By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, September 11, 2018
Thinking back to the quasi-disaster known as the Rideau sinkhole, no one is that surprised by Monday's news that Rideau Transit Group (RTG) will miss its Nov. 2 deadline to deliver the Confederation Line to the city.
What people will question is why council didn't know earlier that RTG would miss a deadline that's now less than two months away.
That suddenly makes the LRT an election issue.By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, September 10, 2018
Another delay in the launch of the $2.1-billion LRT system will surely draw questions from taxpayers and commuters. The city says the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history won’t be ready by the end of November, as promised.
So when will the LRT system finally open to customers?
The city doesn’t know yet. It estimates sometime in the first quarter of 2019 if it receives the LRT system on Nov. 30, which is the new handover date proposed by the Rideau Transit Group. The city needs several weeks to test the system after receiving it.
What are the statuses of the 13 stations under construction?
By Jennifer Chevalier, CBC News Ottawa, September 10, 2018
A doll's severed arm. Christmas lights. Even a kitchen sink. None of them recyclable, yet all chucked into Ottawa's blue bins.
Cascades Recovery, the company that processes the city's recycling, believes we can do better.
"You can go onto the City of Ottawa recycling website and find out exactly what's recoverable," said Dan Stone, the site's general manager. "And whatever is not on that list, there's no point in sending it here because it's going to end up in the landfill."
David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2018
The unique deal Ottawa struck to get its light-rail system built is keeping us from finding out exactly why we’re getting the thing so late.
The deal with the Rideau Transit Group, a consortium of tunnelling, building, track and train companies, was supposed to be a good deal because RTG had the know-how and flexibility to adapt if things went wrong, and powerful financial incentives to stick to schedules.
The deal also thew a big thick blanket of obscurity over what RTG is up to. The company has almost never said anything publicly about anything since the day in 2013 when the city picked it to design, build, finance and maintain the light-rail line through downtown. Indeed, it’s contractually forbidden to. The city government does the talking.
By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, September 10, 2018
Despite repeated promises that Ottawa's new LRT system would be up and running in 2018, OC Transpo boss John Manconi told city councillors Monday the Confederation Line won't be ready for passengers until early 2019.
The new launch target comes days after the the consortium building the $2.1-billion LRT system informed the city it needed to "carve out" a number of contract requirements in order to meet its Nov. 2 deadline to deliver the light rail system to the city — a request Manconi is recommending councillors reject.
By 1310 News, September 10, 2018
Originally slated to be built in time to take residents and visitors to Canada 150 events, Ottawa's LRT system will now not be operational until 2019.
The announcement was made at Monday morning's City of Ottawa Finance and Economic Development Committee meeting.
A large sinkhole downtown got the blame months ago, when the city learned it was not going to meet its May deadline to take over the light rail line.
A new deadline was then set for November 2.
By Matthew Kupfer, CBC News Ottawa, September 8, 2018
Businesses in a Gatineau neighbourhood that was placed under a boil-water advisory for two days this week want answers about why the advisories keep happening — and what the city's doing about it.
On Sept. 6, the City of Gatineau issued the advisory for a portion of the Gatineau sector south of Highway 50.
The advisory was lifted for the majority of the sector Saturday afternoon, aside from a small area near the Lac-Beauchamp municipal pavilion.
By Jenn Pritchard, 1310 News, September 7, 2018
The controversial transit plan launched by Ottawa mayoral candidate Clive Doucet was panned by several critics at the city, including the mayor.
Jim Watson called the plan 'the most incoherent transit plan the City of Ottawa has ever seen.'
But, there has been some support for the comprehensive plan that would see rail stretch out to Smiths Falls, Kinburn, Gatineau and Limoges.
Trevor Haché, Vice President with the Healthy Transportation Coalition of Ottawa, explained to 1310 NEWS that reducing the cost of riding transit is a move in the right direction.
By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, September 8, 2018
Clive Doucet is the underdog in Ottawa’s mayoralty contest. Even so, he is rapidly proving why it’s worth listening to his voice in this race.
Thursday, he unveiled an ambitious vision for public transit in the capital region. There are things to criticize in his plan (and we’ll get to that) but the fact that he is offering a vision will enrich public debate. Incumbent Jim Watson may have thought further discussion of transit wasn’t needed, since the LRT will be officially unveiled after the Oct. 22 municipal election. But Doucet and other would-be members of city council want the issue of access to public transit on the agenda now. Good.
For instance, there is the issue of transit fares. Doucet wants to bring them down over each of the next four years, and hopes to expand free transit for seniors. (In Capital ward, Shawn Menard also has floated specific thoughts about making transit cheaper, and wants to test free bus service on Bank Street.)
By Marie-Laure Arsac-Shea, Judy Warren and Ed Storey, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, September 8, 2018
(...)Bus route too essential to change
Re: Some riders livid at OC Transpo’s fall service changes, Sept. 5.
The article fails to mention that the area along Richmond Road now no longer serviced by Route 11 is home to the largest concentration of seniors and people with disabilities in Ottawa. It is common for members of such a population to find transfers between buses difficult or even impossible.
(...)Why I’m not voting for Watson
I won’t be voting for Jim Watson in this election. With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, let me count the “whys”:
(...)• Unreliable bus service because the focus of city hall is solely the LRT;
(...)Vehicles are destructive, yet we focus on guns
Following most long weekends, the police release their statistics for speeding and stunt driving violations. Last year, 341 people died on OPP-patrolled roads, up 11 per cent from 2016. Aggressive speeding and driving were also up 35 per cent and accounted for 75 of these deaths.
By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, September 7, 2018
A “preventative” boil water advisory remained in effect Friday for about 14,000 Gatineau homes after an abnormal results came back on a routine water test.
Issued Thursday, the advisory covers the area east of East of Boulevard Labrosse, West of Montée Mineault, south of Highway 50 except for the airport industrial park north of Highway 50 and north of the river.
In those areas, residents should boil water for at least a minute before they consume it or use it to brush their teeth until the advisory is lifted.
By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, September 7, 2018
The number of Lyme disease cases in Ottawa has fallen 75 per cent this year, down from record-breaking numbers last year, when the city was declared to be an area at risk of the tick-borne disease.
As of Sept. 1, Ottawa Public Health had recorded 42 cases of Lyme disease. At the same time last year, the number was 169.
“There are multiple factors that may play a role in the trend of lower Lyme disease cases this year,” Ottawa Public Health spokeswoman Donna Casey said in an email. “One of those factors include excessive heat and drier conditions to date in 2018 that may be having an effect on tick populations across Ontario.”