Environment and Climate Change Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:

16

Date:

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Time:

9:30 A.m. - 3:30 P.m.

Location:

Andrew S. Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation

Present:

• Chair: Councillor Shawn Menard, 
• Vice-chair: Councillor Marty Carr, 
• Councillor David Brown, 
• Councillor Cathy Curry, 
• Councillor Sean Devine, 
• Councillor David Hill, 
• Councillor Theresa Kavanagh, 
• Councillor Rawlson King, 
• Councillor Matt Luloff, 
• and Councillor Tim Tierney 

Absent:

• Councillor Laine Johnson 
• and Councillor Wilson Lo 

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1.

Notices and meeting information for meeting participants and the public

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; in camera meeting procedures; information items not subject to discussion; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and remote participation details.

Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.

Except where otherwise indicated, reports requiring Council consideration will be presented to Council on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Environment and Climate Change Committee Report 16.

The deadline to register by phone to speak, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 4 pm on Monday, March 17, and the deadline to register to speak by email is 8:30 am on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

2.

Declarations of Interest

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.

Confirmation of Minutes

3.1

ECCC Minutes 15 - Tuesday, February 18, 2025

• Carried

4.

Presentations

4.1

Environmental Excellence Awards – 2024

Chair Menard and City Manager Wendy Stephanson welcomed nominees, the Senior Leadership Team and extended leadership team, who were present to recognize their staff’s efforts, to the 2024 Environmental Excellence Awards.  

The Chair read the list of nominees for the Internal Initiatives category and announced the winners; Steve Choules, Dan Dolliver, Frederic Doran, Paul D’Entremont, Brodie Erfle, Megan Farnel, Lynne Hammond, Brandon Maynard, Scott McIntyre, Colin McKee, Justin O’Keefe, Dan Phillips and Jenni Yuill for their work on From Rakes to Riches – Topsoil Pilot Project.  

The Chair then read the list of nominees for the Community category and announced the winners; Mario Baron, Kendra Hoskin, Rachael Jones, Delta Reuben, Laura Young for their work on Repair Café Events.

Award recipients received individual award certificates.  All nominees received Certificates of Nomination following the presentation.

On behalf of City Council, the City Manager and the Senior Leadership Team, Chair Menard expressed appreciation for the nominees’ work.

4.2

Green Fleet Strategy

Vice-Chair M. Carr introduced at Motion to allow the committee to receive the presentation, as noted below. The Motion was Carried.

Ms. Laila Gibbons, Director, Fleet Services, Finance and Corporate Services Department (FCSD) provided opening remarks. Ms. Alyssa Lancefield, Program Manager, Climate Mitigation, Strategic Initiative (SI), Mr. Neil Grandy, Manager, Fleet Maintenance and Technical Services (FCSD) and Ms. Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, Director, Climate Change and Resiliency, (SI) provided a presentation. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

Ms. Gibbons, Mr. Grandy and Mr. Cyril Rogers, General Manager FCSD, responded to questions. Following discussion on this item, the Committee Received the presentation.

The following written submissions were received by, and are filed with, the Office of the City Clerk, and distributed to Committee Members:

• Submission dated March 15, 2025 from R. Lyman

• Motion No. ECCC 2025-16-01
  Moved by M. Carr

  BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Environment and Climate Change Committee approve that the Rules of Procedure be waived subject to Subsection 83(4)(a) of the Procedure By-Law (being By-Law NO 2022-410) to receive a staff presentation on the Green Fleet Strategy.

  Carried

5.

Strategic Initiatives Department

5.1

Third-Party Infrastructure Agreement Report – Design and Construction of the Legget Drive Local Watermain

File No. ACS2025-SI-ED-0006 – Kanata North (4)

Mr. Scott Laberge, Manager, Linear Asset Management, Infrastructure and Water Services Department (IWS) and Mr. Krishon Walker, Planner II, Strategic Initiatives Department (SI) provided a presentation. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

Committee heard from the following public delegations:

• James Scott MacKillop*

[ * Individuals / groups marked with an asterisk above either provided comments in writing or by e-mail; all submissions are held on file with the City Clerk. ]

Following discussion on this item, the Committee Carried the report recommendations as presented.

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That Environment and Climate Change Committee recommend that Council:

  1. Authorize the City and delegate authority to the General Manager, Infrastructure and Water Services Department, to enter into a Third-Party Infrastructure Agreement with Nokia Canada Inc. for the design and construction of the local watermain along Legget Drive to an upset limit of $2,500,000.00 plus applicable taxes, in accordance with the Principles for Agreement set forth in Document 1 and with the final form and content being to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor; and
  2. Authorize the financial disbursement to reimburse the design and construction costs incurred by Nokia Canada Inc. pursuant to the to Third-Party Infrastructure Agreement, a maximum amount of $2,500,000.00 plus applicable taxes for the local watermain along Legget Drive, and in accordance with the reimbursement schedule set out in the Third-Party Infrastructure Agreement. 
  Carried

6.

In Camera Items

There were no in camera items.

7.

Motions of Which Notice has been Previously Given

7.1

Motion – Councillor R. King - Salt Use on Roads, Sidewalks and Multi-Use Paths in Ottawa

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0033 – City-wide

Note: The Councillor King Motion of which Notice was previously given at the 18 February 2025 Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting was replaced with the following revised motion pursuant to Subsection 59(5) of the Procedure By-law.

Ms. Tammy Rose, General Manager, Infrastructure and Water Services Department (IWS) and Mr. Alain Gonthier, General Manager, Public Works (PW), responded to questions. Following discussion on this item, the Committee Carried the Motion as presented.

• Moved by R. King

  WHEREAS road salt is widely used on roads, sidewalks, and multi-use paths in Ottawa to improve winter safety;

  WHEREAS excessive road salt use has been linked to environmental damage, including contamination of local waterways, groundwater, and soil, as well as negative impacts on infrastructure and ecosystems;

  WHEREAS organizations such as the Ottawa Riverkeeper and Ecology Ottawa have raised concerns regarding high chloride levels in Ottawa’s water systems and the long-term environmental consequences of road salt runoff;

  WHEREAS the City of Ottawa is committed to environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and the protection of local ecosystems;

  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City staff be directed to conduct a focused review of Ottawa’s road salt use, with a specific emphasis on its environmental impact, particularly its effects on local waterways; and

  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff report back on the following:

  1. The measures taken by the City’s Public Works department to ensure salt application aligns with environmental and climate change considerations while maintaining public safety;
  2. Any assessments conducted on the environmental impact of current salt use levels and the mitigation strategies in place;
  3. The methods used to monitor the impact of road salt on Ottawa’s waterways, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater;
  4. The steps taken to mitigate salt runoff into waterways and whether the City filters salt-infused snow at municipal snow dumps to minimize environmental contamination; 
  5. The feasibility of incorporating road salt management into the Ottawa River Action Plan, given the documented concerns regarding chloride contamination in waterways;
  6. That the City’s Salt Management Plan be made available online for public access and transparency.
  Carried

8.

Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

There were no Notices of Motion.

9.

Inquiries

9.1

Invasive Plants

Vice-Chair M. Carr - Inquiry ECCC-2025-01

In Fall 2021, delegations at the Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management expressed support for the development of an invasive plant program. An inquiry was submitted on the staff costs for a coordinator program, followed by a motion in April 2022 to consider this position for the 2023 budget. Although funding was not secured, some progress has been made within Forestry Services to support community efforts for invasive plant removal and stewardship of land. These include:

• Development of a process for Forestry Stewardship Agreements with insured community groups, 12 of which are now in place across the City (two are within the Alta Vista ward) 
• Pilot for allowance of removal of two invasive species: dog-strangling vine and buckthorn (both common and glossy) 
• Consideration for invasive species removal in other city policy (e.g. providing yellow bags to groups with a stewardship agreement who cannot meet three bag limit)

As processes to support invasive plant removal in the City have improved, so has the proliferation of invasive plant species and the desire for community participation. 

Could staff please provide detail on what the resource implications would be of adding the following enhancements to the existing program, as well as commenting on their feasibility:

• Expanding the invasive plant species that can be collected under Stewardship Agreements to include species such as garlic mustard, periwinkle and goutweed 
• Providing an Invasive Species Reporting Form for the public, such as is used in the City of Mississauga or leveraging an existing platform such as iNaturalist
• Undertaking a mapping exercise to document invasive plant species and their pervasiveness 
• Updating website content to include information on the current program elements in place, projects that are underway and greater educational tools
• Developing a stewardship program such as the Toronto Nature Stewards, where the expertise of existing volunteers with demonstrated knowledge can be leveraged

 

9.2

Consolidated Webpage for Waste information

Councillor T. Tierney - Inquiry ECCC 2025-02

Can the City of Ottawa create a single one-stop, easy-to-find webpage that consolidates information on ALL waste disposal options, including hazardous waste depot pickups run by the City, as well as electronic waste, hazardous waste and other disposal services offered by private companies?

10.

Other Business

There was no other business.

11.

Adjournment

Next Meeting

Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

The meeting adjourned at 11:53 am.