Hello,

The provincial election has come and gone. Doug Ford became the first premier since the 1950s to win a third-straight majority. Closer to home, ridings in Ottawa elected the following candidates:

• Carleton: George Darouze, PC

• Glengarry—Prescott-Russell: Stéphane Sarrazin, PC

• Kanata-Carleton: Karen McCrimmon, Liberal

• Nepean: Tyler Watt, Liberal

• Orléans: Stephen Blais, Liberal

• Ottawa Centre: Catherine McKenney,

• NDP Ottawa South: John Fraser, Liberal

• Ottawa-Vanier: Lucille Collard, Liberal

• Ottawa West-Nepean: Chandra Pasma, NDP

Also, Ottawa got a proper snowstorm this month, making February 2025 the snowiest month in five years. And we’re now getting more. As you’re navigating the roads narrowed by snowbanks, keep in mind this tweet from Councillor Shawn Menard, who remarked that it took 100 dump truck loads just to clear Sunnyside: “These were not normal amounts of snow the city received and many areas are not meeting standards. That will take a lot of time, please be patient.”

Stories from the PEN!

This month’s stories from the PEN include:

• In ACORN’s Fight for a Renoviction Bylaw, Debbie Staples—a member of Ottawa ACORN—recounts efforts to protect tenants from evictions under the guise of ‘major renovations.’

• An update from Ecology Ottawa discusses the benefits of 15-minute neighbourhoods and suggests three additions that could strengthen the new zoning bylaw.

• Claire Palys writes from GentleWays for Our Planet about the carbon intensity of A.I. and calls for sustainable habits when using the technology.

From the PEN Archives

The February 2006 edition of the PEN Insider described how a grassroots campaign and petitioning by First Nations successfully brought about legislation to protect white moose in northern Ontario.

Other News

• Residents in Ottawa’s rural west end are concerned about the safety of a battery energy storage system (BESS) project proposed by Evolugen. Proponents of the project counter that BESS is a reliable, affordable, and low-emission way to meet growing electricity demand. In early February, Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee approved official P zoning amendments to establish land-use policy for siting BESS.

• In this post, the City of Ottawa describes ways that tariffs and counter-tariffs—initiated by or in response to U.S. President Donald Trump—might affect residents and businesses. The finance committee voted earlier this month to prepare a local response strategy for any future tariffs that may be imposed on Canada.

• The Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts partnered with the Neighbourhood Land Trust to create educational resources about acquiring existing rental housing for community land trusts.

• In January, Transport Canada approved a merger between major trading companies Bunge and Viterra that could cost Canadian farmers $770 million each year in lost income.

• The federal Finance Department’s monthly fiscal monitor showed that the Canadian government posted a budgetary deficit of $21.7 billion for the April-to-December period of its 2024-25 fiscal year.

I look forward to connecting with you again next month through the PEN Newsletter. In the meantime, please use the comments section of the newsletter or email [email protected] with thoughts or questions.

—Christopher Bonasia, PEN editor

PERC appreciates all of our readers for giving us this chance to connect with members of our community, and we love being able to provide you with a forum to discuss pressing environmental and social justice issues.

But we also rely on your support to make this happen. If you are interested in helping our organization continue to use storytelling and networking to help individuals, non-profits, and community groups work locally for a greener and more peaceful world, please consider making a donation to the Peace and Environment Resource Centre.