River: Sabourin — Time to act on the housing and climate emergencies

I am proposing that we adopt a municipal Green New Deal.

The Citizen invited candidates in the Oct. 24 municipal election to share their thoughts:

The last city council declared housing and climate emergencies. This month, Ottawa has the opportunity to elect a council that will take action on these complex and interconnected crises.

As your candidate for city council in River Ward, I am proposing that we adopt a municipal Green New Deal. A Green New Deal is a thoughtful approach that connects everyday decisions with long-term planning to address the major social, economic and environmental challenges facing our city.

My plan is fundamentally about where we live and how we get around: housing and transportation.

We should begin with investments to expand Ottawa’s public and non-profit capacity. In the housing sector, I would prioritize green social housing. Social housing includes non-profits, cooperatives, land trusts and community housing. Using these ownership models, we can build homes that are permanently affordable and insulated from the speculative market.

Ottawa should leverage existing federal support and municipal zoning powers to build green social housing efficiently. For financial sustainability, developments can include subsidized as well as market-rate units. Private developers still have an important role, with strong inclusionary zoning regulations ensuring the delivery of more affordable units in all new builds.

To fight the climate crisis, Ottawa also needs to upgrade our existing housing stock. As part of the Green New Deal, the city should design a program to retrofit all public buildings, beginning with Ottawa Community Housing. To stimulate equitable economic development, the city can create public procurement incentives for cooperatives, unionized contractors, and businesses owned by community housing residents themselves. This would improve living standards for thousands of residents while cutting costs and emissions.

In the transportation sector, the city needs to step in to expand public options. Without well-maintained roads, frequent public transit, and a connected cycling network, residents are cut off from local businesses and from each other.

OC Transpo has not recovered from major cuts that undermined its ridership. In River Ward, three of the four routes that served the Rideauview community were slashed and have never returned. We should bring these routes back and improve service across the network.

To support residents making last-mile trips, our transportation system must become truly multi-modal. Ottawa should develop a public bike-share program, based on the successes of BikeTO. We should also explore a public ride-share service and provide significant indoor bike parking at all O-Train stations. Effective public transportation and bike infrastructure are climate justice imperatives.

It is crucial that Ottawa takes decisive action in the next four years with smart investments and a renewed public-sector approach.

My plan reaches beyond housing and transportation to include fully funding social services, creating a mental health response team, and developing main streets across the city.

Find more on my website at ethansabourin.ca.