Discussion postponed on prohibiting fossil fuel ads due to city's focus on combating 'deceptive environmental marketing' instead.
City authorities are taking a cautious stance on banning fossil fuel advertisements across municipal property, instead focusing on ensuring compliance with new federal regulations targeting misleading environmental claims, or 'greenwashing.' This approach comes after a proposal by Coun. Shawn Menard in 2024, requesting the city to consider options for rejecting fossil fuel advocacy in advertising spaces.
In light of this issue, staff prepared a memo outlining steps to ensure ads on city property would adhere to the new provisions, as per the Federal Competition Act. This move was in response to the potential reputational risks and legal implications associated with fossil fuel advertising, given the climate emergency declared by the City of Ottawa in April 2019.
Advocates continue to argue for a legal path toward a ban, citing health and environmental impacts linked to the climate crisis. Recently, experts emphasized the challenge of an outright ban due to the freedom of expression granted to advertisers under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Helen Tooze, a senior policy researcher at the Canada Climate Law Initiative, praised the city's measured approach and highlighted the steps for ad screening outlined in the staff memo as going "over and beyond." The city's plan would require advertisers to demonstrate that any environmental claims made in their ads are based on adequate testing or can otherwise be substantiated, and would allow individuals, including advocacy groups, to bring complaints about deceptive ads before the federal Competition Tribunal.
Despite these advances, advocates such as Leah Temper, the director of the health and economic policy program at the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, found the city's response disappointing. They prefer a ban on fossil fuel advertising on similar grounds as the tobacco industry, given the severe and widespread health impacts associated with climate change.
However, legal challenges to the new federal greenwashing regulations may pose a hurdle for implementing an outright ban. For instance, in October 2024, the City of Toronto moved toward a more comprehensive ban on fossil fuel advocacy ads that don't comply with its municipal net-zero plan. However, debate continues, and the environment and climate change committee in Ottawa is scheduled to revisit the issue on June 17, 2025.
In summary, city authorities are focusing on stricter regulation rather than an outright ban on fossil fuel advertisements, citing legal risks and the need for compliance with federal and municipal laws. The debate over fossil fuel advertising in Ottawa remains unresolved, with advocates urging for a more decisive approach in line with climate goals.
- The city's approach to fossil fuel advertisements revolves around ensuring compliance with new federal regulations, targeting misleading environmental claims.
- The staff memo outlines steps to ensure ads on city property adhere to the new provisions, as per the Federal Competition Act.
- The city's measured response is in response to potential reputational risks and legal implications associated with fossil fuel advertising due to the climate emergency.
- Advocates argue for a legal path toward a ban, citing health and environmental impacts linked to the climate crisis.
- The city's plan would require advertisers to substantiate any environmental claims made in their ads, allowing individuals to bring complaints about deceptive ads before the federal Competition Tribunal.
- Despite these advances, some advocates find the city's response disappointing, preferring an outright ban similar to the tobacco industry due to severe health impacts associated with climate change.
- Legal challenges to the new federal greenwashing regulations may pose a hurdle for implementing an outright ban.
- The environment and climate change committee in Ottawa is scheduled to revisit the issue on June 17, 2025, as the debate over fossil fuel advertising remains unresolved.
- City authorities are focusing on stricter regulation rather than an outright ban on fossil fuel advertisements, citing legal risks and the need for compliance with federal and municipal laws, in the context of climate-change, environmental-science, policy-and-legislation, politics, general-news, finance, business, and science.
