3.            Choosing our Future LONG-TERM PLANS

 

                PLANS À LONG TERME DE Choisir Notre Avenir

 

 

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

 

That Council receive the final results of the joint planning initiative of the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission, specifically the Sustainability and Resilience Plan, Energy and Emissions Plan, and Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan, as attached as Documents 3, 4, and 5.

 

 

RECOMMANDATION DU COMITÉ

 

Que le Conseil de prendre connaissance des résultats finaux de l’initiative de planification élaborée conjointement par la Ville d’Ottawa, la Ville de Gatineau et la Commission de la capitale nationale, en particulier du Plan de développement durable et de résilience, du Plan relatif à l’énergie et aux émissions et du Plan de prévention et d’atténuation des risques ci-joints comme documents 3, 4 et 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENTATION :

 

1.                  Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability report dated 14 February 2012(ACS2012-ICS-CSS-0005);

 

2.         Extract of Draft Minute 21 February 2012.

 


 

Report to/Rapport au :

 

Environment Committee

Comité de l’environnement

and Council / et au Conseil

 

14 February 2012 / le 14 février 2012

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Michael Murr, Manager/Gestionnaire, Sustainability Services/Services de Viabilité, Community Sustainability Department/Services de Viabilité des collectivités

(613) 580-2424 x25195, michael.murr@ottawa.ca

 

City-Wide/ a l’échelle de la ville

Ref N°: ACS2012-ICS-CSS-0005

 

SUBJECT:

Choosing our Future LONG-TERM PLANS

 

 

OBJET :

PLANS À LONG TERME DE Choisir Notre Avenir

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Environment Committee recommend Council receive the final results of the joint planning initiative of the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission, specifically the Sustainability and Resilience Plan, Energy and Emissions Plan, and Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan, as attached as Documents 3, 4, and 5.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité de l’environnement recommande au Conseil de prendre connaissance des résultats finaux de l’initiative de planification élaborée conjointement par la Ville d’Ottawa, la Ville de Gatineau et la Commission de la capitale nationale, en particulier du Plan de développement durable et de résilience, du Plan relatif à l’énergie et aux émissions et du Plan de prévention et d’atténuation des risques ci-joints comme documents 3, 4 et 5.

 

 


 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Assumptions and Analysis

 

Choosing our Future (CoF) is an initiative of the City of Ottawa, in partnership with the City of Gatineau and National Capital Commission, to guide Canada’s Capital Region towards a more liveable and prosperous future.  Inspired by goals related to economic prosperity, social well-being, culture and identity, and a healthy environment, the initiative has produced plans designed to respond to the challenges of the 21st century and better position the region to thrive in a changing world.

 

The purpose of this report is to present three long-range plans that have been created as the culmination of the initiative. They are as follows.

 

·         A Plan for Sustainability and Resilience in Canada’s Capital Region: an over-arching plan that identifies a long-term vision and a set of goals to 2060 to position the region for economic, social, cultural and environmental success.  The plan proposes strategies, actions and catalyst projects the Partners could implement to achieve these goals.

 

·         An Energy and Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region: a sub-plan of the Sustainability and Resilience Plan that focuses on strategies for reducing energy consumption and increasing our supply of renewable energy; and

 

·         A Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan for the City of Ottawa: a sub-plan that assesses the long-term risks to our communities, such as extreme weather events, rising energy prices and food security.  The sub-plan describes how the strategies in the Sustainability and Resilience Plan mitigate or prevent these risks.  The plan also considers the vulnerabilities we may still face and recommends additional measures for Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program.

 

Taken together, these plans are designed to help ensure that the City of Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region remain prosperous and that its residents enjoy a high quality of life for generations to come.

 

This report highlights a number of significant project milestones achieved since 2009, key reference materials developed, including the 2011 Sustainability Baseline that provides a current snapshot of our sustainability as a region, and the consultation and engagement activities that have been used to inform and finalize these plans.

 

The plans are proposed to be put into practice through various means described in the implementation section of this report. For the City of Ottawa, this includes activities related to the Corporate Planning Framework, strategic planning, near-term actions, catalysts projects, risk prevention and mitigation, sustainability self assessment, sustainability at the neighbourhood level, and reporting on progress.

 


 

Legal Implications

 

There are no legal impediments to implementing the recommendation in this report.

 

Risk Management Implications

 

There are no risk management impediments to implementing any of the recommendations in this report.

 

Technical Implications

 

The Choosing our Future report refers to potential technical requirements and/or modifications though the use of web technology and social media tools.  Further discussion will be required in order to determine the level of impact the report will have on Information Technology Services (ITS) resources as well as assessing associated costs.  A detailed business case may need to be evaluated through the City of Ottawa’s Portfolio Value Management process for IT investments, in advance of any planned implementation.  ITS cannot commit to the potential work identified in this report at this time; however, ITS will work with Community Sustainability during the development phase of the program to further determine potential needs.

 

Financial Implications

 

There are no direct financial implications. Over time, the sample actions and catalyst projects identified in the plans will be considered by City departments as part of the development of their annual work plans and priorities. Suitable actions and projects can also be considered during the establishment of future Term of Council priorities and long-range financial planning. In the longer term, many of the strategies outlined in the plans, particularly those that relate to growth and development, infrastructure, and energy also have the potential to reduce the overall financial burden on the City.

 

Public Consultation/Input

 

Public consultation and engagement has been a cornerstone of the initiative since its launch in 2008. Community Sustainability staff has engaged stakeholders through a variety of approaches including full-day public events, a focus group, and consultations and meetings with stakeholders and subject experts.  Social media and the project website provided venues for activities such as an on-line ideas campaign and an awareness video to spark interest and involvement.

 

Further, key stakeholders from economic, environmental, social and cultural sectors have been involved in consultations and engagement activities. These include BIAs, the development industry, conservation and community associations, the arts community, the Francophone community, the Aboriginal community, youth and seniors, and representatives from the education, recreation, and health sectors among others.

 


 

RÉSUMÉ

 

Hypothèses et analyse

 

Choisir notre avenir est une initiative de la Ville d’Ottawa, en partenariat avec la Ville de Gatineau et la Commission de la capitale nationale, visant à guider la région de la capitale du Canada vers un avenir plus viable et plus prospère.  S’inspirant d’objectifs tels que la prospérité économique, le mieux‑être collectif, la culture, l’identité et la qualité de l’environnement, les plans proposent des stratégies qui s’attaquent aux défis du 21e siècle et qui permettront à la région de prospérer dans un monde en constante évolution.

 

Voici les trois plans à long terme qui ont été créés dans le cadre de l’initiative :

 

·         Plan de développement durable et de résilience est un plan global qui présente une vision à long terme et un ensemble d’objectifs à atteindre d’ici 2060 et qui outille la région pour qu’elle prospère sur les scènes économique, sociale, culturelle et environnementale. Ce plan propose des stratégies, des mesures et des projets catalyseurs que les partenaires peuvent mettre en œuvre pour atteindre les objectifs établis.

 

·         Plan relatif à l’énergie et aux émissions est un plan complémentaire à celui de la durabilité et de la résilience qui présente des stratégies visant à réduire la consommation d’énergie et à multiplier les sources d’approvisionnement en énergie renouvelable.

 

·         Plan de prévention et d’atténuation des risques pour la Ville d’Ottawa est un autre plan complémentaire au premier plan qui évalue les risques à long terme que courent nos collectivités, comme les phénomènes météorologiques extrêmes, la hausse du prix de l’énergie et l’innocuité alimentaire. Ce plan décrit les moyens d’atténuation et de prévention prévus au Plan de développement durable et de résilience. Il tient également compte de nos vulnérabilités et contient des recommandations sur les mesures supplémentaires à ajouter au Programme municipal de gestion des situations d’urgence d’Ottawa.

 

Ensemble, ces plans sont conçus pour assurer la prospérité de la Ville d’Ottawa et de la région de la capitale nationale et l’excellente qualité de vie des générations à venir.

 

Ce rapport présente aussi les étapes marquantes qui ont été franchies depuis 2009 et traite des principaux documents de référence produits dans le cadre de l’initiative. Parmi ces documents, notons le plan de référence sur la durabilité élaboré en 2011, qui offre un aperçu actuel de la durabilité de notre région, ainsi que les activités de consultation et de mobilisation, qui ont permis d’éclairer et de peaufiner les trois plans.

 

Les plans pourront être mis en pratique à l’aide de divers instruments, comme l’indique la section de ce rapport consacrée à la mise en œuvre. Pour la Ville d’Ottawa, il s’agira d’activités s’inscrivant dans le Cadre de planification municipale, la planification stratégique, les actions à court terme, les projets catalyseurs, les mesures de prévention et d’atténuation des risques, l’autoévaluation de la viabilité, la viabilité des quartiers et les rapports d’étape.

 

Répercussions sur le plan juridique

 

Il n’y a aucun obstacle juridique à la mise en œuvre des recommandations du présent rapport.

 

Répercussions sur la gestion des risques

 

Il n’y a aucune entrave en matière de gestion du risque à la mise en œuvre des recommandations du présent rapport.

 

 

Répercussions techniques

 

Le rapport de Choisir notre avenir évoque la présence potentielle d’exigences ou de modifications d’ordre technique en raison de l’utilisation d’Internet et des médias sociaux. Il faudra discuter des répercussions que ce rapport aura sur les ressources des services de technologie de l’information (TI) et évaluer les coûts afférents. Une analyse de rentabilisation détaillée pourra s’avérer nécessaire dans le cadre du processus de gestion de la valeur du portefeuille de la Ville d’Ottawa pour les investissements en TI avant d’amorcer toute démarche prévue de mise en œuvre. À l’heure actuelle, le personnel des services de TI ne peut évaluer la charge de travail potentielle dont fait état le présent rapport, mais il travaillera avec le personnel chargé de la viabilité des collectivités durant la phase d’élaboration du programme afin de déterminer les besoins potentiels.

 

Répercussions financières

 

Il n’y a aucune répercussion financière directe. Au fil du temps, les actions types et les projets mobilisateurs définis dans les plans seront examinés par les services municipaux dans le cadre de l’élaboration de leurs plans de travail annuels et de leurs priorités. Des mesures et des projets appropriés seront également pris en considération durant l’établissement des futures priorités du mandat du Conseil et la planification financière à long terme. Bon nombre des stratégies exposées dans les plans, notamment celles liées à la croissance et au développement, à l’infrastructure et à l’énergie, permettront fort probablement de réduire le fardeau financier général de la Ville à plus long terme.

 

Consultation publique et commentaires

 

Depuis son lancement en 2008, l’initiative repose essentiellement sur la consultation et l’engagement du public. C’est pourquoi le personnel chargé de la viabilité des collectivités a incité le public à s’engager par toutes sortes de moyens, y compris par la tenue d’événements publics, de consultations et de rencontres avec des intervenants et des experts du milieu, ainsi que de groupes de discussion. Les médias sociaux et le site Web du projet ont fourni une plateforme pour certaines activités, notamment la campagne de participation à grande échelle et la vidéo de sensibilisation.

 

Les principaux intervenants qui ont participé aux activités de consultation représentaient divers milieux des secteurs économiques, environnementaux, sociaux et culturels, dont les ZAC, l’industrie de l’aménagement, la jeunesse et les aînés, les organismes communautaires et de conservation, la communauté artistique, francophone et autochtone, l’éducation, les loisirs et la santé.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Since 2008, the City of Ottawa has been working in partnership with the City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission on Choosing our Future, an innovative joint planning initiative to guide Canada’s Capital Region towards a more liveable and prosperous future.  This initiative was born out of an agreement by the Tripartite National Planning Committee that Canada’s Capital Region must function as a sustainable economic and environmental unit.  Choosing our Future provides a common framework for the three Partners—a shared guide to long-term strategies and suggested near-term actions and catalyst projects. The initiative has also been financially supported by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, the J. W. McConnell Foundation/The Natural Step, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

 

Ensuring long-term prosperity and quality of life is a critical issue for municipalities everywhere as they face the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, including:

 

·                     A growing and changing population;

·                     A shifting global economy;

·                     Technological changes;

·                     A changing climate;

·                     Resource scarcity and rising energy prices;

·                     Affordability of municipal services; and

·                     Sudden shocks such as earthquakes and floods.

 

With the completion of this initiative, the City will join many other municipalities that have developed long-term plans as a way to inspire, imagine and design the future for their residents. Across Canada, major cities including Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax have developed sustainability plans. While each municipality’s experience has been unique, they share a common interest in looking beyond the time horizons of conventional plans to the 50-year or 100-year horizon, when many of the forces of change will have had a full effect on our economy, society, culture and environment. While sustainability plans look to the long-term future, the near-term measures they identify respond to many of today’s public issues and have the potential to reduce infrastructure costs, make more efficient use of tax revenues and increase public trust and confidence. 

 

Process to Develop the Plans

 

A five-step process was used to develop the plans:

 

1)      Defining the Challenge – exploration of the issues, challenges and opportunities that the future will likely bring, drawing on a series of Forces and Foundation Papers. More than 100 community leaders attended a full-day Futures Forum to hear an expert panel and debate the issues;

 

2)      Establishing our Vision – creation of a vision and set of goals and principles that describe long-term success for the region, and how we should act to reach our goals;

 

3)      Exploring Opportunities – development of potential strategies for achieving our goals, as well as energy modeling to understand the impact of our choices on future energy use and emissions;

 

4)      Choosing our Path Forward –  best practices in North America were featured in discussion papers, and were refined and adapted to the regional context through workshops with the Partners’ staff and experts from the community; and

 

5)      Developing our Plan for Action – combining all the work together in the form of the three draft plans presented in this report.

 

Major Project Milestones

 

The initiative has achieved several major milestones since the last report to committee in April 2009 (Ref # ACS2009-ICS-CSS-0025). Highlights include:

 

·         Developed a set of guiding principles and long-term goals that were communicated to City Councillors, received by the Tripartite National Capital Planning Committee, and released publically (Feb/Mar 2010);

 

·         Identified key challenges for each sustainability goal and the key assets that could be leveraged to overcome them (Feb 2010).

 

·         Conducted a Vulnerability Analysis and an Alternative Futures Workshop to define future areas of risk (July 2010);

 

·         Assembled a robust and credible set of information to support computer modeling of energy use and emissions (2010);

 

·         Completed a Sustainability Baseline Report which includes indicators that can be used to measure progress towards our long-term goals (July 2011);

 

·         Produced a series of ten in-depth Strategy Discussion Papers on topics ranging from urban growth to energy, mobility, natural systems, solid waste, agriculture, social and cultural development, water, and the economy (July 2011); and

 

·         Embedded the long-term goals (Document 1) in the City’s Corporate Planning Framework in order to guide term of Council priorities by ensuring that consideration is given to long-term impacts on Ottawa’s economic prosperity, culture and identity, environmental health and social well-being (July 2011).

 

Further information on two major resources produced in the last six months is provided below, as well as information on community outreach, awareness and input.

 

2011 Sustainability Baseline

 

A 2011 sustainability baseline was established to create a foundation for the three plans and to develop indicators to measure our progress towards the long-term goals articulated in these plans.  The document, entitled 2011 Sustainability Baseline (Document 2), provides a current snapshot of our sustainability as a region.

 

The baseline reports on sixteen key sustainability indicators such as education, housing affordability, and greenhouse gas emissions.  The indicators were selected because they reflect activities that the partners can potentially change or influence; relate to the sustainability goals; and have measurable data that are available, easily accessed, and consistently reliable. Each indicator is described on a scale of ‘improve’, ‘continue to improve’ and ‘celebrate’, based on a comparison to our past performance or the performance of other Canadian metropolitan areas.

 

Overall, Canada’s Capital Region has cause to celebrate its current achievements, but improvements in many areas need to continue if we are to achieve our goals. In some cases, we are doing well locally, but not globally when compared to international cities or standards.

 

The baseline is expected to evolve over time and additional data will be used as part of the monitoring process, to reflect goal achievement. 

 

Strategy Discussion Papers

 

A set of ten discussion papers was created to describe the key strategic areas, such as mobility, solid waste, natural systems, and culture where the Partners have the ability to influence or make decisions to reach long-term goals.

 

Each discussion paper describes key challenges in the area, current plans and programs, and a range of Best Practice strategies that could be adopted in the region to address the challenges and make progress towards the goals.  The papers provided the basis for a rich discussion among staff and members of the community, the results of which have been incorporated into the plans.

 

Community Outreach, Awareness and Input

 

Since its launch in 2008, the initiative has benefitted from keen stakeholder interest and community involvement in the definition of challenges, establishment of goals, and ultimately, the development of strategies and ideas for action. In total, public awareness and engagement activities have provided a reach of well over 600,000 “touch-points” with members of community organizations, business and public sector representatives, residents and others.  Activities have included:

 

·         Major public events including a design charette, a week of sustainability events and speakers, and a Sustainability Summit with community leaders;

·         Consultations and meetings with  staff , community organizations, development industry, academics and subject experts;

·         A focus group on the proposed plan content with a cross-section of participants;

·         Outreach through community networks and events;

·         The “Have a Say!” campaign on the project website to generate ideas for action;

·         An awareness video entitled “Our Choices Today, Create our Tomorrow” on the website and on YouTube; and

·         Spreading the word through social media.

 

Further, key stakeholders from economic, environmental, social and cultural sectors have been involved in consultations and engagement activities. These include BIAs, the development industry, conservation and community associations, the arts community, the Francophone community, the Aboriginal community, youth and seniors, and representatives from the education, recreation, and health sectors among others.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

This section describes the three long-range plans and how the City of Ottawa, the City of Gatineau, and the National Capital Commission will use this information to advance its sustainability program.

 

Sustainability and Resilience Plan

 

A Plan for Sustainability and Resilience in Canada’s Capital Region is an over-arching plan that identifies a long-term vision and a set of goals to 2060 that speak to the economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability (Document 3).  A set of strategies outline the broad directions to be pursued to achieve the goals, and support decision-making to better secure prosperity and quality of life over the coming years.

 

The vision for the region is:

 

“Quality of life.  Quality of Place.  Today and for the future.”

 

We aspire to a future where the outstanding quality of life we are known for can be maintained indefinitely without undermining the health and stability of our natural systems. We are committed to creating a future where people can flourish through a strong economy and a vibrant, creative culture and where our relationship with the natural world is one of respect and responsible stewardship.

 

This vision is supported by twelve goals (Document 1) developed collaboratively by the project team and the community.

 


 

Strategies

 

The core of the plan is a set of strategies, organized in ten thematic areas, which can be pursued now and well into the future.

 

1)      Manage Growth and Development

It is projected that over the next fifty years, the region’s population will grow by approximately 50%, reaching 1.8 million by 2060. The following strategies will ensure that the region can accommodate this growing population along with the necessary jobs and businesses while keeping energy and infrastructure costs in check and protecting farmland, natural systems and rural areas:

 

·      Maintain a compact region;

·      Build complete neighbourhoods and communities;

·      Redevelop office areas on the rapid transit system, including federal office complexes, as mixed-use areas;

·      Retrofit the suburbs;

·      Protect the integrity of rural areas;

·      Improve Greenfield development;

·      Encourage design excellence; and

·      Increase housing choice and affordability.

 

2)      Encourage Sustainable Mobility

How we travel around the region affects our pocketbook, our health and our quality of life. With complementary development, investments in transit, cycling paths and well-designed sidewalks and public spaces can increase our use of transit, walking and cycling while reducing the total public cost of travel. New vehicle technologies as well as the promotion of traffic demand management techniques such as flex-time work scheduling, teleworking, carpooling and car sharing can also help improve local air quality and reduce gridlock. Strategies we can pursue to achieve this include:

 

·      Integrate land use and transportation systems;

·      Expand mobility options;

·      Improve interprovincial connections; and

·      Facilitate the transition to vehicles using alternative power.

 

3)      Encourage High Performance Buildings and Renewable Energy

Buildings use 75% of the energy consumed in the region and oil prices are predicted to rise somewhere between 40% to 130% by 2020. Strategies to make buildings more efficient and keep energy spending under control include:

 

·      Strengthen retrofit opportunities in residential and non-residential buildings;

·      Improve energy and emission performance of new buildings;

·      Promote small-scale renewable energy projects;

·      Facilitate development of district energy that is cost effective, low emission, and high efficiency; and

·      Examine opportunities to develop large-scale renewable energy projects.

 

4)      Protect and Restore Green and Natural Systems

Ensuring the integrity of the region’s natural heritage will require careful growth management as well as strategies to:

 

·      Continue to conserve large natural areas and strengthen connections between them;

·      Continue to build a greenspace network in villages and urban areas;

·      Promote habitat restoration and species recovery; and

·      Control the spread of invasive species.

 

5)      Protect Water and Manage Infrastructure

The region is blessed with abundant water resources and the Ottawa River provides good‑quality water to municipal drinking water systems. Future risks include extreme weather events related to a changing climate. In addition, recent studies have indicated the importance of managing growth related infrastructure to ensure municipal costs and taxes are kept under control. Strategies include:

 

·      Protect the sources of our drinking water;

·      Improve the resiliency of urban watersheds;

·      Increase energy efficiency and water conservation; and

·      Account for the lifecycle costs of infrastructure.

 

6)      Nurture Culture and Identity

The diversity of cultures, rich arts and built heritage and sense of place are some of the region’s strongest assets. To nurture these assets we should:

 

·      Design and build creative cities that foster innovation;

·      Cultivate cultural leadership and partnerships;

·      Use public art and the built environment to strengthen sense of place; and

·      Foster a sense of connection and belonging.

 

7)      Support Social Development

The region must be a place that supports the health, opportunity and basic needs of its people. Strategies that can ensure long-term success include:

 

·      Focus on prevention of health and social problems;

·      Increase community-based initiatives;

·      Improve social inclusion, engagement and participation; and

·      Promote flexible and adaptable use of space.

 

8)      Build a Sustainable Economy

The region is already a leader in innovation and high technology.  Strategies that could help the region continue to lead the way in sustainable economic development include:

 

·      Lead the greening of businesses and other organizations;

·      Attract new businesses, industries and other organizations that are at the leading edge of sustainability;

·      Better integrate business within communities;

·      Enhance support to local businesses, organizations and social enterprise; and

·      Explore different ways of measuring economic and overall success for the region.

 

9)      Manage Solid Waste and Materials

The region currently diverts almost 40% of residential waste. We can build on this success through the following strategies:

 

·      Focus on reducing waste generation as our first priority;

·      Aggressively divert residential waste to recycling, composting and re-use facilities; and

·      Increase the municipal role in waste reduction and diversion in the Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (ICI) sector.

 

10)  Support Local Food and Agriculture

As the world population grows and energy prices increase we may continue to experience rises in food prices that out-pace the rate of inflation. To better ensure affordability, increase local resilience as well as bolster the region’s cultural and economic success, the following strategies can be applied:

 

·      Protect agricultural land;

·      Advance local food economies;

·      Support new farmers;

·      Celebrate food;

·      Grow and process food in villages and the urban area;

·      Make sure everyone has enough nutritious food to eat; and

·      Increase food system efficiencies.

 

These strategies can also be supported by a range of sample actions and several catalyst projects that can be pursued by the project partners over the coming years, as described in the plan.  Recommended projects for the City of Ottawa to pursue will be brought forward for approval in the future.

 


 

Energy and Emissions Plan

 

An Energy and Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region focuses on strategies for reducing energy consumption and increasing our supply of renewable energy (Document 4).  It provides information about strategies to improve energy efficiency in existing and new buildings and to create renewable energy in individual buildings and larger developments.

 

The plan recognizes that a sustainable energy future presents not only challenges but also significant benefits for a more sustainable and resilient region in the future. Many of the potential actions that reduce energy use and reliance on fossil fuels have important co-benefits for citizens such as cleaner air, more active lifestyles, more complete communities, economic prosperity, and a more secure energy supply.

 

In the medium term, there are significant opportunities to reduce energy consumption and promote renewable energy, which together, will help to reduce associated GHG emissions in the region.  The plan models the potential effects of these strategies along with strategies for more sustainable waste management, urban growth and active mobility in the region.

 

The models were created using the Community Energy and Emissions Modeling and Planning Tool (CEEMAP).  CEEMAP is based on several dynamic, interactive models that incorporate key variables that drive and constrain energy use and GHG emissions.  These models create a picture of land use and transportation, distributing population, housing and employment throughout the region.  Assumptions are also made about the mix of housing, building energy efficiency, energy supply and waste management in order to estimate energy consumption.  In this light, the modeling illustrates a future – based on current initiatives and best practices consistent with those in the Sustainability and Resilience Plan – that could attain a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020 compared with 2007 and 40% by 2060.

 

While this reduction could be achieved with different combinations of strategies, the modelling for the Energy and Emissions Plan indicates the kinds of performance results which would lead to these reduction levels. The modelling also indicates that a 40% reduction by 2060 is attainable based on known technologies and government policies.  Deeper reductions which exceed 40% beyond 2020 would rely on developments which are currently only speculative.  Municipalities will need to adapt to these kinds of advances in terms of corporate and community action, and continuously improve municipal programs and revise goals as the future unfolds.

 

The Plan also recognizes the need to address urban form and land use along with the more traditional energy considerations involved in buildings, energy supply, and transportation.  This integrated approach takes advantage of the opportunities and synergies between the different ways we use energy and what drives energy use.

 

Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan

 

Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan for Ottawa, also a sub-plan of the Sustainability and Resiliency Plan, combines sustainability planning with long-term risk management (Document 5). It assesses the effects of long-term risks on our communities and describes how the Sustainability and Resilience Plan mitigates or prevents them. It then considers the vulnerabilities we may still face and recommends additional measures for Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program.

 

The Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan is born out of Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act requirement that each municipality develop an emergency program that includes four core components: mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. For this reason, this plan focuses on prevention and mitigation more specifically for the City of Ottawa. However, it is applicable to the entire region.

 

This plan complements Ottawa’s Vulnerability Analysis, which examined the probability, consequence and response capabilities for a list of potential threats in the short term. Every five years, the Security and Emergency Management Branch reviews and updates its short-term vulnerability analysis. This periodic update helps to identify the degree to which identified vulnerabilities have manifested themselves as risks within the region, and will be used to identify the need to accelerate additional preventive or mitigation measures.

 

Based on short-term vulnerabilities, the sustainability path, and long-term prevention and mitigation strategies, the City of Ottawa will develop its Mitigation Program.  Key elements of the program will include areas such as:

 

·   Critical Infrastructure Identification Study, to identify infrastructure systems such as water, telecom, and natural gas and their vulnerabilities associated with more severe weather events, a larger population, greater densification and terrorist threats.  The study will be used to ensure adequate funding for the renewal and maintenance of critical infrastructure;

· Emergency Services Response capability review including plans for large scale evacuation to address dense urban areas; and

· Climate Change Adaptation Plan to anticipate climate related changes and propose measures to avoid or reduce these impacts.

 

Activities that arise out of the Risk Plan will be led by the Security and Emergency Management Branch, Emergency and Protective Services Department.  Development of the Mitigation Program will be done in conjunction with other corporate planning initiatives over time.

 

How will the plans be used?

 

The three plans are designed to provide a unifying framework for the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission and assist them with major decisions about policies, projects, plans, and programs.  Each of the Partners will lead implementation efforts within their own organizations and jurisdictions, while recognizing the benefits collaboration can yield.

 

For the City of Ottawa, the plans can be used in several different ways as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

The Energy and Emissions Plan also recommends potential catalyst projects, as well as cross-cutting measures to strengthen awareness of the energy implications of public decision-making. The cross-cutting measures include integration of energy and emissions in all scales of land use and transportation planning; increased education, outreach to community partners and capacity development in the public and private sectors.

 

·         Risk Prevention and Mitigation - The Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan recommends undertaking studies and implementing strategies the City (and its Partners) can implement to reduce the likelihood or severity of longer-term risks facing the region. These studies and strategies will be reviewed by the appropriate municipal departments and included in updates of master plans or policies, and be used specifically for the development of the Mitigation Program.

 

·         Sustainability Lens and Self–assessment Process - Community Sustainability will develop a sustainability lens and  self-assessment process that departments can use to evaluate whether individual programs, policies or services move the corporation and the community towards our long-term goals and strategic direction. Similar tools have been developed in other cities to evaluate the sustainability of development proposals, budget decisions or use of municipal land. The tool will be tested as a pilot in several departments and evaluated by pilot participants before a recommendation is made regarding its long-term use.

 

·         Sustainability at the Neighbourhood Level - The Corporate Planning Framework identifies the development and implementation of the Neighbourhood Sustainability Program, another implementation vehicle for the actions and strategies identified in the Sustainability and Resilience Plan that supports advancement of sustainability at the neighbourhood level.

 

·         Reporting on Progress - Community Sustainability will work with Corporate Planning to monitor the achievement of the long-term goals and strategies over time.  Staff will supplement the measures used in the 2011 Sustainability Baseline with other performance indicators that may apply solely to Ottawa rather than the region.

 

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Ottawa’s rural area will benefit from a number of strategies and actions identified in the three plans.

 

CONSULTATION

 

As mentioned previously, engagement activities and consultation have generated a wealth of ideas and input. The results of these activities have been used to both develop and inform the articulation of the vision, principles, goals, strategies and actions contained in the plans.

 

Community Sustainability staff has engaged stakeholders through a variety of approaches including major public events, consultations and meetings with stakeholders and subject experts, focus groups and through an on-line “crowdsourcing” campaign that generated ideas for action. An awareness video and social media were effectively used as tactics to spread the word and increase public participation in the online campaign.

 

Key stakeholders involved in consultations and engagement activities have spanned a wide range of groups and representatives from economic, environmental, social and cultural sectors. This has included BIAs, development industry, youth and seniors, conservation and community associations, the arts, the Francophone community, and education, recreation, health and Aboriginal participants among others.

 

CoF “touch-points” by the numbers:

 

·         4,892 participants engaged through major events  (Charrette, Public Event Week, Sustainability Summit) plus workshops, focus group and outreach activities;

·         614,032 page views on the Choosing our Future website;

·         6,485 total ideas, comments and votes posted on 'Have a Say!' online campaign;

·         15,960 reached through E-newsletters and presentations to stakeholder networks; (rural, environmental, aboriginal, community health centres, City staff and others);

·         3,806 website and  YouTube views of "Our Choices Today, Create Tomorrow" video;

·         1,070 Choosing our Future Facebook likes/posts, plus twitter followers and tweets;

·         15,000 postcards, brochures and posters distributed; and

·         300 e-mail enquiries.

 

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no legal impediments to implementing the recommendations in this report.

 

RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no risk management impediments to implementing any of the recommendations in this report.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no direct financial implications. Over time, the sample actions and catalyst projects identified in the plans will be considered by City departments as part of the development of their annual work plans and priorities.  Suitable actions and projects can also be considered during the establishment of future Term of Council priorities and long range financial planning.  In the longer term, many of the strategies outlined in the plans, particularly those that relate to growth and development, infrastructure, and energy also have the potential to reduce the overall financial burden on the City.

 

ACCESSIBILITY IMPACT

 

There are no accessibility impacts associated with this report.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

 

This framework identifies long-term directions, strategies and potential actions to improve and enhance the City’s environment including land, air and water quality.

 

TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS

 

The Choosing our Future report refers to potential technical requirements and/or modifications through the use of web technology and social media tools.  Further discussion will be required in order to determine the level of impact the report will have on ITS resources as well as assessing associated costs.  A detailed business case may need to be evaluated through the City of Ottawa’s Portfolio Value Management process for IT investments, in advance of any planned implementation.  ITS cannot commit to the potential work identified in this report at this time; however, ITS will work with Community Sustainability during the development phase of the program to further determine potential needs.

 

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

 

The sustainability goals developed through this initiative have been incorporated into the City’s Corporate Planning Framework as approved by Council in May 2011.

 


 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1    Choosing our Future End-State Goals (on file with the City Clerk)

Document 2                2011 Sustainability Baseline (on file with the City Clerk) English and French

Document 3    Sustainability and Resilience Plan (on file with the City Clerk)

Document 4    Energy and Emissions Plan (on file with the City Clerk)

Document 5    Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan (on file with the City Clerk)

 

Please note that Documents 3, 4 and 5 are available in English only; however an Executive Summary is available in French.  The City of Ottawa will translate the plans in their entirety once they are received by Council.

 

DISPOSITION

 

Subject to approval of this report, the Community Sustainability Department translate the plans and make them available to the public.  Staff will also support and monitor implementation of the plans as described in this report, in collaboration with other City Departments.

 


 

 





extract of DRAFT

Minutes 16

21 February 2011

 

extrait dE L’ÉBAUCHe

Du ProcÈs-verbal 16

le 21 fÉvrier 2011

 

 

3.            Choosing our Future LONG-TERM PLANS

PLANS À LONG TERME DE Choisir Notre Avenir

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Environment Committee recommend Council receive the final results of the joint planning initiative of the City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau and the National Capital Commission, specifically the Sustainability and Resilience Plan, Energy and Emissions Plan, and Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plan, as attached as Documents 3, 4, and 5.

 

Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability and Michael Murr, Manager, Sustainability Planning and Development, spoke to a detailed PowerPoint presentation.  Lee Ann Snedden, Director, Community Sustainability was present to respond to questions.  A copy of the presentation is held on file with the City Clerk.

 

The following public delegations spoke in support of the staff report as presented:

 

·         Charles Hodgson

·         Graham Saul*, Chair, Ecology Ottawa

·         Dr. John Stone, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University, and lead author for the polar regions at the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change

·         Bill Pugsley

·         Margaret Tourond-Townson, Vice Chair, Canadian Organic Growers-Ottawa

·         Christopher Henderson, President, Lumos Energy

 

*Presentation and/or written submission held on file with Committee Coordinator.

 

The Committee voted on the following motion:

 

Motion No. EC 16/5

 

Moved by S. Moffatt,

 

WHEREAS staff identified discrepancies in the Choosing our Future Long Term Plans report on pages 52 and 53;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Environment Committee replace pages 52 and 53 of the staff report with the revised pages.

 

                                                                                                CARRIED

 

The report recommendations were put to Committee and CARRIED as amended.

 

This report will be presented to Council on 22 February 2012.