When uOttawa student Mackenzie Blackburn addressed the the city’s Environment and Climate Change Committee recently, she asked a simple, pointed question: How could students help the city prepare for climate change?
“A lot of students at U of O are passionate about climate change and want our city to be resilient to it,” Blackburn said. “I feel that student volunteers can collaborate with the city by making our college campuses and the city more climate resilient and less energy intensive.”
Her comments came during councillors’ review of the Climate Ready Ottawa Strategy, a five-year action plan designed to protect residents and infrastructure from climate risks such as extreme heat, flooding and severe weather. The plan is part of the city’s goal of becoming fully climate-resilient by 2050.
The city lists many measures that have already been implemented, including the decade-long construction of a combined sewage storage tunnel, which greatly reduces sewage run-off during flooding, upgrades to the city’s water treatment plant to allow it to operate during prolonged power failures, along with rebates for residents who install flood-mitigation devices such as back-flow valves.
The strategy prompted thoughtful exchanges between councillors, staff and community members about how to make climate adaptation inclusive — especially for vulnerable and heat-affected populations.
Blackburn, who studies environmental studies at the University of Ottawa, noted many students live in apartments without air conditioning and are among those most at risk during extreme heat.
“I’m glad that the climate vulnerability risk assessment addresses what populations are more vulnerable to climate change, for instance, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, and low-income people,” she said.
Climate Ready Ottawa is a long-term strategy … about the vision to get us to a climate-resilient city by 2050 and a five-year plan to address top risks from climate change, including extreme heat, flooding, shifting seasons and severe weather.
Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, the city’s director of Climate Change and Resiliency
Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh thanked Blackburn for bringing a youth perspective to the discussion, noting that collaboration will be key to success. “The city council can’t do this without cooperation,” Kavanagh said.
“It’s wonderful to hear that students are interested, especially since you’re studying the environment. It makes me feel good, because otherwise we’d be wasting our time.”
The strategy, presented by Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, director of Climate Change and Resiliency, outlines Ottawa’s most urgent climate risks and proposes actions to reduce them.
“Climate Ready Ottawa is a long-term strategy … about the vision to get us to a climate-resilient city by 2050 and a five-year plan to address top risks from climate change, including extreme heat, flooding, shifting seasons and severe weather,” Hoover-Bienasz told councillors.
Staff emphasized that the city has already experienced the effects of climate change firsthand, from tornadoes and ice storms to heat waves and flooding. Those events are expected to become more frequent and severe in the years ahead.
“Flooding from heavy rainfalls will continue to increase, placing pressure on our ditches, our sewer systems, and flooding along the Rideau River could pose an even greater threat than the Ottawa River,” said Hoover-Bienasz.
Acting early is also cost-effective. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, every dollar invested in prevention saves $13 to $15 in recovery costs.
The Climate Ready Ottawa Strategy groups its work under four main themes — resilient communities, resilient infrastructure, resilient natural environment and extreme weather preparedness — with seven priorities.
Initiatives include enhanced flood education, upgrades to drainage infrastructure and programs such as Rain Ready Ottawa and the Residential Protective Plumbing Program to help homeowners mitigate flood risks.
Another priority is supporting vulnerable populations, including seniors and low-income residents. Julia Robinson, section manager of Climate Change and Resiliency, said programs “are already helping residents prepare for flooding, while other measures are designed to protect Ottawa’s water and wastewater plants, critical facilities, and natural areas.”
With council approval, the five-year Climate Ready Ottawa Strategy will guide infrastructure upgrades and emergency preparedness and also empower residents, students and community organizations to play an active role in building a resilient city.
As Ottawa faces more frequent and severe weather events, the strategy represents a critical step toward ensuring that the city can withstand climate impacts while protecting its most vulnerable populations and safeguarding the services residents rely on every day.
As Blackburn reminded councillors, students are eager to help.
“There’s a strong public interest and support for proactive climate action,” she said. “The city can’t do this alone — we must work together.”
