McKenney promises Ottawa will be net-zero city by 2050

Ottawa mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney announces their climate plan near Hunt Club forest on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney would bring Ottawa to net-zero emissions by 2050 through a plan for “bold climate action,” they said Thursday.

The Ottawa mayoral candidate release their climate platform, which would increase greenspace and tree canopy, reduce emissions from buildings and create a chief climate officer position to oversee the plan.

“We are going to turn Ottawa into a net-zero city by 2050,” they said on Thursday. “This is a plan that involves all of us. … We’ll make Ottawa a world leader for climate action, and the people who live here will be climate leaders too.”

McKenney’s promise from earlier this week to turn the Greenbelt into a national urban park is also part of the plan.

Based on city projections, buildings and transportation will make up about 75 per cent of emissions reductions from now until 2050, the plan said.

McKenney said they would require net-zero emissions buildings in all new construction by 2030, and incentivize retrofits of residential homes. They would also increase the city’s tree canopy to 40 per cent by 2030.

The chief climate officer, a new position, would “ensure climate and nature impacts are at the centre of every major decision the City makes,” the plan says.

McKenney’s plan would also see the city divest from fossil fuel investments and adopt a ‘buy clean’ procurement policy, becoming carbon neutral by 2040.

Rival candidate Mark Sutcliffe’s environmental plan, released last month, would also see more trees planted across Ottawa—250,000 annually.

He is also pledging 200 new EV charging stations and 100 e-bike charging stations and $100 million in retrofits over four years for city buildings.

Bob Chiarelli has not released a full environmental platform, but on his website calls for formation of a city council committee to work with Hydro Ottawa to develop “effective, practical and affordable policies and climate change and carbon reduction.”

There are 14 candidates for mayor in Ottawa's municipal election, which is Oct. 24. Special advance voting days start on Saturday.