Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Dry conditions a concern for homeowners and a worry for farmers and firefighters

By Joanne Schnurr, CTV News, July 9, 2018

A heat wave continues for much of Eastern Ontario including here in Ottawa and Gatineau. But you don't need Environment Canada to tell you that. Just take a look at most lawns around town and that will tell the tale.It seems as though we all wished too hard for that cold wet spring to stop and stop it did. We haven't had any significant rainfall in more than a month with no end in sight.

Ottawa homeowner Mandy Bell knows her grass crunches when she walks on it. Her perennials seem to be surviving this sustained heat, but her lawn? That's another issue.

(...)But when your livelihood depends on your plants, this kind of weather is costing money.

“If you've noticed, these berries are small,” says Gerry Rochon, of Rochon Gardens in Edwards, as he walks through one of his strawberry patches.

The strawberries in that patch should be lush and red right now and ready to pick but that particular field is too far from a water source to irrigate so the berries are done.

Barnes: To help save the climate, elect a greener Ottawa City Council

By Robb Barnes, Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 2018

The irony was unmistakable. Just two days after a sweltering Canada Day, reported by the Ottawa Citizen as having the highest humidex level ever recorded in Ottawa, Doug Ford pulled the plug on cap-and-trade, a critical component of the province’s plan to take action on climate change.

The province’s move caps off a brutal month for climate action in Ottawa.

On June 19, Ottawans woke up to some bad news. Ford had just gutted the GreenON program, the province’s program for helping people save money on energy through home improvements. After a campaign built around helping out the “little guy,” Ford’s action punished average homeowners by making it harder for them to install new windows, insulation and efficient heating. Ottawa business owners and contractors also had the rug pulled out from under them, with collapsing demand for their services and a long line of angry customers left in the lurch.

Boil water advisory for Gatineau neighbourhood

By 1310 News, July 5 ,2018

The City of Gatineau is issuing a preventive boil water advisory for part of the Limbour District.

The notice is being issued because of planned work to replace the aqueduct on Saint-Louis Street.

The construction is expected to take place next night between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thursday into Friday.

No campfires, as fire ban is expanded in Ottawa

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, July 6, 2018

Ottawa Fire Services has placed a full burn ban into effect for the City of Ottawa.

This ban applies to agricultural burns, brush pile burns, as well as campfires, even for properties that have Open Air Fire Permits.

There will be zero tolerance enforcement during the fire ban as per the Open Air Fire By-law.

Trillium Line repaired, but testing continues to delay service

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, July 4, 2018

OC Transpo officials still don't have an estimated time for when the O-Train will be back in service on the Trillium Line following vandalism.

Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter confirmed to OttawaMatters that vandals cut signalling cable Tuesday morning and removed a portion of it.

He said repairs have been completed, but they're doing a series of tests to make sure all of the systems are working properly.

Bollard test on Sparks Street aims to restore the 'pedestrian' mall

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, July 4, 2018

The City of Ottawa and Sparks Street Mall Authority are making their first big play to make Sparks Street a true pedestrian mall by installing vehicle-blocking bollards at the entrances.

Court Curry, the city’s manager of right-of-way, heritage and urban design services, said the steel bollards installed at each intersection will become a two-year pilot project. Workers are currently installing the footings and the actual bollards will be popped in around mid-July.

The 40-50 bollards have a total cost of $50,000. The mall authority, which collects a levy from property owners, is paying for the bollards.

City happy with LRT construction, not making 'rider ready' guarantee for fall

By 1310 News, July 3, 2018

The Rideau Transit Group is expected to hand over the finished light rail project in November, but city officials say a date given months ago, isn't iron clad.

Four months ahead of the hand-over date for the City of Ottawa's LRT Confederation Line, the head of transportation will not promise that the system will be "rider ready" by its current November 2 deadline.

On 1310 NEWS' The Rick Gibbons Show, Transportation Manager John Manconi touted construction progress, highlighting a number major milestones that the $2.1-billion project has achieved -- including a train running under full automated control -- but he refused to say the November date is "iron-clad"

Vandals disrupt O-Train service

By Jason White, 1310 News, July 4, 2018

Commuters are without O-Train service for a second morning, after vandalism on the Trillium line.

In a statement, OC Transpo said vandalism was to blame for a technical issue that forced the transit system to cancel train service, but did not elaborate.

Denley: Doug Ford makes the right call in ditching Ontario's cap-and-trade system

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen, June 28, 2018

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath wants to know what it’s going to cost to scrap the province’s cap-and-trade plan, and she has asked the Financial Accountability Office to find out. It’s a good question, but Horwath won’t like the answer. Getting rid of cap and trade is going to save Ontarians billions of dollars, even if the new PC government has to fully compensate corporations for future emissions permits that will become worthless once cap and trade is gone.

Horwath compares the cost of getting out of cap and trade to the $1 billion hit Ontarians took when former premier Dalton McGuinty decided to relocate a couple of gas plants just prior to the 2011 election. She is partly right. Both are big bills we have to pay due to poor Liberal policy decisions.

Both the costs and the benefits of Ontario’s version of cap and trade are well known, and it’s not a happy equation. The bottom line is fairly large cost, fairly small environmental benefit.

Today's letters: Getting a charge out of electric vehicles

By Peter Haley and Others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, June 30, 2018

The future is electric

Re: Electric car industry gets a jolt of reality, June 28.

Oh really, no future for the electric car? Premier Doug Ford is right to do away with government measures to make the change easier on those who want to drive a superior car that lasts much longer with fewer repairs?

There is no worse contributor to air quality and human health than the internal combustion engine. With the EPA in America dropping goals and standards, while Europe and China are fully engaged in the development of technology that will leave us behind, we are at a critical point in deciding where we belong. Do we want to have government promote changes that will fight climate change and provide hundreds of thousands of jobs, or do we want to hold back a technology for short-term gain?

Improvements underway at SNC’s Jessup’s Falls Conservation Area

By The Review, June 29, 2018

Jessup’s Falls Conservation Area, on County Road 17 in Plantagenet, is the perfect spot to explore the South Nation River. Filled with mature pine and maple trees, this 13-acre green space is open seasonally for residents and visitors to enjoy a range of activities from geocaching to kayaking. The park is also a favourite fishing spot, with river access, rock outcroppings, as well as an accessible dock.

South Nation Conservation (SNC) has been maintaining Jessup’s Falls Conservation Area for over 40 years to provide a safe and pleasurable outdoor experience. Work is planned for this summer to improve park conditions.

'The most significant heat event of the last few years': weather office

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, June 29, 2018

The heat is on.

The city of Ottawa is officially under a heat warning, issued by Environment Canada around 3:20 p.m. when temperatures reached 30 C (or 34 C with the Humidex).

It’s the start of the “extreme heat event” that’s on the way with the first of a week’s worth of days topping 30 C.

“Current indications suggest that hot temperatures could continue through next week,” Environment Canada said Friday.

(...)If this forecast comes true, it will be the first time in more than 70 years that #Ottawa has had 6 consecutive days ≥33°C. Last time was August 10th➜16th, 1944 (during WWII)