David Suzuki during the Stronger Together tour

The Greater Avalon Community Association was pleased to be represented at the March 26th event featuring the renowned David Suzuki during the Stronger Together tour. The event brought together various organizations involved in environmental movements, as well as several representatives from the City of Ottawa, namely Julia Robinson, Program Manager, Climate Adaptation, responsible for Climate Ready Ottawa.  

We all remember the recent derecho, the smoke from wildfires in Western Canada, and the days when we had to walk outside wearing masks. These were just some of the issues raised during the discussions.

The event opened with presentations from several First Nations representatives, followed by remarks from honoured guests, including Mayor Sutcliffe. Tara Cullis, co-founder of the David Suzuki foundation, and several panelists who shared their expertise on various aspects of resilience and adaptation in the face of climate change. David & Tara’s Stronger Together Tour was  presented in partnership with the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Community Resilience to Extreme Weather.

A wide range of participants representing organizations dedicated to strengthening community ties, adapting to climate impacts, protecting the Kitchissippi River, and more, then took the floor to introduce their work. It was inspiring to see some fifty people—representatives from various organizations across the City of Ottawa—step up to the microphone to introduce their organizations, highlight their contributions, and present their requests. 

As an association, we are proud to actively contribute to building stronger connections among community associations in our neighbourhoods so we can advance shared priorities more effectively. Greater Avalon positions itself as a community association deeply committed to climate action, to reinforcing the social fabric of our communities, and to advocating for political decisions that genuinely place the environment at the heart of policymaking. 

“As David Suzuki emphasized in his closing remarks, ‘humans are part of a greater whole—just like nature and all living beings—and the belief that we stand above nature, as though it exists solely to serve us, is outdated and counterproductive in addressing the visible impacts of the climate crisis.’”

Resilience is built through knowledge and through the social bonds that connect us.

The event continued in the Hall with a resilience simulation game. Participants were seated in small “villages” and faced a climate-related emergency. Our group dealt with a flooding scenario. Each participant was assigned a role—such as a primary school principal, a restaurant owner, or a representative of a faith-based organization—and we had to pool our resources to support the village and its vulnerable residents for 72 hours. The exercise highlighted how advance planning and strong community connections help build resilience to extreme climate events, which are becoming increasingly frequent. The goal is not to be alarmist, but to be well prepared so we can respond effectively to the challenges we all face.

The changes required to build resilience and organizational capacity cannot come from political decision-makers alone. Grassroots initiatives and the ability of individuals and communities to organize among themselves are essential so that the responsibility does not rest solely on municipal leaders.

We sincerely thank the David Suzuki Foundation for inviting us this morning, as well as the City of Ottawa for its participation. We encourage residents to download the City of Ottawa’s Alertable app to receive timely notifications in the event of extreme weather.

Some of the key takeaways from the day include the importance of planning to be self-sufficient for a period of 72 hours, getting to know one another as a community, and identifying the most vulnerable people on our street—in short, all small steps that can help us stay well-organized. 

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