Ottawa planning to update strategy to address wildlife issues

After more than a decade, Ottawa is setting out to update it’s wildlife strategy to make sure it maintains natural landscapes and the animals that live there.

On June 17, The City of Ottawa’s Environment and Climate Change Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee approved an updated wildlife strategy and action plan.

The joint meeting was called to address persistent wildlife issues across Ottawa, the city said.

According to staff, there have been significant environmental changes since the current wildlife strategy came into effect in 2013.

“Ottawa has seen accelerated climate change impacts, greater prevalence of wildlife-transmitted diseases, increased human population with more people making use of Ottawa’s natural spaces, and greater recognition of the value of green and natural infrastructure,” it in a news release.

Adopting a new Official Plan in 2021, the city strengthened its environmental policies by designating a connected system of natural areas to maintain the integrity of Ottawa’s natural landscapes and wildlife habitats.

The Official Plan remains Ottawa’s main tool for protecting wildlife and their habitats, with the updated strategy supporting this goal.

According to the city, the updated wildlife strategy outlines a 10-point action plan that will:

• Conserve wildlife habitat: Implementing environmental policies in the new Official Plan to conserve habitats in the long term, and to acquire additional natural lands.
• Improve public information, outreach and education: Improving public knowledge around preventing and resolving human-wildlife conflicts.
• Monitor wildlife-transmitted diseases: The City will build on work done with Ottawa Public Health to monitor diseases and the implications for managing wildlife and greenspaces. 
• Develop a plan to implement Official Plan policies on wildlife crossings and protection: Identifying City road segments where wildlife crossings and other protection measures should be considered.
• Identify a means to recoup costs when the City assumes ownership of features to mitigate and compensate for habitat loss: New developments are often required to include features that mitigate and compensate for protected species and their habitats. Developers regularly seek to use City property. The City would develop a financial means to recoup associated maintenance and replacement costs.
• Improve communication with the agricultural community about the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program (OWDCP): The OWDCP compensates agricultural producers for loss of domestic livestock to wildlife. The City will seek to increase familiarity with this program and consider ways to improve delivery. 
• Engage a wildlife resource specialist: Funding exists to create a wildlife resource specialist position, who would lead City wildlife response and management activities, supporting public education, outreach and more.
• Maintain existing beaver management solutions and evaluate alternative practices where possible: Current beaver management practices will remain in place, to ensure stormwater runoff is safely collected and managed to prevent flooding while protecting the environment.
• Support implementing the large wild mammal response protocol: The new wildlife resource specialist will coordinate the protocol for responding to reports of large wild mammals and directing them back into natural areas.
• Negotiate adopting Coyote Watch Canada’s Municipal Canid Response Strategy for a three-year pilot: The City will seek an agreement with Coyote Watch Canada (CWC) for a three-year pilot, implementing their approach to human-coyote conflicts.

The wildlife strategy will be considered by city council on Tuesday, June 25.