Ecology Ottawa

10/08/2026

2026 Municipal Election Voting Tips!

On October 26, 2026, voters across Ontario will elect their city councils, mayors, and school board officials for the next 4 years. Municipal governments in Ontario are responsible for a majority of the services and infrastructure that you encounter in your daily life. Many of these responsibilities can have huge impacts on our carbon footprint and climate resiliency, such as public transit, waste management, water and sewage, local zoning rules, and infrastructure, to mention just a few.

Check out our recent blog post for some tips on voting in municipal elections and details on when, where and how to vote early!

Learn more at www.ecologyottawa.ca/municipal_election_2026
Thanks to our volunteer, Madison Welke, for putting this information together.

10/07/2026

It was a delight joining the Vars community as they distributed native 200 saplings to residents—a brilliant way to mark National Forest Week and Bytown’s 200th.

We spoke at the gathering about the many incredible benefits of trees. In short, trees are some of the most incredible technology we know of—and yet we value them more when they’re cut down than when they’re offering all these benefits. The 200 distributed saplings will help reverse tree loss in and rebuild our canopy.



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Ce fut un véritable plaisir de nous joindre à la communauté de Vars alors qu’elle distribuait 200 jeunes arbres indigènes aux résidents — une façon géniale de souligner la Semaine nationale des forêts et le 200e anniversaire de Bytown.

Lors de ce rassemblement, nous avons parlé des nombreux avantages incroyables qu’offrent les arbres. En bref, les arbres comptent parmi les technologies les plus incroyables que nous connaissons — et pourtant, nous leur accordons plus de valeur lorsqu’ils sont abattus que lorsqu’ils nous procurent tous ces bienfaits. Les 200 jeunes arbres distribués contribueront à inverser la tendance à la disparition des arbres à Ottawa et à reconstituer notre couvert forestier.

CouvertForestier OttArbre OttVille

10/07/2026

Fall is flying by for Ecology Ottawa! We’re already down to our final two Trees for Today events for this year. We’re so grateful for everyone who’s joined us so far at our first 4 events this fall. Thanks to the generous support of Canadian Trees for Life, we’ve given away hundreds of trees and spent time with incredible volunteers across our beautiful city, including at the Hunt Club Fall Festival, West Barrhaven Community Corn Boil, Findlay Creek Community Clean Up; and the Alta Vista Farmer’s Market.

Come see us at our final two Trees for Today events!
1. Oct 10th - 10am to 2pm - Circular Economy Fair - Lansdowne Horticulture Building (1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa)
2. Oct 17th - 9am to 11am - Greater Avalon Community Tree Planting and Giveaway - Nantes Woods (2159 Nantes Street, Ottawa)

Pre-register for your free tree sapling(s) at www.ecologyottawa.ca/trees_for_today
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L’automne passe à toute vitesse pour Écologie Ottawa! Il ne nous reste déjà plus que nos deux derniers événements « Des arbres pour aujourd’hui » de l’année. Nous sommes très reconnaissants envers toutes les personnes qui se sont jointes à nous jusqu’à présent lors de nos quatre premiers événements de cet automne. Grâce au généreux soutien de Canadian Trees for Life, nous avons distribué des centaines d’arbres et passé du temps avec des bénévoles formidables partout dans notre belle ville, notamment au Festival d’automne du Hunt Club, au Fête du maïs communautaire de West Barrhaven, au nettoyage communautaire de Findlay Creek et au marché fermier d’Alta Vista.
Venez nous rencontrer lors de nos deux derniers événements « Des arbres pour aujourd’hui »!
1. Le 10 octobre – de 10 h à 14 h – Salon de l’économie circulaire – Édifice d’horticulture de Lansdowne (1525, chemin Princess Patricia, Ottawa)
2. Le 17 octobre – de 9 h à 11 h – Plantation communautaire et distribution d’arbres dans le quartier Greater Avalon – Bois de Nantes (2159, rue Nantes, Ottawa)
Inscrivez-vous à l’avance pour obtenir votre ou vos jeunes arbres gratuits à l’adresse www.ecologieottawa.ca/des_arbres_pour_aujourd_hui

10/06/2026

Did you know there are 6 different days you can vote in the upcoming municipal election?

Early voting has already started, with the last Advance Voting Day on October 16th and Election Day on Monday, October 26th!
Check out our blog post for details on where and when you can vote before the big day.
Learn more at ecologyottawa.ca/guide_to_voting_2026_municipal_election
Thanks to our volunteer, Madison Welke, for putting this information together.

10/05/2026

The results are out!

Our All-Candidate Environmental Survey's long awaited results are finally live.

We sent every mayoral and City Council candidate 10 questions on the environment — transit, the urban boundary, climate resilience, tree canopy, waste, emissions, biodiversity, and community participation. Most candidates have responded, and you can see exactly how the candidates in your ward answered—in their own words.

Results are organized by ward, with every candidate's answer grouped under each question, so you can easily compare how candidates in your neighbourhood stack up on the same issue.

Head to ecologyottawa.ca/all_candidates_survey_results_2026, find your ward, and read the full answers, not just a headline. The devil is in the details.
If you notice your candidate's answers are missing, this is because they did not participate in our survey. Check our survey launch page, and ask them directly: residents want to know where they stand too.

Ottawa votes on October 26 (with advance voting also possible): Remember to fight for the environment at the ballot box and make climate action a priority!
Thanks to our volunteer, Luana Schommer, for helping us behind the scenes to publish the results on our website.

10/02/2026

Please sign the petition to preserve McCarthy Woods!

✍🏽✍️✍🏿✍🏻Sign the petition!!!👩‍💻🧑🏽‍💻👨🏿‍💻👩🏻‍💻

Have you heard? Our beloved McCarthy Woods and its surrounding wetlands, shoreline and meadows are under threat! The ncc_ccn is fighting the cityofottawa at the Ontario Land Tribunal to rezone the land surrounding the Woods for development.

Raptors live in the Woods but they hunt in the meadows and wetlands and the shoreline. Destroy the corridor and we destroy the woods.

Nature is connected.

👉🏿👉🏼https://www.change.org/p/save-the-mccarthy-woods-nature-corridor👈👈🏽

Sign the petition, join our Corridor protectors team, send an email to yasirnaqvicdn, markjcarney, davidmcguinty, elizabethemay, stevenguilbeault

Learn more: www.osean.org/mccarthy

09/29/2026

Please join Nasrat Mateen from Ecology Ottawa to discuss how the decisions that shape emissions and climate resilience get made at City Hall, and what Ecology Ottawa is doing around the October 26 municipal election to move candidates on climate, with concrete actions the audience can take before voting day.
Register at link in our bio.

09/29/2026

September 30 is Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour the Indigenous children taken through the residential school system, along with their families and communities, and to recognize the harms that continue today.
This year, we're commemorating this day by lifting up the Indigenous people and organizations doing incredible work right here on unceded, unsurrendered Anishinàbe Algonquin territory.
Our latest newsletter shares ways to learn, engage, and support Indigenous-led organizations in Ottawa, this month and all year. It includes walking tours, free online learning, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's live commemorative gathering on September 30 at noon.
Read it here: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ecologyottawa/pages/16667/attachments/original/1790712493/National_Day_for_Truth_and_Reconciliation_2026.pdf?1790712493

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Le 30 septembre marque la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation au Canada, une journée dédiée à rendre hommage aux enfants autochtones qui ont été placés dans le système des pensionnats, ainsi qu’à leurs familles et à leurs communautés, et à reconnaître les préjudices qui perdurent encore aujourd’hui.
Cette année, nous commémorons cette journée en mettant à l’honneur les peuples et les organismes autochtones qui accomplissent un travail remarquable ici même, sur le territoire Anishinàbe-Algonquin non cédé et non abandonné.
Notre dernier bulletin d’information vous propose des façons d’apprendre, de vous engager et d’appuyer les organismes dirigés par des autochtones à Ottawa, ce mois-ci et tout au long de l’année. Vous y trouverez notamment des visites guidées à pied, des cours en ligne gratuits, ainsi que le rassemblement commémoratif en direct organisé par le Centre national pour la vérité et la réconciliation le 30 septembre à midi.
Lisez-le ici : https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ecologyottawa/pages/16667/attachments/original/1790712493/National_Day_for_Truth_and_Reconciliation_2026.pdf?1790712493

09/28/2026

Know a woman in business deserving of this award? Please nominate her! Please also share in your circle.

ZONTA CLUB OF OTTAWA, CANADA - EDUCATION AWARDS
$1000 CAD - ZONTA WOMEN IN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD - DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE SEPT. 23, 2026 - DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15, 2026
https://zontaottawa.ca/2026-zco-ca-applications/

09/28/2026

Know a woman in STEM deserving of this award? Please nominate her! Please also share in your circle.

ZONTA CLUB OF OTTAWA, CANADA - EDUCATION AWARDS
$1000 CAD - ZONTA WOMEN IN STEM AWARD - DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE SEPT. 23, 2026 - DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2027
https://zontaottawa.ca/2026-zco-ca-applications/