Auditor slams City of Ottawa officials over handling of Barrhaven housing development

By Randy Boswell, Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2023

The City of Ottawa’s auditor general has slammed municipal officials for mishandling a major housing development in Barrhaven that involved extensive alterations of the Jock River floodplain to accommodate a sprawling new subdivision with nearly 1,000 new homes.

Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon has released a scathing, 14-page report detailing her team’s investigation into the project after allegations of mismanagement were made through the city’s fraud and waste hotline. The report has been tabled for discussion at the city’s audit committee meeting on Monday.

...The plan involved cutting away more than 100,000 cubic metres of soil along the north shore of the Jock and depositing more than 400,000 cubic metres of soil on adjacent land immediately to the north so houses could be safely built there, beyond any flood risk.

Find the whole article here.

Ottawa city council asks province to reinstate nine-storey building heights on minor corridors

By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2023

In a head-spinning move that has angered some community groups, Ottawa is asking the province to reverse its decision to override the city’s official plan on building heights.

A motion, approved by council this week in a 19-2 vote, instructs city officials to ask Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to reinstate rules allowing higher buildings heights along minor road corridors. It’s something the city’s planning committee rejected two years ago, when it approved Ottawa’s new official plan.

Pellerin: Speak up for the glorious, badly under-used, Rideau Canal

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 24, 2023

The City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada are launching a consultation on the Rideau Canal, and they want our opinions.

What they hope we do is complete a survey, attend a virtual meeting, visit a pop-up kiosk at Landsowne Christmas Market on Nov. 25 and send our comments. I’m going to skip right to the last step.

...Around here, we only think of roads for commuting. Everything else — even a lovely gem like the Canal — is for recreational purposes. It’s a failure of imagination that deprives everyone, residents and visitors alike, of truly magnificent public spaces in the nation’s capital.

Find the whole article here.

Consultant cited by airport authority says he never recommended cutting entire forest

By Nicole Williams, CBC News Ottawa

The author of one of several reports cited by the Ottawa International Airport Authority as justification to cut down an entire forest on Hunt Club Road says he's never made any such recommendation.

On Monday, the authority announced it would be clearing the entirety of the red pine forest at 400 Hunt Club Rd., which covers approximately four hectares of land, as soon as possible.

Forester Fraser Smith said that's not true. His consultancy firm was hired by the city  this year to conduct an assessment of the forest and submit a report.

It included six recommendations on how to move forward with the red pines — ranging from "do nothing" to significantly thinning out the woodland but still leaving roughly 120 trees. None of the recommendations included clearing the land entirely.

Find the whole article here.

Adam: OC Transpo can't keep charging more for less

By Mohamed Adam, Ottawa Citien Op-Ed

...Faced with revenue shortfalls at the fare box — the result of decreasing ridership and consequently deficits — transit companies often respond with fare hikes and service cuts to try to balance the books. It rarely works, but it is a vicious cycle the companies can’t seem to escape.

This is what is happening in Ottawa as OC Transpo struggles to deal with lagging post-pandemic ridership and a mounting deficit. With ridership down 30 per cent since the pandemic, and facing a $49.8-million deficit, OC Transpo has responded with a 2.5 per cent fare increase across the board beginning Jan. 1. It is also cutting 75,000 service hours per year, or about 3.5 per cent of total service.

Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar says the changes are not cost-cutting, but “route optimization,” aimed at building a network that meets customer needs. 

Find the whole article here.

Gower: OC Transpo's route changes will serve commuters better

By Glen Gower, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 22, 2023

...Since January, OC Transpo has engaged with 8,200 people through virtual and in-person open houses, online surveys, outreach at major transit hubs, and in direct discussions with major employers, advocacy groups and city councillors. Transit planners have combined that feedback with demographic information and transportation data to come up with a new network of routes.

Unfortunately, a lot of the news coverage has focused on “cuts” without emphasizing the new routes and service being added. It’s true that some 200-series rush-hour routes will be removed, but in almost every case they’re being combined or replaced by another route. There are also new routes being added, and additional service where there is high ridership. And there’s also the launch of Line 2 and 4 of the LRT, providing high-frequency, high-capacity train service to the south end.

Find the whole article here.

Denied Enbridge pipeline rebuild sparks rift among councillors

By Elise Skura, CBC News Ottawa, November 21, 2023

A stymied $123-million plan by Enbridge Gas to replace a section of an aging pipeline through four Ottawa wards has kicked off a debate at city hall over political interference. 

The Enbridge Gas pipeline carries natural gas to about 165,000 business and residential customers in the region, but after over half a century in use the utility says it's now nearing its end-of-life. 

...Staff relied on the city's "energy evolution" strategy, a document that lays out plans to eliminate Ottawa's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — and names Enbridge Gas as a stakeholder. 

...King said he was not supportive of the initial motion (by Councilor Tim Tierney to support Enbridge) because he wants staff to be able to provide their expert opinion "without the fear of political interference."

..."It's environmentally and financially absurd to be investing in fossil fuel pipelines in the midst of a climate crisis and in the midst of a transition away from fossil fuels … Ontario ratepayers would still be paying this off until the 2080s." (Ken Elson, Environmental Defence)

Find the whole article here.

Ottawa airport authority to clear cut forest despite opposition

By Nicole Williams, CBC News Ottawa, November 21, 2023

The Ottawa International Airport Authority will move ahead with clear cutting a forest on Hunt Club Road, despite thousands of people signing a petition opposing the plan. In a letter addressed to Ottawa residents and the Hunt Club community on Monday, the airport authority called the decision "difficult" but necessary given "this neglected plantation's dangerous state."

..."To claim that there's a threat to us and the general threat to the public safety is absolute nonsense," said Michael Vorobej, who lives nearby and is a member of Save Hunt Club Forest, a group that formed two years ago to fight development on the land.

"As a community, we have used this forest and enjoyed it for walking our dogs, jogging, riding our bikes, watching the birds or just getting some fresh air," he said.

...The members of Save Hunt Club Forest said they've also been tracking the biodiversity in the area and that there are hundreds of different species that currently call the forest home.

Find the whole article here.

 

Des citoyens de Cantley souhaitent acquérir des terres à valeur écologique pour les préserver

Par Benoit Sabourin, Le Droit, le 19 novembre 2023

Formé de sept administrateurs, Conservation Cantley, qui a été formellement constitué le 16 octobre dernier, s’inspire du modèle Action Chelsea pour le respect de l’environnement (ACRE). Cet organisme à but non lucratif avait accompagné des résidents de Chelsea qui avaient recueilli 900 000$ afin d’acheter une forêt de 57 acres, dans cette autre municipalité des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, en 2021. L’objectif de l’initiative, qui avait fait les manchettes à l’époque, était de protéger une propriété forestière face à un éventuel projet immobilier d’importance.

...Les personnes derrière l’initiative croient qu’il y a un contexte favorable pour lancer un tel organisme, en 2023. «On doit s’approprier nous-même la protection de notre territoire. On est jamais aussi bien servi que par soi-même. […] Il y a aussi le fait que les gens déménagent à Cantley pour la proximité avec la nature et les gens sont aussi de plus en plus confrontés à l’urgence climatique et voient la préservation de la nature comme une façon de contrer tout ça», résume la présidente de l’organisme.

Lire l'article au complet ici.

Clearcut through river floodplain has couple calling for better oversight

By Kristy Nease, CBC News Ottawa

An Ottawa couple says it doesn't make environmental sense for a woodlot next door to be clear cut through a sensitive floodplain, and the grade raised three metres, without anyone having to submit a building application or grading and drainage plan.

In Ottawa's vast rural boundary, you can clear cut privately owned woods on entire lots, even through floodplains and shorelines, without a permit. You can also dump clean fill, significantly altering the grade of a lot and how water drains from it, before having to submit a building application and a grading and drainage plan.

... The city's site alteration bylaw states no one can change the flow of storm, rain, ground, surface or subsurface water in a way likely to negatively affect neighbouring properties, including by altering the grade of a lot.

City drainage staff believe there has been no violation of the bylaw at the property, "and no further action by the city is warranted," natural systems planner Amy MacPherson wrote in an email to CBC.

Find the whole article here.

Les coûts de l’extension du train léger continuent d’augmenter, sans retour possible

Par Elise Skura, ICI Radio Canada Ottawa, le 17 novembre 2023

Le train léger d'Ottawa dépasse à nouveau son budget. Cette augmentation survient alors que les poursuites judiciaires en cours continuent de susciter l’inquiétude.

Les conseillers municipaux doivent aborder ce dossier vendredi après-midi lors d'une réunion extraordinaire.

C'est incroyablement frustrant, mais nous devons terminer ce projet. Et nous faisons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour protéger les intérêts des contribuables, a assuré le maire d’Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe aux médias la semaine dernière.

Lisez l'article au complet ici.

How a proposed bylaw change could affect Ottawa's trees

By Joanna Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, November 16, 2023

When is a tree considered “distinctive” in Ottawa? As it stands, that depends on where it grows. In the urban part of the city, inside the Greenbelt, any tree with a trunk more than 30 centimetres in diameter at chest height is considered a distinctive tree. A resident or developer with a property of less than a hectare needs a permit to cut down and remove a tree of that size.

...Many of Ottawa’s suburban neighbourhoods are now 50 years or older, where many trees fit into the 30-centimtre category, said Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital. “They deserve to be protected as much as those inside the greenbelt.

...Trees provide biodiversity, food, habitat for animals and shade as well as stormwater retention and absorption, said William van Geest, program co-ordinator with Ecology Ottawa.

It takes a long time to get those benefits if a mature tree is cut down and replaced with a sapling, he said. “The best tree for all of these benefits is one that is already there.”

Find the whole article here.

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