Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

‘Bit frightening:’ Study finds most Canadian cities fail on climate change plans

By the Canadian Press, 1310 News, December 2, 2018

A study suggests most Canadian cities have yet to assess the threat posed by climate change despite being the most exposed to any weather disasters it could cause.

A survey of 63 municipalities of all sizes from coast to coast found major gaps in how most are preparing for coming conditions and in how they are reducing their contribution to the problem.

"Cities are the most vulnerable government to climate change in Canada but have the least resources in order to manage the problem, so it's imperative that they have some strategy or plan," said Jason Thistlethwaite, a University of Waterloo professor and co-author of the paper published in the journal Climatic Change.

Overcrowding on Gatineau buses getting worse, numbers show

By Krystalle Ramlakhan, CBC News Ottawa, December 3, 2018

Gatineau city buses — including many that run into Ottawa — are so overcrowded that an increasing number are forced to bypass waiting riders because there isn't enough space on board.

This past September, the number of overcrowded Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) buses jumped 70 per cent compared to the same time in 2017, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada through an access to information request.

• Number of STO buses leaving passengers behind up by almost 60%

• Gatineau bus riders slightly happier with city's transit service

The number of full STO buses increased from 1,139 in 2017 to 1,936 in 2018, despite adjustments made by STO over the past year.

Today's letters: Harsh facts about LeBreton Flats

By Jean Mercier and others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, December 1, 2018

(...)Time to listen to us ‘non-experts’?

Re: Letter, This time, let’s really reimagine it, Nov. 27.

Bravo to Sylvie Hudon-Polk. What an idea to create a real park at LeBreton Flats, like many other large real cities have. (Travel opens one’s eyes.) The Flats represent the very last opportunity for Ottawa to create such a world-class park. But the letter-writer is not an expert, neither am I, and while this idea could be favourable to a majority of the public, they are not experts either. So who, from the top down in this city, would listen to us non-experts?

Ecology Ottawa blasts provincial government's climate plan

By Alex Robinson, 1310 News, December 1, 2018

A local environmental group says the provincial government's recently-announced climate plan will squander the progress the city has made in fighting climate change.

The Progressive Conservative government's new plan included significantly reducing the province's emissions targets. While the former government committed to cutting greenhouse case emissions by 37 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, Premier Doug Ford's government has said it will cut emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Ecology Ottawa's executive director, Robb Barnes, said the new policy is "utterly reckless" and the "opposite of evidence-based." The organization said the new plan threatens municipal climate plans such as Ottawa's that rely on price signals from carbon pricing.

Political hobnobbing includes trading intel on who wants top city council jobs

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, December 2, 2018

(...)If council approves a governance report on Wednesday, the general leadership structure won’t change much this term. There will be eight top-level committees — agriculture and rural affairs, audit, community and protective services, environment and climate protection, finance and economic development, planning, transportation and the transit commission — all needing chairpersons who will be tasked with implementing Mayor Jim Watson’s re-election promises and stickhandling hot files through the legislative process.

(...)But the chair of the environment committee this term might have the most important leadership role on council, outside of the mayor.

Council is scheduled to adopt a new waste policy in 2019 and from that will flow decisions about how residential garbage is collected and processed. At mid-year, the city will start allowing plastic bags and dog feces in the green bin, but there will be pressure for the city to increase its waste diversion rate across all recycling streams. Council resolutions will impact the next garbage-collection contracts, which are scheduled to be awarded in 2019.

Buy local, give local: The ultimate Ottawa gift guide this holiday season

By Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen, December 3, 2018

There’s a warm mulled-wine kind of feeling you get whenever you see a friend or family member’s eyes light up after opening a gift you’ve given, and it’s clear you chose the perfect sweater/book/bottle/widget.

But what if you could also make ANOTHER person — a neighbour — just as exultant with that same holiday gift without lifting another mittened finger? Now wouldn’t that be one swell season?

It’s easier than you think.

By buying locally produced gifts, you are effectively doubling the volume of cheer bubbling throughout the region, bringing mirth and merriment to both Uncle Harry AND the woman in Perth who made the Butter Tart Moonshine that he’ll soon be pleasantly sloshed on. And, why, with that much joy bundling down our snowy streets, there’ll be no call anymore to add Zoloft to your figgy pudding. Everybody wins (except maybe Pfizer).

Ford government's climate plan will cut jobs, not emissions, green advocates say

By Philip Lee Shanok, CBC News, November 30, 2018

Ontario's new climate plan won't do much to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but it will cost the province jobs, say some people involved with companies in the emerging clean technologies sector.

Tom Rand of Arctern Ventures says the Progressive Conservative government's policies have already cost jobs and hurt investment, and the new plan will accelerate those losses.

"There's a global race on to build clean-tech solutions, to build technologies that allow us to decouple economic activity from carbon emissions," Rand said. "Ontario just signaled that it is not serious about going after that market."

Denley: With pragmatic new climate change plan, Ontario offers antidote to eco-hysteria

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen, November 30, 2018

The climate change plan Ontario Environment Minister Rod Phillips released Thursday is a pragmatic document, both politically and environmentally.

The federal and Ontario governments are engaged in a climate change chess game that has more to do with winning elections than with saving the planet. Premier Doug Ford was propelled into office partly because he opposed a carbon tax. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hopes to win next year’s federal election because he is a carbon tax champion.

Until this week, the chess board favoured Trudeau. He could legitimately say the Ontario government had no plan to help meet Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions targets. What else could he do but impose a carbon tax? The very future of the planet is at stake.

Ontario government moving ahead with legal challenge of planned federal carbon tax

By the Canadian Press, Global News, November 30, 2018

TORONTO – Ottawa’s attempt to impose a carbon tax on the provinces is unconstitutional because the federal government does not have jurisdiction to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, the Ontario government argues in court filings connected to its legal challenge of the Liberals’ emissions pricing law.

In documents filed Friday, the province’s Progressive Conservative government argues the federal Liberals are trying to impose a form of “unconstitutional disguised taxation.” Allowing Parliament to regulate all greenhouse gas emissions would “seriously disrupt” the balance of power set out in Canada’s constitution, the Tories say.

Good news on High Street construction front: water tests good, everyone is connected to water main

By Louise Sproule, The Review, November 27, 2018

There is good news for residents and businesses affected by the High Street construction situation. According to project manager François Lafleur, everyone is now reconnected to the town’s water main and all water test results were good. That means that the precautionary boil-water advisory will be lifted today. Notices will be distributed to the residents and was posted on Facebook, according to Lafleur, who sent the notice to The Review.

Paving on High Street is expected to be completed within a week from today. Sidewalks will then be reinstated temporarily (for the winter) in asphalt, as there were concerns the weather would delay the concrete work too much, and a safe walking surface was needed as soon as possible. Sidewalks will be redone in concrete next year (at no cost to the township/residents), according to Lafleur.

The blue plastic shreds which some residents have discovered in their tap water filters is caused by the drilling (tapping) of the water services into the water mains in the street. Every attempt is made to remove the shreds after drilling and to flush the lines, however some small pieces can still make their way into filters. It is nothing to be concerned about; the filters just need to be cleaned, says Lafleur.

Residents take final chance to weigh in before Elgin Street overhaul

By Kieran Delamont, 1310 News, November 28, 2018

In a little over the month, not long after the clocks tick over into 2019, a major chunk of Elgin Street will be closed to cars and will be torn up for one of the more ambitious street re-designs in recent Ottawa history, and on Wednesday night residents got their final chance to weigh in on and ask questions about the design.

At a public information meeting at city hall, Alain Gonthier, Director of Infrastructure Services with the City of Ottawa, asked residents to “imagine the new Elgin Street [...] and imagine a street that’s filled with human activity. A street that really puts the focus on people, and less on cars.”

There has been a high level of public engagement on this planning file so far, and many of the hundred or so people in attendance were there for their second or third time.

Weather Network calling for long, cold winter in capital region

By 1310 News, November 26, 2018

Meteorologist Doug Gillham says the blast of bitter cold, felt by Ottawa residents last week, may have been a preview of the season to come.

"We've had an early start to the winter," said the Meteorologist. "Unfortunately, we don't expected an early start to spring, to correspond with that, so that makes for a long winter."