By Margie Lawrie, CBC
Montreal is promising more green space, less grass mowing and more bee-and-butterfly-friendly gardens as part of a multi-year plan to help pollinators, as the city prepares to host a major UN biodiversity conference next month.
Mayor Valerie Plante said Wednesday that the city is committing to increase the amount of protected land from eight per cent of the city's total area to 10 per cent by 2030 and create at least five corridors to link natural areas.
By Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen, November 8, 2022
Multimillion-dollar revenue shortfalls, more money demanded of municipal taxpayers, and the erosion of quality of life, the natural environment, and infrastructure that Ottawa residents rely on.
These are just some of the local impacts threatened by the province’s More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) and related proposals, according to a grim analysis prepared by city staff, in the name of hitting a provincially imposed housing target they say overshoots mightily the amount of housing the city actually needs.
Interview with Paul Johannis, Greenspace Alliance, CBC All in a Day, November 7, 2022
We talk to Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital for reaction to some of the big changes the Ontario government has made to Ottawa's official plan.
By Avanticka Anand, CBC News Ottawa, November 7, 2022
Not everyone is a fan of the changes to Ottawa's development guidelines the province sent back late last week.
The modified official plan is meant to chart the path for development in Ottawa until 2046. The city can't appeal the changes, according to the province.
....The loss of rural green spaces to urban sprawl poses another larger problem, according to Paul Johanis, chair of the group Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital.
"We are of the point of view is that rural Ottawa is our biggest green space asset," said Johanis. "Green space has value in and of itself … as mitigation against climate change."
By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
What happened to the beaver pond in Kanata North this summer is an example of why Ontario’s conservation authorities matter, says Barbara Ramsay.
...Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, is concerned that the new legislation means development proponents will be able to ask that portions of larger wetlands be evaluated for development.
...Alice Irene Whittaker, executive director of Ecology Ottawa, an environmental group that keeps an eye on city council decisions, agrees. Wetlands reduce flooding, process nutrients and provide habitats for species at risk. All of this is interconnected, she said.
Par ICI Radio Canada, le 30 octobre 2022
En cette période de ramassage des feuilles, la Ville de Sherbrooke invite les citoyens à adopter une approche plus écologique. Elle leur propose notamment de faire du feuillicyclage, c'est-à-dire de tondre les feuilles mortes pour qu'elles puissent servir d'engrais.
Comme l'explique Ingrid Dubuc, directrice du Bureau de l'environnement à la Ville de Sherbrooke, les feuilles peuvent aussi être utilisées à divers endroits sur les terrains.
By Ian Steward, Letter to the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, November 1, 2022
....Turn parking lots into housing
I recently cycled past the seven large parking lots for Ottawa’s Constellation Drive office complex. I had an idea that would help our new mayor achieve his goal for affordable housing, and add riders to OC Transpo.
Less than half of the parking lot spaces are full so why not take three and build affordable housing units?
By Alexander Dolansky-Overland, Capital Current, October 17, 2022
Ecology Ottawa’s new executive director Alice Irene Whittaker has been in the job for less than two months, and she already has her work cut out for her.
While the environmental advocacy group announced Whittaker’s appointment on Sept. 12 — about halfway through the Ottawa election eco-debates — the activist and podcaster has fully embraced the challenge of guiding the organization at this crucial time.
“What that means is galvanizing citizen support to push city hall to be as ambitious as possible on environmental issues,” said Whittaker, vowing to “make the city more progressive on environment, focus on climate justice (and) the wellbeing of people as well as on the environment itself.”
By Katie Gibbs & Alice Irene Whittaker, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, October 17, 2022
We are a week away from an unprecedented election in Ottawa that will define our community for years to come. Not only are we electing a new mayor, but there will be at least 11 new councillors. We would be wise to seize this moment of big change to choose bold climate action.
The past few years in Ottawa have been anything but normal, between a global pandemic and an occupation in our neighbourhoods. On top of that, the climate crisis is hitting us at home, from floods and tornadoes to this year’s devastating derecho.
By the Energy Mix, October 20, 2022
With Ontario’s municipal elections around the corner, environmental advocates are urging citizens to use their vote to push for climate action.
For the sake of the climate and our communities, but also for our collective and individual mental health, “don’t just hope for climate action—head to your municipal election voting booth,” writes newly-appointed Ecology Ottawa Executive Director Alice Irene Whittaker, in an op-ed for the Toronto Star.
Radio Interview of Alice Irene Whittaker, Sam Laprade Show, City News, October 22, 2022
With just a few days until a new mayor and council members are elected, the executive director of Ecology Ottawa hopes to see real election when it comes to climate change and the environment from whoever is elected around the council table come Oct. 24.
Alice Irene Whittaker, the executive director of Ecology Ottawa, told The Sam Laprade Show on Oct. 20 that this year's municipal election is critical for so many reasons, and climate change and the environment is top of mind for many voters.
Par Émilie Gougeon-Pelletier, Le Droit, le 21 octobre 2022
... Les questions environnementales ont fait beaucoup parler dernièrement, «encore plus que lors de campagnes précédentes», selon la directrice des Associations communautaires pour la durabilité environnementale (CAFES) d’Ottawa, Angela Keller-Herzog.
«Les récentes inondations et le Derecho dévastateur de mai dernier en ont forcé plusieurs à se concentrer sur ce dossier», note-t-elle.
La directrice d’Écologie Ottawa, Alice Irene Whittaker, est d’accord. «L’environnement a été au centre des préoccupations. Qu’il s’agisse des transports en commun ou de la construction de logements. Et je pense que c’est ce qui a rendu ça si intéressant, parce qu'on a eu des débats riches et intéressants grâce aux plateformes variées de tous les candidats.»