Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

How to bring back forest cover: recommendations include zero tax on forested land

By Louise Sproule, The Review, October 1, 2018

Forest cover is decreasing and a recent South Nation Conservation (SNC) report called, “Protecting and Increasing Forest Cover in the South Nation Conservation Jurisdiction” makes several recommendations for education and promotion, basing this need on forest cover information dating back to aerial surveys taken in 2014.

The South Nation Conservation initiative involved the creation of an Agricultural Forest Cover Committee (AFCC) in January 2017 with 22 members. This group met six times between January and April of 2017. Then a broader multi-stakeholder Forest Conservation Working Group was formed to continue the work of the AFCC. The Working Group’s mandate was to provide recommendations to the SNC’s board of directors and 16 member municipalities.

CRTs retrieved from pond near Ottawa River

By Alyson Queen, The Review, October 1, 2018

Here is a picture of 2 CRTs removed, by two concerned citizens, from a pond on Front Road in Chute-à-Blondeau. These were dumped there by someone who did not want to take the time and trouble to bring these two computer terminals to Recycle Action in Hawkesbury for proper disposal. If these terminals had been left in the water over the winter the screens would have cracked and leached toxins into the water, infecting the fish that may ultimately be caught by those who fish in these waters.

Group hoping to see new approach to transit from next city council

By MIke Vlasveld, 1310 News, October 1, 2018 Sam Boswell of Ottawa's Healthy Transportation Coalition says OC Transpo buses are unreliable, their routes change with no public consultation, and feels too many neighbourhoods are being left without transit options. She will be part of a meeting Monday night at the Francophone Centre on 270 Marier Avenue, at Montreal Road, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Ottawa Transit Riders Group members are expected on hand, and Boswell said she's been getting lots of support from ward candidates and current city councillors. At tonight's meeting, the group will be discussing what residents need, in which areas of the city, problems with OC Transpo bus service and how some of these issues can be solved. OC Transpo recently reported that it is expecting to lose $4.1-million in revenue after not selling as many adult monthly passes as projected.

Boswell told 1310 NEWS' The Rick Gibbons Show thinks there are ways to fix that. "If you look at transit studies around North America -- anywhere where the buses, you can count on them showing up every five to ten minutes, and it's affordable -- the ridership goes up," she explained. "What we're seeing [in Ottawa] is the opposite -- the buses are not reliable, we're either the highest or second-highest in Canada, in terms of transit fares -- that's not a recipe for getting people to leave their cars at home and take the bus, unfortunately." Listen to the full conversation with Sam Boswell: Monday evening's event is the second such meeting between transit rider groups in Ottawa.

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So what’s the deal with Clive Doucet’s transit plan for Stittsville?

By Devyn Barrie, StittsvilleCentral, October 1, 2018

Mayoral candidate Clive Doucet’s plan for a regional rail system in Ottawa wouldn’t send trains into the heart of Stittsville.

Rather, there would be a station somewhere between Carp and Stittsville along an existing branch line that runs through Kanata North.

Doucet unveiled his “Capital Region Rail” plan earlier in September, saying it’s time for Ottawa to get a regional rail service similar to Toronto’s GO Train system.

Water leaking into LRT tunnel raises safety concerns

By Robyn Miller, CBC News Ottawa, October 2, 2018

Water is leaking into Ottawa's new light-rail tunnel, and the president of the Ottawa and District Labour Council is concerned it poses a safety risk to construction workers.

Sean McKenney was sent a photo that shows a flooded portion of the tunnel at the west portal, near Lebreton Flats.

"It's murky, it's dark, you can't see what's underneath it, so when you're walking through it certainly there are hazards there and that is a concern of ours," McKenney said.

In the past, workers have expressed several other concerns about working conditions and incidents inside the tunnel.

Anatomy of a storm

By Kristy Nease, CBC News Ottawa, September 29, 2018

(...)Tornadoes in Ontario

Environment Canada's tornado database contains information from only the past 37 years. During that time, the way twisters have been confirmed and analyzed has changed drastically, right up to 2017, with the introduction of new, specialized satellite imaging.

On average, nearly 13 confirmed and probable tornadoes occur annually in Ontario, but the figure is a bit misleading, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell.

The last few years have been relatively quiet, with 10 in 2017, 11 in 2016 and nine in 2015. Some years have seen a lot more, such as 2013, when there were 23, and 2009, when there were 35.

Ottawa votes: Here are the issues that will consume our next city council

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, October 1, 2018

Step outside the door of your home and look around. Virtually everything is tied to a municipal responsibility.

Roads, sidewalks, buses, taxis, municipal parks, residential garbage, drinking water, police … the list goes on. Your property taxes pay for these things, so it makes complete sense that you should be interested in how the next city council will spend that money.

(...)Transportation: Can we make our street safer?

Big transportation issues, such as LRT, get plenty of air time at city hall, but the average taxpayer is more concerned about what’s happening directly outside their homes.

Neighbourhood traffic — how fast cars travel, where cars park and the volume of traffic — is a top issue in all wards, and councillors have been handed small budgets to buy traffic-calming measures. How are candidates proposing to slow traffic in their wards? It’s a question they’re hearing at the doors.

Reevely: Watson's traffic-safety plan ignores the real problem — generations of bad street design

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, October 1, 2018

Jim Watson’s pledges to improve traffic safety are just promises to keep doing the things Ottawa has always done: build dangerous streets and hope that enforcement blitzes will make up for the mayor and city council’s lack of nerve.

“Although we’ve made progress, we have to take an even more aggressive approach to make community safety a daily priority for each and every resident of Ottawa,” Watson said Sunday, dropping his latest set of campaign promises as he runs for mayor again. Regular police blitzes show just how dangerous it is out there, he said. Not to mention the regular reports of pedestrians and cyclists struck by cars and trucks.

Reevely: Ontario's Drive Clean program to die in April as Tories shift focus to heavy trucks' exhaust

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 2018

The Drive Clean program that has tested Ontario’s cars to make sure they don’t pollute too much has served its purpose and will be cancelled next April, Premier Doug Ford announced Friday, but operators of heavy trucks can expect tougher testing of what comes out of their exhaust pipes.

This should save $40 million and end an annoyance for people who drive cars that are more than seven years old, who need to get their vehicle emissions tested before they can renew licence stickers.

“By ending Drive Clean tests and repairs for passenger vehicles, this government is reducing the burden on residents and families who own a car, so they no longer need to take time out of their days to take their vehicles in for unnecessary tests,” Ford said, framing the decision, as he does, in terms of making people’s lives easier.

Tornado aftermath: Ottawa's battered trees will live on, expert says

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 2018

Ottawa’s urban forests took a beating last week, especially the majestic white pines of Arlington Woods, but an expert on preserving old trees says it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the trees or the cherished forest.

“If a tree is alive and has well-established roots, there’s a good chance it will survive,” said Philip van Wassenaer, an arborist with Urban Forest Innovations Inc. and one of the authors of Ottawa’s 20-year management plan for its urban forest, released last year.

“The only way to find out is to take off the problematic parts — such as damaged limbs — and wait for the tree to tell you,” he said. “If you consider the (1998) ice storm, some trees were removed because their tops were damaged, but, if you go into the Gatineau forest, you will see that trees just carried on, and they’re fine.”

Capital Ward and mayor candidates give their pitches for city’s green future

By Drew May, 1310 News, September 28, 2018

Candidates in Ottawa's Capital Ward promised to put environmental issues higher on the agenda in the next term of council and to create more ambitious environmental goals.

“The defining feature now for this coming term must be about climate,” said incumbent candidate David Chernuskenko at a debate on September 22. “Because climate breakdown is very much happening now and only accelerating.”

Chernushenko proposed adding an outline of the net carbon increase or decrease to any report coming before a committee or city council. He said this would ensure councillors know whether what they vote on will increase or decrease the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Maelyn Kaya goes green with her No Straw Ottawa Campaign

By Bradley Turcotte, Kitchissippi Times, September 26, 2018

Marine biologist Christine Figgener’s 2015 video of her team removing a plastic straw stuck in a sea turtle’s nose is difficult to watch. The distressed animal has blood trickling from his nose. He winces, clearly in pain, as the long object is extracted from his face. The video shows how the seemingly inconsequential act of using a disposable plastic straw can have serious environmental consequences.

Passionate about oceans and marine life since childhood, 15-year-old Nepean High School student Maelyn Kaya heard of the trend against plastic straws and thought, “someone has to do something” in Canada’s capital.

Maelyn is encouraging local businesses to offer alternatives or forego plastic straws completely with her No Straw Ottawa campaign.