Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Improving the relationship between Ottawa drivers and cyclists, one lollipop at a time

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, September 27, 2018

Ottawa has a new crusader, taking to the city's streets in a mask and cape, riding a bicycle and armed with a bag of lollipops, looking to bridge a communication gap between drivers and cyclists.

Señora Bicicletta, Ottawa's self-proclaimed "(un)official bicycle diplomat," has been spotted downtown, in Westboro and Hintonburg, as well as in the Glebe and Ottawa South over the last month, approaching drivers through open windows as they make their Friday afternoon commutes.

"I'm trying to say, look; you're a human being, you're not just a driver; I'm a human being, I'm not just a cyclist," she explained. "We all just want to get somewhere and not kill or be killed along the way"

City to study bringing LRT and rail-grade separation to Barrhaven

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, September 26, 2018

The City of Ottawa will study how to convert bus rapid transit to light-rail transit to serve Barrhaven commuters.

The environmental assessment for this project is being combined with another already underway for rail grade-separations in Barrhaven, due to overlapping geographic areas.

The study will determine how best to extend the O-Train Confederation Line 10 km south from Baseline Station to Barrhaven Town Centre, with eight additional stations.

The study will also examine options for implementing light rail in stages and incorporating transit amenities, such as a maintenance and storage facility, park-and-ride lots and cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.

Environmental commissioner blasts Ford’s PCs for gutting climate change policies

By Andrew Russell, Global News, September 25, 2018

Ontario’s environmental commissioner, Diane Saxe, has issued a new report slamming Doug Ford’s government for gutting most of the province’s climate change programs saying it’s “bad for our environment, bad for our health, and bad for business.”

The report sharply criticizes the Progressive Conservatives’ decision to repeal the former Liberal government’s cap-and-trade program to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Under the program, a cap was set on greenhouse gas emissions that allowed companies to sell credits if their emissions fell below certain limits.

Ford had campaigned to end carbon pricing, calling it a “government cash grab” that does “nothing for the environment.”

Wild about edibles? Help plant an edible forest!

By The Review, September 24, 2018

The Raisin Region Conservation Authority needs your help to plant 200 potted trees and shrubs to expand the edible forest. The event takes place on Saturday, September 29, from 9 am to 12 noon at Gray’s Creek Conservation Area.

The objective is to provide the local community with access to wild tree and shrub edibles as well as learn about the health benefits of wild foods. This is a family-friendly free event, supported by a $4,000 grant from Tree Canada’s Edible Trees Program.

“We want to make wild edibles more accessible to people. They are all around us, extremely nutritious, fresh and free!” says Normand Genier, RRCA’s Forestry Specialist.

Wildlife officials respond to Québec’s first case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge

By James Morgan, The Review, September 25, 2018

Officials with the Québec ministère des Forêts, de la Faune, et des Parcs (MFFP) (English; Ministry of Forests, Wildlife, and Parks) are working hard to contain the first-ever outbreak of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) (French; La maladie débilitante chronique des cervidés) in the province of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. A case was allegedly discovered in a domestic deer herd on a local farm and was properly identified by department staff on September 14 which immediately began efforts to identify if the disease has spread to the wild deer population in the area or if it spread from the wild population to the domestic herd.

CWD attacks the central nervous system of whitetail deer. In the U.S., cases have occurred in Wisconsin and New York. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) website, the animals become emaciated, disoriented, lose control of bodily functions, develop extreme thirst, and eventually die. Not all deer infected with CWD initially show symptoms, but all deer infected will inevitably succumb to it.

Why Environment Canada didn't announce Ottawa's third tornado until now

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Sun, September 25, 2018

Environment Canada didn’t announce there was a tornado in Calabogie and White Lake until late Monday because it needed satellite images of the area to confirm it was really a tornado.

Department spokesman Peter Kimbell said Tuesday the three tornadoes in our region didn’t all announce their presence in the same way.

He said some are more obvious than others: “If we were suspecting a tornado and had a warning out, and we see video or photograph in real time or shortly thereafter, then it’s pretty obvious.

Gatineau Park closed as NCC deals with tornado damage

By CBC News Ottawa, September 25, 2018

One of the tornadoes that tore through the National Capital Region on Friday cut right through Gatineau Park, doing considerable damage to trails and parkways.

Alain d'Entremont, the National Capital Commission's senior manager of visitor services and recreational programs, said the park will remain closed until further notice while the damage is cleared up. He said it could have been a lot worse.

"It didn't hit any infrastructure. We will be able to restore and put back in action most of the trails," he said. "It didn't hit the park that hard."

The tornado appears to have come through the southern portion of the park, south of Pink Lake.

A set of new trails park staff had hoped to open soon, between Pink Lake and chemin de la

6 tornadoes hit Ottawa-Gatineau region, Environment Canada says

By CBC News Ottawa, September 25, 2018

Environment Canada has confirmed that three additional tornadoes touched down in western Quebec on Friday — bringing the day's total number of twisters in the Ottawa-Gatineau area to six.

At around 3:30 p.m. ET, a tornado touched down about 30 kilometres from Mont-Laurier, Que., near the Baskatong reservoir, the weather agency said Tuesday.

• Photos
  Before and after photos reveal Ottawa-area tornado's ruinous power

It likely travelled about 10 kilometres through the wooded area, snapping trees and downing power poles as it went, Environment Canada said.

About 90 minutes later, another touched down near the Val-des-Bois, Que, area, about 90 kilometres north of Ottawa.

Tornado aftermath: Tornado researchers keep an eye on changing climate

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, September 25, 2018

Friday’s tornadoes follow two rounds of devastating flooding in our region in the spring and fall of 2017. The question inevitably comes up: Will we see more of these events in a changing climate?

The short answers: More flooding is quite likely. With tornadoes, experts don’t know, and it’s even possible that tornadoes could become less frequent in a warmer world.

We took our questions to experts in Kansas and Oklahoma, the heart of tornado country.

(...)Overall he expects that areas with fewer tornadoes today might get more in the future, while today’s tornado-prone areas may see fewer of them.

Moose shot dead after charging a police officer

By CTV News Ottawa, September 22, 2018

Ottawa Police confirm they had to shoot a large moose after it charged a police officer around 3 pm Saturday afternoon. Initially the moose was spotted on Montreal Road, just east of the downtown core around 11 am. By noon time, Ottawa Police say the moose has been contained but somehow the animal got loose and was later located around Blair Road and Ogilvie. Attempts by the police were unsuccessful at containing it for a second time when it charged at the officer and the animal was shot dead. It has since been removed from the area.

it is not confirmed but the moose could have been a victim of Friday's storm that hit the region and wandered into city limits.

Tornado strikes were 'luck of the draw,' says meteorologist

By Trevor Pritchard, CBC News Ottawa, September 23, 2018

They're more associated with the prairie provinces.

The devastation had Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson drawing comparisons to Oklahoma.

So how did two powerful tornadoes end up devastating parts of Ottawa-Gatineau?

"I think it's been just the luck of a draw. Because tornadoes do happen in Ontario. And September certainly [is] rare to get a tornado," said Gerald Cheng, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

(...) Hot muggy conditions

On Friday afternoon, temperatures in Ottawa-Gatineau hit 28 C, with the humidity making conditions feel — at their absolute muggiest — closer to 37, according to data from the weather agency.

When we have tornadoes, they are certainly capable of destruction just like this.

- Gerald Cheng

That meant that conditions were "really ripe" for thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes, Cheng said.

Today's letters: Doug Ford, don't tamper with disability allowance

By Alex Cullen and Roger Graves, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, September 22, 2018

(...)Deal with speeding on city streets

Re: Jim Watson includes nearly $1 million in promises in re-election campaign plank, Sept. 16.

Mayoral candidate Jim Watson chose to make economic development the keynote point in his campaign launch last week, promising $1 million towards this. Yet the number one issue for most community associations the Federation of Citizens Associations represents is speeding on residential streets.

(...)Ottawa can do better on garbage disposal

Ottawa currently disposes of its garbage in a way that any peasant from the Middle Ages would instantly recognize: It throws it into a hole in the ground. While this may have been an acceptable practice 500 years ago, it is hardly appropriate for modern cities today. Moreover, it will not be too long before the Trail Road dump is full, and some other unfortunate part of Ottawa’s hinterland will be designated as our next hole to be filled. It is time that Ottawa was dragged, kicking and screaming if need be, into the 21st century.