Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Menard: Here's why I'm supporting fare-free public transit

By Shawn Menard, Ottawa Citizen, October 3, 2018

What if no one had to pay for public transit?

Ottawa’s public transit system certainly has its share of shortcomings. But the biggest problem preventing an efficient transit system is that we have never thought of our public transit as a truly essential public service.

We don’t need to dig though our pockets to find change before we can enter a library and we certainly are never expected to find exact change before we drive on Ottawa’s ever-expanding public road system. Just like libraries, sidewalks and parks, a free and efficient transit system would operate for the common good.

Mad for monarchs: Gatineau girl wins $10,000 prize for butterfly conservation

By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, October 3, 2018

Twelve-year-old Genevieve Leroux rattles off a lists of the amazing things she loves about monarch butterflies — the beauty of their emerald green chrysalis, the magic of watching a butterfly emerge and spread its wings for the first time, their incredible migration each fall thousands of kilometres to the mountains of Mexico …

“When I was little I didn’t know all that,” she says. “I just thought they were the closest thing to fairies.”

Since reading about monarch’s in a Ranger Rick magazine when she was nine, Genevieve has become a butterfly crusader, catching and tagging butterflies for research and spreading both milkweed seeds and a message of conservation wherever she goes.

'The zebra was in heaven': How an invasive species took over the Rideau River

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, October 3, 2018

They came. They didn’t see much — mussels have no eyes. But they sure conquered.

Zebra mussels overran the Rideau River during the past three decades, and now a study from the Canadian Museum of Nature says they lucked into a place with a full buffet, perfect water and no enemies.

Then they reproduced like mad: la revanche du berceau all over again.

André Martel saw the first arrivals in our region in the fall of 1990. He had been a PhD student when the mussels invaded Lake Erie in the late 1980s, spilled from the ballast of a ship from the Black Sea area, where they are native.

 

How a mom of 5 is reducing single-use plastic

By Nancy Russell, CBC News, October 3, 2018

Waves of Change is a CBC series exploring the single-use plastic we're discarding, and why we need to clean up our act. You can be part of the community discussion by joining our Facebook group.

Rachel Willcock has five good reasons to cut back on how much plastic waste her family produces: her children, who range in age from one to nine.

She started blogging about her journey to cut back on single-use plastic in July.

"The big household that we have, I just noticed that there's lots of garbage going out," Willcock said.

"I just decided that I want to start cutting back."

Flooding in LRT tunnel blamed on faulty pump and heavy rain

By Jenn Pritchard, 1310 News, October 2, 2018

A photo of flooding in the LRT tunnel landed in the hands of the Ottawa and District Labour Council recently, raising some concern for the safety of its workers.

Sean McKenny, President of the ODLC, said that he later learned the photo may have been taken after a heavy rain storm in July.

McKenny said when he saw the photo, his first thought went to the safety of the workers in the tunnel with the amount of water and how murky it was, there were concerns for those working with electrical equipment or trying to walk through the area.

Ottawa cyclist at a loss for how to fix unsafe roads for riders

By Chris Kurys, 1310 News, October 2, 2018

An Ottawa woman was riding her bike northbound on Holland Avenue when the driver of a truck turned left onto Sherwood Avenue, sending her flying onto the street.

The incident happened last Friday, September 28, at around 3:55 p.m.

Sylvia Smith said there was a row of cars stopped in traffic on Holland Avenue and the truck made its left turn, but didn't slow down to check for any pedestrians or cyclists.

She was rushed to the hospital where she received five stitches in her cheek. She also suffered severe bruising, a black eye and she told 1310 NEWS' Mark Sutcliffe on Ottawa Today that her neck is still extremely sore.

No new date for LRT opening

By Jason White, 1310 News, October 3, 2018

The mayor and city council have received an update on construction progress on the O-Train's Confederation Line, but there's no word when the line might open to riders.

In a memo, the city's manager of O-Train construction says Rideau Station still requires "significant work." Rideau Station is among several items that need to be completed before the Confederation Line can become fully operational; the city is also keeping a close eye on Parliament and all the west-end stations, as well as the ability to run multiple trains at the same time along the line.

Three weeks ago, it was announced that the LRT builder -- Rideau Transit Group -- would miss the November 2 deadline to hand possession of the system over to the city.

Barrhaven light rail study and Booth Street cycling infrastructure moving forward

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, October 3, 2018

A missing link in Ottawa's cycling network is one step closer to completion, while an environmental assessment to get LRT in Barrhaven will come before city council.

The City of Ottawa's Transportation Committee approved entering into a front-ending agreement that would bring a continuous cycle track on each side of Booth Street, connecting the future Pimisi light-trail transit station with the Ottawa River Pathway, behind the Canadian War Museum.

Painted bicycle lanes would also go farther north, connecting to the Zibi development on Chaudière and Albert islands.

Today's letters: NAFTA, USMCA, or whatever it's called ...

By Jorge Sorger, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, October 2, 2018

(...)But where do candidates stand on the environment?

Re: The city’s big questions, Oct. 1.

Monday’s municipal election feature filled two pages, and the environment and climate change were not even mentioned. What will it take for climate change to be taken seriously?

Cities produce more than 55 per cent of greenhouse gases and therefore have a big role in mitigating the effects of climate change, which, according to climate experts, can threaten much of humanity’s existence.

Where does the city of Ottawa stand? and where are the media on this?

Dunrobin residents raise concerns about tornado cleanup

By Krystalle Ramiakhan, CBC News Ottawa, October 1, 2018

(...)Environmental concerns

She said she appreciates the daily updates being given at West Carleton Secondary School.

The city said people who still need help can always visit the community support centres at the Nepean Sportsplex and West Carleton Secondary School, or call 311.

There were some concerns about the environment and groundwater with insulation and other tornado debris swirling around.

City staff say they're starting to look at waterways and will look into a more fulsome plan starting Monday. Staff have already inspected some playgrounds and closed off some that may be contaminated.

Today's letters: Governor General's a tricky job

By Kari Glynes Elliot, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, September 29, 2018

(...)Care about transit, even if you don’t use it

Why should you care about OC Transpo if you don’t ride the bus?

Traffic congestion – traffic jams, gridlock, no parking vacancy – are all words to strike fear into the hearts of drivers. Expect more this winter as transit riders give up on OC Transpo and go back to their cars. I’ll be one of them despite 20-plus years as an avid transit rider and fierce advocate of public transit.

Bus riders are mad. They feel disrespected and ignored. OC Transpo didn’t bother consulting with the people who use their service before making a huge mess of the system with ill-considered changes in September. Transpo hasn’t apologized. It hasn’t fixed the routes or the maps. It hasn’t communicated detours to riders, leaving people swapping hints on social media.

NCC progressively closing Victoria Island for environmental remediation

By MIke Vlasveld, 1310 News, October 2, 2018

The work to shut down the island for remediation starts Tuesday, October 2.

The NCC says soil samples taken on Victoria Island reveal an elevated level of contaminants, which requires immediate site remediation to ensure the long-term safety of both human health and the environment.