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November Climate Change News |
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Coyote Information Session with Coyote Watch Canada |
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Thursday, December 11 2025, 6PM-8PM
Tony Graham Recreation Complex, Hall A
100 Charlie Rogers Place, Ottawa ON K2V 1A2
Join us for an information session with Coyote Watch Canada (CWC). During this session, attendees will learn about coyotes in suburban settings and how to foster safe human-coyote interactions. CWC is a federal not-for-profit organization that advocates positive human-wildlife coexistence, focusing on canids. Event attendees will hear CWC Founder and Executive Director Lesley Sampson discuss best practices for residents living with coyotes and may elect to participate in a brief Q&A period.
No registration is necessary. Event is offered in English.
For more information about coyotes, please click here.
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Blue and black bin collection changes coming January 1 |
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Changes are coming to how blue and black bins are collected across the province. Under regulations from the Government of Ontario, the producers of paper and packaging will be responsible for collecting and processing blue and black bin materials.
This means that beginning on Thursday, January 1, 2026 the City of Ottawa will no longer be responsible for collecting your blue and black bin.
As part of this new recycling system, you will be able to recycle more – including plastic bags, toothpaste tubes and deodorant. Learn more about Ontario’s upcoming recycling system.
Circular Materials will manage the new recycling system on behalf of the producers.
What this means for curbside recycling collection in Ottawa:
- Continue to put your bins out by 7 am on your collection day. They will be collected by a different truck and collection may occur at a different time of day than usual.
- There will be minor changes to what can go in your blue and black bins as of January 1, 2026. A full list of items that can be recycled is available on Circular Materials website
- You can continue to use your existing standard sized blue and black bins.
- Beginning on Thursday, January 1, 2026, you will no longer contact the City for any recycling-related services such as a broken bin or a missed collection.
We will continue to provide information to residents over the coming weeks as more details become available.
Learn more
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Better Buildings Awards Breakfast: Honoring Ottawa’s Energy Efficiency Champions |
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On October 17, 2025, the City of Ottawa hosted the 2nd Annual Better Buildings Awards Breakfast, a celebration of leadership in building energy conservation and sustainability. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the city’s building sector to recognize outstanding participants in the Better Buildings Benchmarking Program.
This initiative is part of Ottawa’s broader Climate Change Master Plan and Energy Evolution Strategy, which encourage buildings over 10,000 square feet to publicly disclose their energy performance. In return, participants gain access to expert advice, energy-saving opportunities, and peer-to-peer learning that fosters innovation and collaboration across the industry.
The awards were presented by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who commended the recipients for their leadership and contributions to a more sustainable Ottawa.
This year’s recipients exemplify leadership and commitment to reducing emissions and improving building performance:
Building Operator of the Year – Melanie Desjardins, Shepherds of Good Hope
Yearly Improved Performance: Emissions & Energy – 256 King Edward Avenue, Shepherds of Good Hope
Operating Lowest Emissions (Office) – 100 Murray Street, owned by Bentall Green Oak
Operating Lowest Emissions (MURB) – 260 Brittany Drive, CCC 510, managed by Sentinel Management
The event was held in collaboration with Hydro Ottawa, who presented certificates to participants of the Ottawa Retrofit Accelerator (ORA), recognizing their commitment to deep energy retrofits and sustainable building practices.
For more information, please visit Benchmarking | Better Buildings Ottawa or send an email to betterb...@ottawa.ca
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Climate Ready Ottawa approved |
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Climate Ready Ottawa was approved by Council on November 12, 2025, marking a major step forward in preparing our city for the impacts of climate change and building a more resilient Ottawa by 2050. This strategy sets out a long-term vision with a five-year action plan (2026–2030) that tackles the most urgent climate risks to people, infrastructure, the environment, and essential city services. It marks a shift from reacting to climate events after they happen to taking proactive, coordinated actions across departments and with
community partners. across departments and with community partners.
Climate Ready Ottawa includes seven priority programs that will help residents stay safe during extreme heat, strengthen flood protection, support vulnerable populations, protect essential services, and build community preparedness.
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Climate Ready Ottawa is an initiative under the City’s Climate Change Master Plan and supports Council’s 2023–2026 Strategic Plan. Ottawa is already experiencing more extreme heat, storms, flooding, changing seasons, and wildfire smoke. Risks will grow, and without taking action this could lead to increasing costs, disrupting services, and putting
vulnerable residents at greater risk. Climate Ready Ottawa responds with concrete solutions that build resilience today and into the future.
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The plan is built on local climate projections (2020) and a Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (2022) that identified 40 high-priority risks. The 2026–2030 action plan will strengthen flood preparedness, expand public cooling options, support at-risk populations, protect essential infrastructure, protect trees and promote nature-based solutions, and
improve readiness for extreme weather events. This includes investing in cooling options such as misting stations, shaded areas, and drinking fountains, while also maintaining and expanding trees and natural areas that contribute to safer, healthier neighbourhoods.
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Climate Ready Ottawa identifies $25 million in funding needs over five years. These funds will support high-impact projects such as new cooling strategies, better preparedness for extreme weather, and detailed risk assessments and plans for critical infrastructure. In addition, $149.5 million in confirmed rate-supported investments will upgrade water infrastructure to safeguard essential services and strengthen flood resilience across Ottawa.
Equity is at the heart of Climate Ready Ottawa, ensuring that residents most affected by climate change receive the support they need. Implementation of Climate Ready Ottawa will be led by the City’s Strategic Initiatives Department, with collaboration across all City departments and community partnerships. Progress will be tracked through performance measures and annual reporting, with a five-year review to refresh the plan.
With Council’s approval, Ottawa is taking a major step toward a safer, more resilient Ottawa. Climate Ready Ottawa ensures climate resilience is built into how the City plans, builds, and delivers services, to help protect our residents, community and environment for today and the future.
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Want to learn more or take the next step?
You can find the full Climate Resilience Strategy online. You can also watch the Committee presentation and discussion to learn more about how the strategy was developed.
If you’re looking for practical ways to prepare yourself and your family for climate impacts, explore the City’s Emergency Checklists and Kits, sign up for OttawaAlert! notifications, read up on Ottawa Public Health’s tips for coping
with extreme heat, vector-borne diseases, wildfire smoke, food- and waterborne illness, and UV radiation.
The City of Ottawa also offers many programs to help you get ready for climate impacts. Rain Ready Ottawa can help manage water around your home, the Protective Plumbing Program helps safeguard your basement from flooding, our tree planting
programs keep neighbourhoods cooler, and Better Homes Ottawa support energy-saving and climate preparedness upgrades. Together, these tools and programs can help protect your home and your health.
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Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library launches online Native Plant Catalogue |
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The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library (OWSL) has taken an exciting step forward in supporting local biodiversity with the recent launch of its new online Native Plant Catalogue. This resource makes it easier than ever for Ottawa residents to discover, select, and grow native plant species that help create climate-resilient gardens that support local wildlife and strengthen urban ecosystems.
Built by the OWSL's dedicated volunteers, the online catalogue features detailed profiles of over 300 flowers, grasses, and shrubs native to Ontario, with more than 50 data points on each, including information on ideal planting conditions, bloom times, pollinator value, harvesting and sowing instructions, and more. The catalogue is a great resource for gardeners planning their native plant gardens, learning to steward native plants, and to browse seeds available at the OWSL's native seed giveaways each fall.
As Ottawa continues working toward a more sustainable and climate-adapted future, initiatives like this new catalogue help residents take meaningful, hands-on climate action, right in their own gardens. Ottawa residents are invited to explore the Native Plant Catalogue on the OWSL website.
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