'A tragic accident': Ottawa truck driver found not guilty in 2016 death of cyclist

By Gary Dimmock, Ottawa Citizen, February 5, 2019

Not every deadly crash is a crime, and the one that claimed the life of cyclist Nusrat Jahan in 2016 has been ruled a tragic accident.

On Tuesday, Ontario Court Justice David Berg acquitted Steven Conley, the driver of a dump truck who struck and killed Jahan at the busy intersection of Laurier Avenue and Lyon Street during the morning rush hour on Sept. 1, 2016.

Conley was negotiating a right turn at the intersection, and while he didn’t signal, he couldn’t see the young cyclist in his blind spot.

Mayor, some councillors turn down transit challenge Social Sharing

By Krystalle Ramlakhan, CBC News Ottawa, February 4, 2019

Ottawa's mayor and several city councillors have turned down a challenge to rely solely on OC Transpo this week.

The challenge came from advocacy group Free Transit Ottawa, and so far 15 councillors have accepted.

The group is urging residents to contact the seven city councillors who have said no, or who haven't responded.

(...)The event is co-sponsored by Ecology Ottawa, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 and other groups.

The Earth-Friendly Event on February 23, 2019

By the Review, January 21, 2019

A first-ever event is taking place at the Vankleek Hill Community Centre on February 23, 2019. Called, “The Earth-Friendly Event 2019,”it takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include a small natural history museum exhibit, three family crafts which are nature-oriented, and more than one dozen local vendors. At 1 pm, a “Meet the Keepers” show” will take place, with live animals and information about the animals’ personalities. At 3 pm, the Tennessee Cree singer Kevin Schofield will perform. Admission is free to this event and draws will take place every hour.

The event will take place upstairs at the Vankleek Hill Community Centre at 36 Mill Street in Vankleek Hill.

One of Kitchissippi’s best-known street artists paints a picture of his future

By Charlie Senack, Kitchissippi Times, January 7, 2019

Since moving to Ottawa six years ago, Arpi, an acclaimed street artist, has had an active role in Ottawa’s art scene.

He has been the creator of many murals in Kitchissippi, including a large composition over the entrance of Railbender Tattoo Studio located at Armstrong and Hamilton. On that same building, two finches add a touch of colour to the wall of the former location of the Orange Art Gallery. Arpi is also responsible for a mural on Lowrey Street near Garland, and another near Maker House on Wellington Street West.

(...)“Nature is the ultimate artist and beauty is all around us,” says Arpi. “If you’re open to it or not, it’s there. If you look at a forest, it’s beautiful. If you look at a tree, it’s beautiful. Even if you look at one leaf, it’s beautiful. The best thing we can do is learn from our environment and work with it.”

Majority of Ottawa City Councillors commit to travelling via public transit this week

By 1310 News, February 4, 2019

OC Transpo riders could be sharing a bus with their city councillor this week.

Monday marks the start of Transit Week Ottawa -- a challenge issued to councillors by Free Transit Ottawa to only use public transit for the next week.

(...)The 15 councillors who have have accepted the challenge are:

  • Orléans councillor, Matt Luloff
  • Innes councillor, Laura Dudas
  • Stittsville councillor, Glen Gower
  • Bay ward councillor, Theresa Kavanagh
  • Knoxdale-Merivale councillor, Keith Egli
  • Gloucester-Southgate councillor, Dianne Deans
  • Rideau-Vanier councillor, Mathieu Fleury
  • Somerset councillor, Catherine McKenney
  • Kitchissippi councillor, Jeff Leiper
  • River ward councillor ,Riley Brockington
  • Capital ward, Shawn Menard
  • Alta Vista councillor, Jean Cloutier
  • Cumberland ward councillor, Stephen Blais
  • Gloucester-South Nepean councillor, Carol Anne Meehan
  • Kanata South councillor, Alan Hubley

OC Transpo prognosis and solutions

By StittsvilleCentral, February 2, 2019

On January 30, 2019 Councillor Glen Gower posted the following to his Councillor’s Notebook and with his permission Stittsville Central has republished his article. To receive Councillor Gower’s weekly Notebook, you can sign-up by clicking on this link:   https://www.glengower.ca/notebook/councillors-notebook

A few weeks back I invited Stittsville OC Transpo riders to share their stories with me and to tell me exactly what they’re experiencing on their bus ride. Here are a few recent examples that are typical of the feedback I receive on a daily basis.

Blue brush bristles present clean-up problem on the canal

By Julie Wilkes, Ottawa Sun, February 1, 2019

It’s time to sweep up after the sweepers.

The Ottawa Riverkeeper is asking volunteers to lace up their skates and hit the ice Feb. 7 for a Rideau Canal clean-up with the goal of gathering blue bristles left behind by the ice-sweeping equipment that maintains the skateway.

“It’s always been a problem,” said M.J. Proulx, director of the Watershed Network for Ottawa Riverkeeper. “If they stay there and get stuck in the ice, when the river thaws, the plastic will be going into the river.”

Mayor, councillors challenged to rely solely on transit this week

By Krystalle Ramlackhan, CBC News Ottawa, February 4, 2019

Ottawa's mayor and city councillors are being challenged to rely solely on OC Transpo this week by an advocacy group that wants to improve the city's transit network.

Free Transit Ottawa is made up of environmental and social justice activists who say public transit is crucial to fighting climate change.

Today's letters: Who sits on the transit commission?

By A.J. Warden and Dono Bandero, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, February 4, 2019

So what’s council’s ‘values test’?

Re: Transit appointee gets rough ride before council, Jan. 31.

I would suggest that Coun. Shawn Menard and the other city councillors who challenged the appointment of Michael Olsen to the transit commission get together and develop and publish a list of the acceptable values, points of view, opinions etc. that people must have in order to be involved in the city government. 

(...)Questioning climate beliefs appropriate

Questioning a candidate’s belief that may impact on his/her behaviour and performance on the job is totally acceptable.

It has been demonstrated that the urban transportation system is impacted by climate change. The question raised about the candidate’s belief in climate change is not unlike questioning a candidate’s belief in service performance for a client-service manager job. It would be unthinkable to hire a candidate who questions the virtue of good public relations practices for that position.

Pellerin: Choose Ottawa's suburbs, deal with the traffic woes

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen, February 1, 2019

Barrhaven municipal councillor Jan Harder is good at speaking her mind, you’ve got to give her that. But I have one word for her gripes about commuter woes for people in her ward: Hush.

I mean, enough.

I spend a lot of time in Barrhaven. It’s charming. There’s room to breathe, brand-new shops, huge movie theatres, wonderful fitness facilities with gleaming showers and steam rooms, parks, beautiful modern schools, not much homelessness, plenty of nature. Lovely houses, too. Orderly rows, one after the other, everything so tidy and neat. It’s no wonder the place has grown like crazy over the years.

(...)Cancelled buses are no fun, I give you that. But when, after picking lifestyle over location, you gripe that the location you picked for yourself, with your own free will, is hard on your commute and that’s why we should all help ease your pain, the heart really fails to bleed.

Speed up environmental approvals to boost home construction, city urges

By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, February 1, 2019

If the Ontario government wants to speed up building approvals and housing construction, it should start by streamlining the unwieldy environmental assessment process for new roads and sewers, the City of Ottawa says.

"The [municipal environmental assessment] process is overly general, time consuming, costly, repetitive and not protective of the environment," chief planner Steve Willis wrote on behalf of the city in a letter to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

It was one bit of advice from the city as the Progressive Conservative government crafts its "housing supply action plan."

Ottawa drops appeal in political activity case, ending charities' 7-year audit nightmare

By Dean Beeby, CBC News, January 31, 2019

The Liberal government has withdrawn its appeal of a stunning 2018 court ruling that quashed a section of the Income Tax Act limiting the political activities of charities.

The landmark case was launched by a tiny Ottawa charity, Canada Without Poverty, which argued that the section violates the Charter of Rights guarantee of freedom of expression.

Justice Edward Morgan of the Ontario Superior Court of Canada agreed in his July 16 ruling, declaring that the section no longer had any "force and effect."

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