At a joint meeting today, the City’s committees on Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services and Environment and Climate Change approved an updated Idling Control By-law(link is external). The by-law aims to reduce vehicle idling and the resulting harmful emissions that contribute to climate change and air pollution.
The maximum idling time would be reduced from three minutes to one minute per hour, in line with best practices from Natural Resources Canada and other Ontario municipalities such as Toronto, Kingston and Burlington. When it is colder than zero degrees Celsius or warmer than 27 degrees Celsius, the maximum idling time would be five minutes per hour.
Additionally, the Committees directed staff to install signs along high-traffic corridors throughout the city, encouraging drivers to reduce unnecessary idling. If every Ottawa driver reduced daily idling in their personal vehicle by two minutes, it would decrease carbon dioxide emissions by about 31.2 million kilograms a year. That’s the equivalent of removing 6,780 vehicles from Ottawa roads, and saving about $20 million in fuel costs per year.
The by-law would offer exemptions when idling is necessary for health, safety and proper vehicle function, such as when powering mobile workshops, maintaining temperature for medical reasons, and assisting emergency services. Public transit vehicles would be exempt from the by-law, but other City vehicles would be subject to its requirements. The new rules would come into effect on January 1, 2025.
After the joint meeting, the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee convened separately to consider updates to the City’s Licensing By-law for private snow plow contractors. The Committee approved the recommendations of the Snow Plow Contractor Licensing Review,(link is external) which aims to address concerns related to public safety, accessibility, consumer protection and property damage.
The City would prohibit unauthorized snow dumping on private property or in accessible parking spaces. Snow dumped on roads and sidewalks or in accessible parking spaces would need to be cleaned up within four hours. Private snow plows would be required to display accessible signage and annual validation stickers on their license plates. Contractors would be able to use metal driveway markers to identify their serviced driveway and would be responsible for replacing broken markers and cleaning any debris. The minimum liability coverage required for private snow plow contractors would increase from $1 million to $2 million.
The cost to administer and enforce the new provisions for private snow plowing would be fully funded by annual licensing fees, which would increase by $18 per contractor and by $18 per vehicle.
Items from these meetings will rise to Council on Wednesday, October 2.
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