorities build on prior conversations among informed, competent and organized residents. These conversations are embedded in varied and rich personal and professional networks and communities of interests where specific ideas have been researched and debated over time. For some, this is not the first time around the block, having been involved in debates leading to development of the previous Official Plan. POP activists are informed, competent and organized residents participating actively in City-organized consultations, and cooperating with each other to co-develop and communicate climate-centred policy directions for the new Official Plan and related municipal policies. More than 15 different neighbourhood, environmental and social justice organizations and groups are directly involved so far, convened as an informal working group (see About ). It is a task and people oriented group, not an organization per se. It is not simply an awareness raising forum, but rather a practical step along the path to creating climate solutions that are also community solutions to the interrelated challenges of our time, including sustainability, social justice and democratic decision-making on matters of urgent public policy. This space, and future workshops and meetings, seek to provide a supportive environment where the thinking of many individuals and organized groups can be concentrated and mixed together to create something new. Local action on public policy is one of the most important ways to solve the climate crisis. Many other cities around the world and in Canada are already stepping up, and the City of Ottawa has taken some initial steps in the right direction. We offer the proceedings from the workshop and the Forum functions of this website as an input to ongoing public discussion, debate and advocacy on climate solutions for Ottawa. The collection starts with the results of a workshop table discussion on ensuring accountability and implementation that puts sustainability and community well-being at the centre of land use planning, prioritizing and decision-making. A complementary overview paper, created prior to the workshop, argues that the climate crisis is fundamentally a public health emergency requiring dramatic, unprecedented measures to lower the concentration of GHG in our atmosphere. It offers a logical framework for how this can be done, linked to nine discussion papers created by City staff. The Overview section of the Forum is also the space for sharing and commenting on strategic campaigns, starting with the need to hold the lines on urban and village expansion. Other outcomes from workshop table discussions are organized around four building blocks for a climate positive Official Plan: nature, food, buildings/infrastructure and transportation. Within each building block are priorities defined directly by participants in the workshop, and specific policy actions that followed from in-depth discussion of these priorities. Immediate steps and linkages to other priorities are also described. In many cases, the summary text was drafted by the original reporter from each of the group tables, using detailed notes from each table, graffiti produced on table tops, and recordings made of oral summary presentations. The proceedings editor provided a common structure and editing support for each contribution, and interpreted some table results where reporters were not available. An Economy theme was also added after the workshop, using materials created in the weeks before. The video tab on the website offers a different entry point. The workshop opening address by Dianne Saxe, the former Environment Commissioner of Ontario, provides a clear set of expectations and arguments we can all carry forward in discussions with the City. A talk by Mitchell Beer of The Energy Mix, presented initially at the National Arts Centre as a TedX talk and shared again live at the workshop, is both a personal and motivational perspective on how we can all connect to reasons for transformational change in response to our collective climate challenge. Finally, a graphic art summary of the workshop outcomes, prepared during the event by Jennifer Shepherd of Living Tapestries, provides another way to look at the relationship and linkages between the different themes, priorities and policy actions created during the workshop. It is our sincere hope that together the various documents and outcomes of the workshop will inspire workshop participants and new visitors to join the Forum, comment and contribute. City officials are also welcome to contribute. Let’s share, learn and act together and in solidarity with others seeking consensus on a sustainable city that is also caring, creatively engaged and prosperous. Daniel Buckles, POP Website Editor and Publisher Acknowledgements Daniel Buckles is the Editor and Publisher for this site, and initial convenor of POP with Paul Johanis, Robb Barnes and Roland Dorsay. The November 15-16, 2019 workshop was organized by Daniel Buckles and Paul Johanis of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, with Emilie Grenier (Ecology Ottawa), Mitchell Beer (The Energy Mix) and a cadre of Youth Climate Ambassadors (Sarah Fox, Gabrielle Richards, Shyanne Matone, Kate Strathdee, Kevin Mason and Jessica Tan). Special thanks go to Jacques Chevalier (SAS2 Dialogue) , who led the November 2019 workshop design with Daniel Buckles and facilitated the workshop skilfully and graciously. Thanks also to workshop presenters including Diane Saxe, Mitchell Beer, Moe Garahan, Robb Barnes, Daniel Buckles, Paul Johanis and the Youth Climate Ambassadors. Jennifer Sheppard (Livingtapistries.com) kindly offered her graphic facilitation skills to enrich the final plenary session. The workshop notetakers and reporters at each discussion table did exemplary work, making the development of the initial content for this site possible. Thanks to Charles Hodgson for creating the audio file of the final plenary, and the Bayview Yards team for their professional assistance (Kayla, Lisa, Rowan, and Khadija). Special thanks go to Emilie Grenier of Ecology Ottawa for her behind the scenes work on logistics and the delicious (low-waste) food. Financial support for the November workshop was provided by The Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, Ecology Ottawa, the Healthy Transportation Coalition, the Federation of Citizen Associations and generous individual donors. Thanks to all.

This document was prepared in August, 2019 for presentation at the August 22 Joint meeting of the Joint Meeting of the Planning and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees by Daniel Buckles, Aaron Thornell, Janet Mason and Moe Garahan. Priority: Harness climate solutions as drivers for a cleaner, safer and healthier economy for both urban and rural Ottawa, by emphasizing local and regional economic integration and employment. Sourcing energy, food, fibre and recreational amenities locally and regionally are direct steps to reducing GHG emissions and circulating economic and employment gains within the region. Municipal governments in Canada are empowered to promote cleaner, safer, and healthier economies and enhance employment and new careers through a wide range and mix of policy measures. The climate emergency provides an opportunity for the City of Ottawa to innovate in this role by adopting a regional orientation to economic development that weaves together critical environmental services, land and water-based carbon capture and storage, and a greater degree of energy and food self-reliance. Producing more energy, food, fibre and recreational amenities locally and regionally helps build resilience in the face of climate-driven disruptions to economic networks, and multiplies the economic and employment gains of self-reliance with respect to basic human needs. We are well-placed to take this path. Ottawa is located at the confluence of three great rivers and connects to the many human and natural resources that make up the region (Ottawa Valley, eastern Ontario, western Quebec). Rural Ottawa is 80% of the city’s landmass, a natural asset for generating and sharing the benefits of nature-based innovation in our economy. Working together across urban, peri-urban and rural parts of the city and with the wider region offers significant economic opportunities for all and is our best option to avoid the worst consequences of global heating and ecological breakdown. Many people and ecosystems in many places are already experiencing severe impacts from a changing climate. Ottawa has been able to shelter itself from most but not all of these. Flooding and urban heat stress have become regular occurrences, climate change consequences that more severely affect people and groups with fewer economic possibilities for self-protection. The Official Plan can provide policy guidance in support of a safer, healthier and more resilient economy through ‘green and blue infrastructure’ such as decentralized energy grids, food storage, processing and distribution facilities, support to ecological services and a coordinated regional approach to disaster risk reduction and recovery. This is possible if we make use of the growing suite of existing financial, organizational and governance tools for equitable and inclusive services and create the economies of scale possible within the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area and broader region. The transition to a vibrant and innovative low-carbon economy can also make use of the multifunctional features of nature-based solutions, and the synergies and efficiencies created by planning and decision-making across departments and sectors within municipal administrations and between local and higher level governance structures, including local community groups and businesses. The following 4 policy actions for economic development can help make that happen. Acknowledge the Financial Value of Ecosystem Services Nature and properly-functioning ecosystems freely provide residents of Ottawa and the surrounding municipalities with a wide range of benefits including clean water and air, access to natural areas and greenspace, stormwater management, and biodiversity critical to agriculture and life on the planet. The existing rural and urban forests and wetlands of Ottawa and the Ottawa River Watershed are the ‘blue and green infrastructure’ that make economic activity possible and without a doubt the least expensive available form of protection from the worst consequences of climate change, including flood risk and severe heat island effects. Protecting these ecosystem services from irreversible harm should be of the highest priority in Ottawa’s Official Plan, and an economic development priority. Incentives for private land users and the designation of public lands as providers of critical ecosystem services are direct ways to value these services and would benefit from enabling regulations and tax benefits for hosting desirable land uses. As all Ottawa residents benefit from these services, tax breaks and payment for services from rural forests and wetlands is consistent with the benefit principle of public finance (beneficiaries pay). Street trees and trees on private property in urban and sub-urban areas also save money and are therefore net contributors to a cleaner, safer and healthier economy. Policy considerations in the Official Plan can recognize the economic development implications of regional ecosystem services on three related fronts: i) expenditure savings on energy, water management and health care; ii) new sources of municipal and private revenue; iii) insurance value in response to the risks of current and future consequences of climate change. Valuing these services appropriately and through a regional lens is fundamental to economic development. Enable Carbon Farming Carbon Farming is a significant new opportunity for cities to foster a transition to a low carbon economy and absorb historic emissions of greenhouse gases by creating new carbon sinks. It involves a wide range of reliable but underused agro-forestry practices that produce above-ground biomass in the form of trees and wetlands and below-ground biomass in the form of unsealed soils with high levels of organic matter. Cover crops, windbreaks/shelterbelts, reduced tillage, mulching and compost application, and community gardening are among many ways to farm carbon in the soil in urban, perii-urban and rural areas at a scale that can make a difference. The practices avoid carbon losses, increase water infiltration and evaporation capacities and provide access to food and natural materials close to home. More intensive tree planting in the city’s many open spaces that don’t compete with agriculture or housing can also create new carbon sinks. Farmland is dotted with gullies, field edges and thinly soiled lands presently cleared of major vegetation but well-suited to trees and shrubs. The combined ‘tree carrying capacity’ of urban and rural Ottawa has not yet been mapped but is certainly much greater than is currently the case, if managed with appropriate tree species and arboreal practices. Housing that makes even more intensive use of solid wood products as opposed to concrete can also add to the long term benefits of carbon farming. As with Ecosystem Services, the potential economic benefits of carbon farming are greatest for Ottawa’s extensive rural areas. These benefits can be recognized and supported through policy guidance in the Official Plan that makes use of the provincially mandated requirement to establish Employment Lands and Rural Employment Areas. The designation and active management on Employment Lands and in Rural Employment Areas of new forests and wetlands as spaces for carbon farming and energy production provide a mechanism for stimulating economic development and supporting new careers that can contribute to a cleaner, safer and healthier economy. Ottawa’s many post-secondary institutions and the practical business experience of farmers provides a solid technical basis for applying existing agro-forestry technologies and innovating with ways to optimize forest cover and soil carbon sequestration for economic gain. Urban and peri-urban populations can also benefit economically through expenditure savings on energy, water management and health care while also improving access to healthy food close to home. Estimates from a pilot project funded in the United States through its 2018 Farm Bill suggest that the practice of carbon farming can store carbon equivalent to 65 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide, helping to buy time for the rest of a global decarbonization agenda to be implemented. It also offers a form of ‘double insurance value’ by providing both long and short term benefits from richer, more productive soils that boost farm economies, improve resistance to drought, contribute to local resilience by locating more food production closer to the point of consumption, and helping municipalities with significant rural populations position themselves as innovative, forward-looking climate leaders. Organize Decentralized Energy Generation and Energy Efficiency The 2015 Energy Evolution Baseline Study found that only 17% of energy dollars spent by Ottawa residents, businesses, and institutions remained within the local economy, and only 5% of the energy consumed during 2015 was produced within the city’s boundaries. [1] The development of a local, decentralized energy grid in Ottawa, aligned with city-wide efforts in comprehensive energy efficiency, is a strategic plank for our city’s regional economic development. The need to decarbonize Ottawa’s energy sector, alongside transportation and built environment, is undeniable. The opportunities to develop a decentralized renewable energy grid and a decarbonized building stock rest with the city’s ability to bring together community organizations, homebuilders, home builders and managers, while also advocating at the provincial level for greater autonomy in directing decentralized grid development. The City of Ottawa has an important leadership role to play in continuing to build the city’s renewable energy infrastructure in a way that brings the benefits of reliable energy to all the residents of Ottawa. Ottawa’s Official Plan needs to support: - A transition to a regional and local, decentralized low carbon energy system in a way that maintains a focus on alleviating energy poverty , and sharing the economic benefits of the transition. - Public control of Hydro Ottawa by supporting democratic governance and a shift from a centralized provincial grid towards a system of regional and local generation and consumption. - Development and support of mechanisms that enable private equity investment in new capacity, prioritizing groups and individuals who demonstrate responsibility to the community, the environment, and workplace rights. [2] Community Economic Development Investment Funds and renewable energy co-operatives provide reliable governance and investment models . Renewable energy co-ops in particular have been shown to have a 2:1 local economic benefit, with, every $1 spent on local renewable energy projects resulting in $2 of local economic activity. [3] Decentralized energy generation and energy efficiency requires a regional orientation and high degree of cooperation with other municipalities and the provincial government. To achieve it’s potential the City should use the Official Plan to call on provincial energy regulators to reduce barriers for new players in renewable energy production. An example is to continue to advocate for re-establishing virtual net metering for solar energy revoked by the Ontario Government in October 2018. The revoked legislation would have allowed for third party net metering and virtual net metering pilot projects to go forward, including setting up demonstration sites. [4] Modernizing the grid (including the integration of storage solutions) offers another opportunity for the City to innovate in its work with Hydro Ottawa and electricity regulatory bodies to to ensure that grid constraint does not curtail the development of a decentralized grid. Support to widespread energy efficiency throughout Ottawa’s existing and planned built environment would improve home energy efficiency and impact positively on the regional economy where locally & regionally administered programs have been carried out. [5] This positive impact has been seen to extend beyond just the residential sector as well, including employment and GDP. [6] The Official Plan can also provide guidance for programs known in other jurisdictions as a Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program. This is a mechanism of financing critical energy efficiency/GHG reducing activities by homeowners. PACE allows homeowners to pay off energy-saving work (replacing electric baseboards with air-source heat pumps, major insulation to the building envelope, etc.) through marginal increases in their property taxes. These increases are offset by the energy saved on their utility bills, and are carried overp to future owners of the property. Policy guidance supporting a rapid transition to a decentralized grid brings public health and safety benefits as well. Power outages can be quickly resolved when we are not dependent on arterial transmission lines and major stations, but rather small, neighbourhood-based smart grids . The fragility of Ottawa’s centralized energy grid was highlighted in the wake of the 2018 tornadoes that struck Ottawa, Gatineau, and Dunrobin. During the storm, Ottawa’s Merivale main transmission station (one of two major energy nodes in the city) was damaged, resulting in a loss of power for an estimated 147,000 residents in the city for several days. [7] Many were also evacuated from hospitals which has lost power. Had the Hawthorne station alsobeen damaged, it is likely the consequences would have been even more severe. This photo illustrates the rigidity and vulnerability of our centralized grid. Plan for Nature-based Tourism and Recreation Tourism and recreation are mainstays of the Ottawa economy. It has many cultural attractions and year-round recreational opportunities including being one of the best places in the world to do white-water rafting and cross-country skiing. Hiking, biking, birding, sailing and swimming are ubiquitous and oft cited reasons why people choose to settle in Ottawa. A regional orientation to the further development of nature-based tourism and recreation offer a significant opportunity to support a cleaner, safer and healthier economy that also integrates rural and village Ottawa into the mix. A policy framework for land use in Ottawa could support a regional orientation to nature-based tourism and recreation that accomplishes two goals: 1. Within Ottawa, attract local residents beyond the Greenbelt - connect suburban/urban to rural areas with nature and recreation corridors, possibly using the hydro corridors to create a web of multi-use trails. 2. Globally, attract external visitors to experience a city and a region with high quality nature-based tourism and recreation. Some physical assets not yet fully appreciated include: Rural west - Fitzroy Provincial Park, Morris Island Conservation Area, sailing clubs, Carp Hills, South March Highlands (mountain biking), Greenbelt Suburban west - Carp River Living Classroom (3 km of trails by restored section of Carp River in Kanata). Rural south - Marlborough Forest, Rideau River, RVCA conservation areas, Greenbelt Rural east - Petrie Island, Mer Bleue, SNC conservation areas, Greenbelt Region - Gatineau Park, Ottawa River, Larose Forest. Rural villages can support these destinations by providing a place to begin and end outdoor recreation, with restaurants/food vendors, accommodation, equipment rentals, and guides/education). For example, the Village of Carp provides cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, boating, and is located on the north-south flight path of migratory birds. Wellness businesses in the village also connect people to natural areas - spas, eco-wellness, forest bathing, spiritual renewal. Educational opportunities also support business including eco-camps for kids and guided walks/tours that include a visit to a vineyard or spa. First Nations are also located nearby in the Ottawa valley and in Western Quebec where heritage, education, spiritual experiences can also support tourism and recreational business up and down the Ottawa River and its tributaries. Footnotes: Pg. 24 https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/energy_evol_phase1_en.pdf https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/405128/energy_democracy_an_essential_component_of_a_social_democracy http://www.trec.on.ca/wp content/uploads/2016/06/TREC_Primer_Jun28_Approved_Final-LR.pdf https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-1913 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00343404.2018.1490012#_i31 Pg. 20, http://cleanenergycanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TechnicalReport_EnergyEfficiency_20180403_FINAL.pdf https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/what-you-should-know-after-tornado-1.4834605

Priority: Transform transit hubs (Light Rail Train and major bus stations) into Community Hubs that connect people to the places they live and need to go. This implies a shift from the current commuter orientation of transit decision-making to a community-centred approach to connecting people, housing and active transportation networks. Policy Actions: Divert public land around transit stations into community land trusts with a mandate to support mixed use and deeply affordable housing. Fund the trusts through public land swaps and by capturing through taxes and development charges a reasonable portion of the higher land value created by public investment in transit. Pilot a Community Hub at Pimsi station with 70% of units managed as deeply affordable and/or intentional housing communities (co-housing, coop housing), funded in partnership with CMHC. Mandate buildings around transit stations to include 70% housing and 30% mixed use (including co-working spaces, grocery, cafes, libraries, child care, health care, public washrooms and public seating). Ensure that 40% of the housing units are deeply affordable. Link cycling and pedestrian pathways to all-season transit stations, with secure bike racks, ready access to bike-share and drop-off spaces for autonomous vehicles, taxis, and other collective modes of transportation. Allow parking underground but makes sure the terminus of a transit station is both walkable and pedestrian friendly. Implement city-wide cycling and pedestrian networks connected to public transit that better prioritize pedestrians, cyclists and public transit riders of all abilities. Better connect lower-income neighbourhoods to existing cycling, pedestrian and transit networks. Establish Class A maintenance standards for winter maintenance of sidewalks and other modes of active transportation. Create new infrastructure to better connect active transportation options between Ottawa and Gatineau. Linkages with other priorities: The transformation of transit stations into community hubs that connect people to the places they live and need to go links directly with efforts to improve the reach, affordability and reliability of a clean-technology public transportation system to reduce car use (see Transportation table discussions). Steps taken to create walkable and connected neighbourhoods are also key to reducing the impact of the transportation system on GHG emissions (see 15 minute neighbourhoods table discussion).