Ecology Ottawa is launching our Election 2010 campaign and we need your help! We’ve got eight months to make sure that all the candidates in Ottawa's upcoming municipal election hear from those of us that care about the environment and vote.

We will be challenging candidates to take positions on key local environmental issues, and we need you to help us write our questionnaire. Of the following issues and questions, which would you most want to hear your candidates address?

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* 1. 58% of Ottawa’s greenhouse gas emissions are associated with how we heat, cool and power our buildings and homes.

• If elected, will you support programs to help Ottawans save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing their energy consumption, and to increase their access to clean, renewable energy?
• Are you proposing any specific initiatives to achieve this goal?

Do you consider this question:

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* 2. Hydro Ottawa currently earns roughly $10 million dollars in profits every year. The generating stations owned by its subsidiary company Energy Ottawa Inc. produce certified low-impact, renewable energy, but this only covers 2% of Ottawa’s total energy consumption.

• If elected, will you support the reinvestment of Hydro Ottawa’s profits to fund programs to help low-income Ottawans conserve energy?

Do you consider this question:

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* 3. Will you support the reinvestment of Hydro Ottawa’s profits to increase the production of clean, renewable energy by Energy Ottawa Inc.?

Do you consider this question:

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* 4. Ottawa plans to spend $1.5 billion on roadways between 2008-2017. This includes $690 million for building new roads and widening existing roads—mainly to add new lanes for private vehicles. We are designing our city to encourage more car traffic, more pollution, and more sprawl.

• If elected, will you support a city-wide freeze on adding more road space for single-occupancy vehicles, and work to dramatically increase investments in more environmentally-friendly travel options, including public transportation, walking and cycling?

Do you consider this question:

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* 5. Last year, more than one billion tons of untreated sewage was dumped into our river system, and urban pollutants like chemicals and gasoline are continually running into local waterways in stormwater.

• If elected, what would you do to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows as well as stormwater pollution?

Do you consider this question:

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* 6. Ottawa has world class park space, unique biodiversity and more farmland than most of Canada’s major cities combined, but it also has runaway sprawl.

• If elected, what would you do to ensure that the greenbelt is preserved as a national treasure and expanded to protect wildlife corridors, wetlands, and biodiversity?

Do you consider this question:

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* 7. How would you increase support to Ottawa farms and sustainable local agriculture initiatives to increase local, low-impact production of organic food?

Do you consider this question:

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* 8. We need leadership from the public sector in transitioning to clean, renewable forms of energy for our city.

• If elected, would you support investing in a clean future by purchasing 100% low-impact renewable energy (ie., from EcoLogo certified sources) for all City of Ottawa public buildings?

Do you consider this question:

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* 9. Past city councils have said they want to support intensification, but Ottawa’s urban sprawl continues, resulting in less green space, loss of agricultural land, and more dependency on cars. This also makes our city less efficient, more polluting, and more expensive to operate.

• Would you commit to supporting a freeze of the urban boundary during your time in office?

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* 10. The province of Ontario just adopted one of the best policies in the world for promoting renewable energy. The feed-in tariff that was legislated through the Green Energy Act provides a guaranteed return on investment for many types of renewable energy generation, including small-scale projects like solar panels on homes and schools.

• If elected, what would you do to help Ottawans seize the opportunities associated with this ground-breaking policy?

Do you consider this question:

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* 11. In 2006 the City of Ottawa created the position of Environmental Commissioner to help ensure that the city remains focused on meeting its environmental goals. Unfortunately, the position was assigned to the existing City Manager, thus guaranteeing that there would be no independent oversight.

• If elected, would you support the appointment of a truly independent Environmental Commissioner?

Do you consider this question:

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* 12. 70% of Ottawa’s waste is produced by the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors, yet recycling rates in these sectors are lower than 20%.

• If elected, what would you do to ensure businesses do their fair share to reduce the amount of waste they produce and increase the amount of waste that gets recycled?


Do you consider this question:

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* 13. Write your own questions - What else do you want Ecology Ottawa to ask your candidates?

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* 14. Are you interested in being part of the elections effort by volunteering for Ecology Ottawa? If yes, please enter your name and contact information and put a check beside the task(s) you would like to work on:

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* 15. I want to help by:

 
 33% of survey complete.

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