ARMCHAIR MAYOR
Why Ottawa needs a ‘River School’
On Oct. 22, citizens of Ottawa elect a new city council. To help local candidates as they campaign, the Citizen asked people for ONE idea that would make the city a better place. Today, Meredith Brown takes the plunge.
Canada is a nation not just of lakes and oceans but of rivers.
Ottawa is built at the confluence of three (the Rideau, Gatineau and Ottawa) and lies within the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem. In our nation’s capital, diverse minds come together and make decisions that influence the future of our water. Ottawa needs a River School to connect youth to water and to help guide and inspire our future water leaders.
Managing both Canada’s and Ottawa’s freshwater ecosystems is no simple task, yet is essential to human health and to environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. It’s widely recognized that we must develop the capacity of young people to contribute to the sustainable management of water and other sustainable development goals.
A nation of lakes and rivers and oceans requires serious stewardship. Across Canada, we have excellent academic institutions such as the Canadian Rivers Institute in New Brunswick and the St. Lawrence Rivers Institute in Cornwall that focus on applied aquatic sciences for university and collegelevel students. In Brockville, there is the Aquatarium, a hands-on place for learning about the history and ecology of the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. In Vancouver, there is the Fraser River Discovery Centre with interactive, curriculum-connected programs designed to encourage students of all ages to feel connected to the Fraser River.
It is time to put Ottawa on the map of cities taking a leadership approach to protecting water.
Ottawa Riverkeeper has been operating for 15 years, and we have discovered a local hunger for opportunities to connect school-aged kids to the Ottawa River and its tributaries. We could reach thousands of youth each year with dedicated, curriculum-based River School programming.
For instance, primary and secondary school students would have an opportunity to spend a day in River School to learn about aquatic ecology and river monitoring, and to explore different ways to protect and restore the Ottawa River.
The unique and pinnacle program of the River School would be a Water Leader Residency for youth aged 17 to 30. Each year, a small group of diverse youth would be selected to participate in a leadership program centred on protecting water.
The city of Ottawa provides the perfect setting for a River School to guide and inspire our future water leaders. Our school would be a multicultural, interdisciplinary hub for environmental stewardship. A place where youth are encouraged to explore, be curious and be creative. A place where elders are encouraged to teach, mentor and share knowledge with younger and eager generations. A place where new relationships are built and new youth-driven initiatives are ignited.
The River School would be housed in The River Centre, a hub for learning about freshwater ecology, stewardship and sustainability, and a meeting place for the numerous organizations, municipalities, businesses and individuals with the shared goal of protecting the Ottawa River.
The River Centre and River School would be an exceptional project to bring together partners including the City of Ottawa, Algonquin Anishinaabe communities, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the National Capital Commission, Algonquin College, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, as well as conservation authorities and provincial and federal governments. The project would be strengthened with partnerships from the private and the not-forprofit sectors.
The River School would be unique to our region, a legacy for Ottawa and Canada to demonstrate leadership and dedication to water protection.
After all, we are a nation of rivers.