Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Science of summer: Those unbreakable, unbeakable loons

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, July 22, 2018

The female loon on a Wisconsin lake was still swimming, looking for all the world like one of those Second World War photos of an aircraft shot full of holes that somehow made it home.

The upper half of the animal’s beak was bent sharply upward at a bizarre angle, raising all kind of questions: How could it catch fish? How could it eat if it did catch something?

Yet the female was surviving, teaching even veteran scientists a lesson in just how tough these birds are.

Or as Piper puts it, “Loons hang in there through adversity.”

Program helping hospitals save on electricity bills ends with Ontario's cap and trade

By Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen, July 23, 2018

A $64-million program that was helping cash-strapped hospitals save millions on electricity bills is among the provincial programs that have been cut as a result of the scrapping of cap and trade in Ontario.

The Hospital Energy Efficiency Program paid out $64 million to Ontario hospitals in 2017-18 for projects such as motion-activated light sensors that meant lights didn’t have to be left on in storage and other rooms when not in use.

NDP health critic France Gélinas says the program was a boon to smaller hospitals in particular, many of which are facing deficits and couldn’t afford to put money into work that would help reduce their rising energy bills.

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch in effect

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, July 23, 2018

Sticky, sweltering, sultry – and now soggy.

A total of 16.6 mm of welcome rain fell overnight but it won’t break the heat which will reach 29 C Monday.

With the humidity, it will feel like 37 under a UV index of 9 or very high and it may get downright soggy with a risk of an afternoon thunderstorm.

From Environment Canada:

“Conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and torrential rain.

Eastern Ontario enters early stages of drought

By Jason White, 1310 News, July 23, 2018

A hot summer with a lack of rain has taken its toll on water levels in eastern Ontario, prompting local authorities to urge some well users to conserve water.

Rainfall amounts recorded along the Rideau River's watershed over the past three months have only been about 60 per cent of normal. While levels and flows in creeks and the Rideau River are below normal, they're not yet at critical levels.

A chance of rain is in the forecast for Ottawa every day this week, but will not be enough to have a significant effect on water levels.

"Unfortunately, it's not widespread rain, so it's hit-and-miss," explained Jill Taylor, 1310 NEWS meteorologist. "Some areas will have the precipitation, but other areas will stay quite dry."

More mice scurry into Ottawa homes for relief from a hot, dry summer

By Jason White, 1310 News, July 23, 2018

If you've been baiting mouse traps and cleaning up their droppings, you're not alone. Local pest control companies say this hot, dry summer has mice looking to get in your home in search of water and relief from the heat.

The invasion of mice into people's homes usually happens later in the year -- not in the middle of July.

"It's about a 26 per cent increase in the call-ins for mice at this point," said Adrian Tyman, the service supervisor of Abell Pest Control's Ottawa branch. "It's usually not so busy for them in the summer months."

Bells Corners cyclists create pop-up bike lane on Moodie Drive

By CTV News Ottawa, July 22, 2018

Drivers may have noticed a slowdown on Moodie Drive Sunday but it wasn’t because of construction.

A pop-up bike lane closed two lanes of traffic, one in each direction, from Moodie Drive south of Robertson Road and north of Seyton Drive from 10- 4 Sunday. The makeshift bike lane was created out of pylons as a way for frustrated cyclists to prove a point to the city.

“The pylons are a temporary barrier to create a safe space on the road for people to bike,” said organizer Trevor Haché, vice president of the Healthy Transportation Coalition.

About 40 people came out to hand a petition with more than 500 signatures to area councilor Rick Chiarelli. The petition asks the city to consider creating segregated bike lane in Moodie Drive in Bells Corners and to reduce the speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h in that community. Volunteers were also stationed along the roughly 1 km route to take the pulse of the community.

Letter(s) to the Editor: Neighbourhood safety and peace at risk

By Patrick Warner, Letter to the Editor, Kitchissippi Times, July 9, 2018

Winter has gone, the summer solstice has passed and construction season is in full bloom all across Ottawa. Developers are snapping up properties everywhere.

Tre close neighbours have sold in the last 60 days.  I fully expect one will be torn down for two semi’s, like the last several older homes to sell. The other two are part of a parcel of land that is being consolidated, consisting of the entire end of the city block along Byron Place between Churchill and Highcroft.

(...)I would rather not play the “environment” card, but we will be losing the family of crows that will be displaced when the tall trees are cut down. We will lose the growing family of rabbits that share our lawns and yards year round. We will lose the squirrels and the chipmunks that drive my dog nuts. Highcroft will be inundated with many more cars, air quality will be reduced, dust will increase, and the kids who shoot hoops and play street hockey will be displaced. As my neighbour Diane is quick to point out, the bat population – which did an amazing job of keeping the bugs under control – have already been driven out by recent development.

EDITORIAL: Fixing Ontario’s green energy disaster begins

By the Editor, Ottawa Sun, July 17, 2018

The damage the previous Liberal government did to Ontario’s electricity system was mind-boggling.

Plunging into so-called “green energy’ without understanding what they were doing, while the likes of Al Gore cheered them on, former premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne have saddled Ontarians with an energy disaster.

According to Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, by 2015 they had overpaid $9.2 billion for wind and solar power because they ignored the advice of their own energy experts on how to price green energy.

Remains of Highway 417 moose given to Ontario Algonquin community needy

By Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Sun, July 20, 2018

The remains of the young moose the was euthanized after causing a massive traffic backlog on Highway 417 Thursday morning have been given to the Algonquins of Ontario to be processed and distributed to less fortunate families in the community.

According to Lynn Clouthier, the Algonquin Negotiation Representative for Ottawa, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry reaches out a handful of times each year when a moose, bear or deer are hit by cars or undergo some sort of accident, but the meat on the animal is still available to be harvested.

Mayor rules out changes to Holland Avenue this year

By CBC News Ottawa, July 19, 2018

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said there will be no changes to the new bike route along Holland Avenue — at least this year.

"We've got this system in place. Let us go through one season and if there are changes that have to be made, obviously from a safety point of view, we'll do that," Watson said.

How did a moose get on the Queensway?

By CBC News Ottawa, July 20, 2018

How did a moose wander onto Highway 417 in Ottawa's urban west end during rush hour Thursday morning?

The large animal likely either walked from Arnprior, Ont., or swam across the Ottawa River from Quebec, according to Michael Runtz, an Ottawa naturalist.

The moose, found near the Pinecrest Road exit around 6:15 a.m., was put down after it was found to have an injured leg.

(...)"It's impossible to say where this moose came from, but the Ottawa River is very close to the Pinecrest area and ... moose are strong swimmers," Runtz pointed out.

Adam: Tall building syndrome – we don't need to let Ottawa Council get away with this

By Mohamed Adam, Ottawa Citizen, July 19, 2018

Ottawa Council’s recent decision to approve a 65-storey tower in Bayview is a betrayal of a commitment it made to citizens – and a classic example of why people are increasingly losing faith in their government.

But citizens shouldn’t just complain and fade away. Councillors will soon be knocking on doors seeking support for re-election. Mayor Jim Watson is the leader. Take him to task. Make this a litmus test. Show up at debates and ask the mayor, and ask councillors, why you should vote for them when they won’t stand with you when you need them. Ask why you should trust anything they say.

The fundamental problem is the city’s fixation with high-rises as the panacea for urban sprawl. This has become such an article of faith the city is blind to all warning signs about them. Next year, however, Ottawa will begin a review of the Official Plan and this will offer the best opportunity for citizens to demand change. Don’t miss it. Organize, prepare and participate.