Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Egan: Senior feels burned after 'free' thermostat leads to $12,000 liability

By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen, January 16, 2018

When Ontario banned the problematic practice of door-to-door sales of certain household items in March 2018, it left out thermostats.

And so here we are in the hallway of Paul Carbonneau’s spotless home in Kanata, looking at a new “smart” thermostat, a space-age looking unit controlled from anywhere with a cellphone.

(...)The Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services had been bombarded with complaints and enquiries about door-to-door sales tactics, in excess of 2,400 in 2016. On March 1, it outright banned the door-to-door marketing of several products, including furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters and treatment devices.

No plans to remove double-deckers from Transitway after fatal crash

By CBC News Ottawa, January 13, 2019

Double-decker buses will not be pulled from the Transitway now that it's back open after Friday's fatal crash at Westboro station, according to the head of OC Transpo.

Three people were killed and 23 injured Friday afternoon when a double-decker bus bound for Kanata slammed into a bus shelter at the station.

Experts call for Transportation Safety Board to investigate fatal bus crash

By Alanna Rizzo of the Canadian Press, CBC News Ottawa, January 14, 2019

Experts are calling on the federal transportation safety board to investigate a deadly bus crash in Ottawa to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

On Friday afternoon, a double-decker bus operated by local transportation agency OC Transpo hopped a curb and struck a transit shelter, which carved deep into the vehicle's upper level and crushed a number of seats.

No reason not to trust transit system after deadly crash, Ottawa Centre MPP says

By Jacquie Miller, Ottawa Citizen, January 12, 2019

Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden, whose riding includes Westboro station, said he was saddened and shocked by the collision. “It’s a pretty sad day.”

However, people should not be afraid of riding the city’s buses, he said in an interview Saturday.

Harden often takes double-decker buses with his two young children. The most popular seats are usually in the front, he said.

Harden said he may take a ride with the kids Saturday just to make the point that he still trusts the bus system.

“I’m certainly still happy to ride the double decker bus. I’m very, very sad that this happened, and I want to know what happened just like everybody else … This is certainly the worst possible thing that could have happened, and it happened.”

Why OC Transpo added double-decker buses to its fleet

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, January 13, 2019

The time seemed right for the City of Ottawa in spring 2007 to take a chance on a new bus finally available for the North American transit market.

City higher-ups, who are no longer with the corporation today, told council back then that the double-decker buses could offer a better transit experience for customers and could even help increase OC Transpo’s ridership.

This was the start of Transpo’s buy-in to double-decker buses.

(...)Transpo liked the buses because they suited Ottawa’s vast coverage area for public transit. Plus, the fuel consumption was better than the articulated buses, which could deliver budget savings and help the city’s efforts to help the environment.

OC Transpo warns double-decker drivers about overhang hazard, driver says

By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen, January 13, 2019 A veteran OC Transpo driver says the company specifically warns double-decker operators to beware of Transitway overhangs. Drivers take special training to operate the double-deckers like the one that crashed into Westboro Station during Friday’s afternoon commute, killing three people and injuring another 23. It is among the worst accidents in the history of the city’s transit system.

“The first thing they taught us was stay the hell away from the structures at the stations because you’re not going to clear them,” said the operator, speaking on condition that he not be named, for fear of losing his job. “We’re actually taught to board passengers further out from the curb than we normally would.”

Martin: Help Elgin Street with easier parking nearby

By David Martin, Ottawa Citizen, January 13, 2019

When the Elgin Street closure officially commenced a week ago, I should have known that there was more to this massive repair job than meets the eye. As I drove down Cartier Street parallel to Elgin, I spied a green hornet making his rounds, recording parked cars in anticipation of ticketing them an hour later.

Yes, the Elgin renovation was going to be a year-long mess but the City of Ottawa claimed it was doing everything it could to make things bearable for motorists and patrons of the many businesses that line that street. After all, wasn’t it the city that announced that its lot at 110 Laurier Ave. would be free on weekends and evenings?

Today's letters: Homeless contract raises questions

By Mark Brooks, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, January 12, 2018

(...)A ticket for charging my electric vehicle. Really?

I recently decided, out of concern over climate change, to do my small part by getting rid of my gas-powered car and buying an electric vehicle (EV). Much to my dismay, on the very first day I plugged it in on the street outside my townhouse in Westboro, I received a parking ticket from the city. The reason? The power cord that I ran from my house to the vehicle was considered a hazard that someone might trip over.

I live in a townhouse complex on a quiet street with no sidewalks and I do not have my own driveway. Charging my car while parked on the street shoulder is the only way I can do it. Ottawa, what do you want me to do? I’m trying to reduce my emissions and do the right thing here, yet I was rewarded for my efforts with a $40 ticket, even though the charging cable barely touched public property and does not cross a sidewalk.

Parkdale Food Centre awarded the Ottawa Sustainability Fund

By Stephanie White, Kitchissippi News, January 10, 2018

The future looks bright in 2019 for the Parkdale Food Centre (PFC), a recent recipient of the Ottawa Sustainability Fund. Initiated in 2006, The Ottawa Sustainability Fund is a philanthropic fund of the Ottawa Community Foundation that has contributed over $100,000 to local charity community projects.

The $9,680 grant, awarded by EnviroCentre, will help fund the expansion of Growing Futures’ Solutionary Workshop Program so that it will be available to more youth. For the past three years, this program has offered three one-hour hands-on workshops for students in grades four to six every Monday. These workshops aim to inspire, engage and equip children on the topics of access to healthy food, social determinants of health, and community activism.

With the new funding, the PFC will expand the program to include youth 12-16 years old. The goal is to provide local children with the skills and knowledge they will need to thrive.

Riders left out in the cold by OC Transpo delays, cancellations

By CTV News Ottawa, January 10, 2018

A nightmare Thursday morning commute on OC Transpo left hundreds of riders to fend for themselves.

Riders, such as Jessica Sultan, took to social media to spread the word of delays and cancellations at Carp Park and Ride.

'Frost quake' shakes village near Kingston

By CBC News Ottawa, January 10, 2018

Just after 2:30 p.m. on Monday, people in Perth Road Village north of Kingston, Ont., heard a loud bang and felt the ground shake. They thought there'd been an explosion, a crash or even an earthquake.

"Some people said their dogs were startled and started to act weird," said Alex Braun, a geophysicist at Queen's University in Kingston, on Thursday.

"Others went outside and thought there was a car pileup, an accident. Some even mentioned a plane may have crashed in the nearby forest. Others thought there was a blasting event in a nearby quarry."

OC Transpo riders singing the full bus blues

By Matthew Kupfer, CBC News Ottawa, January 11, 2018

Riders who rely on OC Transpo's 200-series routes say they're frustrated over long waits for buses that sometimes show up so packed with passengers they can't get on.

Jon Moore, who rides Route 268 between Kanata and downtown, said he's seen cancelled runs replaced with shorter vehicles and full buses that just pass him by.

"It seems to be even worse than what's typical," Moore said as he waited on Albert Street.