Ottawa's Environment and Climate Change Committee Approves 2025 Drinking Water Quality Management System Report

Ottawa's Environment and Climate Change Committee approved the 2025 Drinking Water Quality Management System management review report, reviewed options for organics processing after 2030, discussed energy retrofits for municipal buildings, advanced an expansion of the Rain Ready Ottawa rebate program to include multi-residential buildings, and considered motions on the tree dedication program and a tree-planting partnership application.

Topics Discussed

• DRINKING WATER QUALITY: The committee approved the Drinking Water Quality Management System 2025 Management Review Report. Staff reported a 100% score on the water quality health index. Councillor Theresa Kavanagh thanked staff, saying, "Thank you to staff again for another excellent report."

• ORGANICS PROCESSING POST-2030: Staff presented options for organics processing after the current contract expires in 2030. The proposed approach is a short-term competitive RFP that would allow the city to compare aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion options. Councillors pressed staff on contract structure and financial assumptions. Councillor Diane Deans asked, "If we're doing that short-term contract, why is that extra 5-year extension needed?" Vice-Chair Marty Carr questioned a key cost assumption in the consultant's analysis, saying, "the consultants come along and they say, 'Oh, well, let's just assume that the private sector would have a tipping fee of $90' ... and they don't really explain" how that would amount to such a large reduction from current costs. Delegations also urged the city to think beyond emissions alone. One speaker said, "Food waste belongs in our food systems. It does not belong in waste management." Councillor Riley Brockington asked whether the city had considered restarting support for home composting, while staff said processing volume remains critical to any long-term approach.

• ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN CITY BUILDINGS: Councillors discussed the pace of retrofits across the city's building portfolio and possible financing tools. Councillor Cathy Curry said, "I see a need for us to be investing more in this for our own buildings." Councillor Rawlson King added, "Retrofitting our facilities reduces our operational costs. It reduces our exposure to carbon pricing. It extends the life of our infrastructure." Staff said they are reviewing options including federal financing and green bond mechanisms as they prepare a broader retrofit strategy.

• RAIN READY OTTAWA EXPANSION: Staff presented a proposal to expand Rain Ready Ottawa to include a rebate stream for multi-residential buildings. Nicole Hoover Banach told the committee that "the purpose of today's presentation and report is to provide committee with an overview of staff's recommendation to expand the RainReady Ottawa program to include a new multi-residential building rebate stream." Staff said the pilot review found "a gap within the rebate stream when it came to owners and tenants of MR buildings and that they were not adequately served by the existing rebate structure." The proposed stream would offer up to $30,000 for common-area projects and up to $40,000 for nonprofit affordable housing providers.

• TREE PROGRAMS AND OTHER BUSINESS: The committee discussed changes to the tree dedication program. Councillor Theresa Kavanagh introduced a motion to replace numbered tags with a larger tag that includes the dedication type, year and a person's name, with implementation beginning in July 2026 for trees planted in spring 2027. Her motion also referenced staff review of enhanced personalization options, including an in-ground plaque. The committee also considered a time-sensitive motion tied to a funding application for the Trees for Ottawa project, a proposed partnership with EnviroCentre to support planting about 2,300 trees over two years on private non-residential properties.

Motions

• Minor Amendments to Solid Waste Services Bylaw — Carried
• Drinking Water Quality Management System 2025 Management Review Report — Approved/Received
• Rain Ready Ottawa multi-residential rebate expansion — Advanced/Recommended
• Tree Dedication Program Personalization Motion — Considered
• Trees for Ottawa / FCM partnership motion — Carried
• Motion requesting Ontario expand the deposit return program to include non-alcoholic beverage containers — Passed at committee

Attendees

Councillors identified in the meeting materials as present or participating:

• Cathy Curry
• Rawlson King
• Theresa Kavanagh
• Sean Devine
• Laine Johnson
• Wilson Lo
• Tim Tierney
• Riley Brockington
• Marty Carr
• Glen Gower
• George Darouze
• Ariel Troster
• Jessica Bradley
• Steve Desroches
• Allan Hubley
• Clarke Kelly
• Matthew Luloff
• Stéphanie Plante
• Laura Dudas
• Keith Egli