The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Roundtable that recently took place was a significant milestone in Ottawa's future. An important result of the roundtable discussions was a renewed climate change commitment from our City's politicians.  One essential reason for this outcome: hard-hitting, citizen advocacy. Without hundreds of e-mails, tweets, and phone calls this renewed commitment would not have happened.

The city of Ottawa may be on the cusp of a sustainability transformation. With the release of the Choosing Our Future sustainability plan and the consultation stages of the NCC's Horizons 2067 ongoing there is a momentum building in the Ottawa region behind an evolving agenda of sustainable development. This agenda, however, will require increased leadership and new governance structures if we truly want to reach the expected outcomes described by the vision and planning framework that is emerging.