Keep climate change money flowing, environment committee urged

Ottawa city councillorsapproved nearly $800 million in annual spending on garbage,water and the environmenton Tuesday, but still came under fire from residents who say the city isn't devoting enough attention to combating climate change.

• Ottawa taxpayers to pay 3% more this year

The City of Ottawa plans to spend$77million in 2019to run its garbage,recycling and compost programs, up $2.5 million from the 2018 budget.

It also expects to spend $403 million ondrinking water and sewage services, as well as managing rain run-off. That's$21 million more than last year, paid for mostly through water bills.

Because the city has so much infrastructure to maintainthousands of kilometres of water mains, two drinking water purification plants and a sewage treatment plantit also comes with a hefty capital budget: $264 million for 2019.

Pitch to stop using plastic

However, most of the residents who paid a visit to city hall to weigh in on the draft budget for the standing committee on environmental protection, water and waste management had climate change on their minds.

Groups including Ecology Ottawaquestioned the paltry $150,000 the city plans to spend on its centrepiece strategy to move to renewable energy, known as Energy Evolution. That money will be used so staff can finish a majorreport listing potential projects by year's end.

I fully embrace your sentiment that we're sitting on a ticking time bomb and no one's panicking.- Coun. Riley Brockington

"I fully embrace your sentiment that we're sitting on a ticking time bomb and no one's panicking," agreed Coun. Riley Brockington. "And when we have $150,000 invested in Energy Evolution, it's insulting."

Some residents alsocame with their own pitches, such as asking the city to lead by example when it comes togettingresidents to ditch plastic water bottles.

EricSchiller, a water engineer, urged the city to do likeMontreal and Prince Edward Islandand promote its owncheap, tasty tap water. He asked councillors toban bottled water from vending machines at city buildings once contracts with beverage companies expire.

"This is the capital of Canada. This will send a message. Please do it," he said.

Hydro dividend for energy projects

The City of Ottawa receives $20 million in an annual dividend from Hydro Ottawa. Knoxdale-MerivaleCoun.KeithEgliEgli proposed any amount above thatgo toward community energy projects.

Last year, such projects received one-third of that surplus, or$633,000, whilethe other two-thirds went towardfixing roads.

Given the city has allotted several million dollars extra to resurface roadsin 2019, committee chair Scott Moffatt said it makes sense to use an energy surplus on energy projects.

Slight cut to rural rainfee

Years after the storm water management fee was imposed, Moffatt acknowledges his rural residents still consider the feea "four-letter word".

His colleague, Osgoode Coun.George Darouze, even proposed changing the fee's name to better reflect what itcovers: buildingculverts to help handle storm run-off.

Storm water fees were set to increase in 2019 by 10.8 per cent, or $4, for residents noton the city's water system.

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Moffatt was keen to keep the increase in the single digits. He received support to see it rise9.8 per cent, which would bring in$404,000 less than planned.

Still,Moffattbelieves rural residents getgood bang for their buck. The city collected $1 million last year through the storm water charge, and yet the four rural wards received nearly $13 million in new culverts, he said.

The draft environment budget still must go to full council on March 6 for approval.