Sustainable Development Strategy

As the largest landowner in the National Capital Region, the NCC is leading the way in fostering sustainability and climate resiliency in its operations.

The Sustainable Development Strategy is our roadmap and promise to present and future generations. We renew it every three years, to track progress on our goals. This strategy is fully aligned with the targets of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.

On November 2, 2023, we launched a new cycle for our Sustainable Development Strategy. The 2023–2027 Sustainable Development Strategy includes 28 actions under the following themes:

Sustainable Communities

• regional food production
• reconciliation with Indigenous peoples
• sustainable and active transportation
• access to urban green spaces
• affordable housing

Responsible Consumption

• green procurement
• waste management
• clean electricity
• site remediation

Climate Action

• adapting to climate change
• mitigating the impacts of climate change

Natural Capital

• nature and wildlife conservation

Here are highlights of our accomplishments for 2025-2026:

Sustainable Communities

• We developed a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Strategy for our agricultural portfolio.
• We increased the service hours and frequency for the Gatineau Park summer shuttle, and length of the season for the winter shuttle.
• We completed a Rideau Canal Cultural Landscape Study for the Ottawa section of the waterway, in collaboration with Parks Canada and the City of Ottawa and in consultation with members of the Algonquin Nation.
• We are supporting the construction of affordable housing to mitigate the housing crisis in Canada by making underused federal lands available for residential real estate projects in the National Capital Region through the NCC Lands for Homes initiative.

Responsible Consumption

• 100% of our electricity now comes from clean energy sources . 

Climate Action

• Our greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 52% since 2005.
• We’ve made progress on 83% of the short-term actions under our Climate Adaptation Plan, with 8 actions already completed.
• We made progress on transitioning our light-duty on-road fleet to zero-emission reaching 27%.
• We have aligned with 8 of the 11 recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.

Natural Capital

• We accelerated the planting of new trees, with more than 11,500 trees planted in 2025–2026 and a plan to plant 50,000 trees in 2026–2027.
• We acquired two parcels of land totalling 36 hectares, located in the Larrimac ecological corridor and the Chelsea Creek ecological corridor, respectively, strengthening the ecological connection between Gatineau Park and the Gatineau River.
• We worked to remove invasive species in 11 locations, covering an area of 146,497-m².

The government of Canada sets out its sustainable development priorities in The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. The Federal Strategy sets out the actions needed to support the 17 sustainable development objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The NCC’s Strategy adapts the principles and objectives of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and the federal Greening Government Strategy to the NCC’s activities and areas of expertise.

The next Federal Sustainable Development Strategy 2026-2029, will be completed in November 2026. We are currently planning the development of our Sustainable Development Strategy (2027–2030). 

Sustainability is a shared responsibility. Share your ideas and comments with us!