As part of his re-election campaign for MP of Ottawa Centre, NDP candidate Paul Dewar has announced plans to support an urban tree strategy in Ottawa.
“Urban trees clean our air, add biodiversity and make our city a better place to live and visit,” Dewar said in a statement released Oct. 8 via his website. “Nature – including trees – is a central part of Canada’s identity, and all residents and visitors to Canada deserve and benefit from access to trees, especially in our capital.”
He made the announcement alongside former city councilor Diane Holmes and a representative from Tree Ottawa, a branch of Ecology Ottawa dedicated to improving and protecting Ottawa’s tree canopy.
“[Paul Dewar] saw there being a clear role for the federal government as well as organizations like ourselves that are trying to promote this political framework to work together,” said Velta Tomsons, Tree Ottawa organizer for Ecology Ottawa.
While no formal partnership between Ecology Ottawa and the NDP currently exists, Tomsons said that a shared interest in protecting Ottawa’s tree canopy makes it an ideal fit should the NDP be elected on Oct. 19.
According to the Dewar campaign, Canada is the only G7 country that has no framework to protect urban trees. Tomsons said this is something Ecology Ottawa wants to address.
“Our final goal is to have a strong tree canopy that is protected into the future, and to make sure we are not just focusing on the number of trees we have in the ground but the health of our canopy,” Tomsons said.