After Ottawa’s warmest and weirdest winter ever, what happens next?

Published on
March 20, 2024
Health, public safety and emergencies
Planning, development and construction
Water and environment

Feature story

You can ask a scientist or you can look out the window; either way, it looks like Ottawa will continue to have warmer winters, hotter summers, more windstorms and more heavy rain.

To make it easier for Ottawa residents to prepare, we’ve developed a draft climate resiliency strategy. Climate Ready Ottawa is now available for public consultation.

A firefighter installs a water pump in a flooded ditch

Climate Ready Ottawa identifies actions to address the top climate risks facing Ottawa and prepare for a much warmer, wetter and unpredictable climate. This is a long-term strategy that will help us build a resilient city by 2050. It combines many initiatives already underway with new policies, programs and initiatives.

We need your help shaping the final version of Climate Ready Ottawa. Visit engage.ottawa/climate-resiliency where you can:

  • Take a survey
  • Sign up for an Open House
  • Read background information

Climate Ready Ottawa already combines input from:

The strategy is split into five main themes:

  • Resilient communities
  • Resilient buildings, transportation and water systems
  • Natural environment and parklands
  • Extreme weather preparedness and response
  • Cross-cutting actions that deal with more than one of the other four themes

Climate Ready Ottawa identifies how we can support individuals, communities, businesses and organizations. It also identifies where more support is needed from other levels of government.

We need your input to develop a plan to make Ottawa a resilient, thriving City for generations to come. Visit engage.ottawa/climate-resiliency to help us get there.

A broken branch hangs from a tree covered with ice

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through FacebookX (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.