Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Recycling: Behind the scenes

By Cédric Bertrand, The Review, June 18, 2018

In an age where waste awareness increases at the same rate as wastefulness, it’s important to take some time to remind ourselves of the workings behind waste collection and recycling.

For instance, simply remembering that there is a group of people whose full-time job is the collection, sorting, selling and eventual recycling of those things we may carelessly throw in that little blue box should be enough to remind us that recycling, although vital, is not necessarily a magical solution that instantly transforms disposable coffee cups into DIY books.

Indeed, a lot of planning, research, networking and labour goes into it. But, what happens when humans do “too much recycling”?

Britannia Beach closed for swimming

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, June 17, 2018

Britannia Beach has been closed to swimmers after water tested for elevated levels of E. coli bacteria.

“When elevated levels of E. coli is detected in the water, it is probable that other disease causing organisms are also present,” said Ottawa Public Health. “These organisms can result in skin, ear, throat or gastrointestinal illnesses.”

Britannia Beach is one of five supervised municipal beaches where water is collected daily for testing. The other four beaches — Mooney’s Bay, Westboro, Petrie Island East Bay and Petrie Island River all have acceptable levels of E. coli.

Major city contractor should get a timeout over Springhill dump scandal, councillor says

By Matthew Pearson and Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, June 15, 2018

Tomlinson Group shouldn’t get more business from the city until the company owns up to the financial and environmental shame created by the Springhill landfill scandal, a city councillor says.

“Councillors need to do something about this, and yes, I agree, we should be closing the doors on Tomlinson until they fix this problem or at least sign an agreement with the city that they will take full responsibility for the contamination they create and to open their books to the city,” West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry said in an interview Friday.

The findings in a scathing audit of the Springhill contract were so troubling that auditor general Ken Hughes suggested the city consider blocking Tomlinson from future deals.

Last intact forest corridor along Rideau now protected long-term

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, June 16, 2018

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is announcing the protection of 48 hectares (120 acres), including 2.5 kilometres of historic Rideau Waterway shoreline, on Whitefish Lake.

This piece of Whitefish Lake, which includes a collection of granite ridges, forests and shoreline, is at the heart of the Frontenac Arch. The NCC describes it as a key wildlife corridor that connects the Algonquin Highlands to the Adirondack Mountains. The Arch is also a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

The property is critical to a wide variety of plant and animal life, including waterfowl such as mallard, ring-necked duck and wood duck. It is also home to wide-ranging animals like fisher and black bear.

MAPS: Where in Stittsville can you easily walk to transit?

By Devyn Barrie, StittsvilleCentral, June 16, 2018

On paper, Stittsville appears to be well-served by transit.

On top of major feeder routes 61 and 62, we have several connexion buses running on weekdays to zip workers downtown and back during rush hours. The 162 runs off-peak to shuttle folks to and back from Kanata Centrum.

But transit is only as good as it is accessible — and getting to the stop can be a mixed bag depending on where you live in Stittsville.

In a 2016 story about the relationship between density and transit, we quoted urbanist and Carleton University professor Benjamin Gianni on how close a bus stop should be to encourage someone to walk to it.

Can Doug Ford keep his promise to axe green energy projects? Many rural voters hope so

By Phillip Lee Shanok, CBC News, June 16, 2018

The election of a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario has raised the hopes of rural voters who opposed projects pushed through using the provincial Green Energy Act.despite local objections.

John Kordas has been rallying local residents and lobbying the government against a 500-kilowatt solar project next door to his farm on 6330 Ganaraska Rd. in Port Hope.

Now, he says, he's been told by members of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party that the new government will pull the plug on Renesola GreenLife Solar Project #19.

"For all projects that are not complete or have missed their completion date, the intent is to cancel the projects entirely," said Kordas. "That was welcome news to us. Let's hope they follow through on that regard,"

No car? No problem for this Ottawa family

By CBC News Ottawa, June 16, 2018

A family of five in Old Ottawa South say they've saved about $18,000 to $24,000 over the past six years by not owning a car.

Eric Campbell is a researcher at the University of Ottawa and Abigail Campbell is a federal public servant. They have three children: eight-year-old Jeannie, four-year-old Rosie — both students at Hopewell Avenue Public School — and three-month-old Archie.

"We didn't really anticipate being a family without a car," Eric Campbell told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday. "Our car, six years ago, expired, the way that most Volkswagen Golfs from 1993 do, and we just didn't get around to buying a new car. And before we knew it, we were a car-free family.

Commuters angry over ticketing at city-owned parks where they 'park and cycle'

By Joanne Schnurr, CTV News Ottawa, June 14, 2018

You've heard of "Park and Ride."

Well, what about "Park and Cycle?" Some Ottawa cyclists are furious they've been ticketed for parking at city-owned parks along the Ottawa River. They're using the sites as halfway points to commute to work.

On any given day, there are a handful of commuters using the parks to do the "switchover”; park their cars and continue on bike. Except the city says that's not what those parks are for.

LRT Phase 3 could soon see environmental study

By 1310 News, June 14, 2018

Ottawa's mayor wants to see train service in Barrhaven.

Jim Watson, along with City Councillor Jan Harder, have a motion headed to council at the end of June, requesting that an environmental study for the area be fast-tracked.

The mayor told 1310 NEWS' Ottawa Today with Mark Sutcliffe that getting light rail transit into Barrhaven is the last missing piece of the puzzle.

Doug Ford determined to scrap Ontario’s cap-and-trade system: spokesman

By Paola Loriggio, Global News, June 13, 2018

TORONTO – A spokesman for Doug Ford says Ontario’s incoming premier is determined to deliver on his campaign promise to scrap the “disastrous” cap-and-trade system and fight a federal carbon tax.

Ford’s pledge is causing concern in Quebec, a province that introduced a cap-and-trade system in 2013 and shares a carbon market with Ontario and California.

(...)Quebec’s environment minister, Isabelle Melancon, says she is watching closely to see who Ford will appoint as her counterpart and plans to stress the benefits of the cap-and-trade system.

 

Doug Ford's environmental policies light on details, advocates say

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, CBC News Ottawa, June 13, 2018

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford was adamant during the Ontario election campaign that he is opposed to a carbon tax but some voters and advocates for the environment say the rest of his platform is light on details and they're unclear what his promises really mean.

Ford, who won the June 7 election and will be sworn in later this month, campaigned on a promise to dismantle Ontario's existing cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions and has vowed not to bring in any new carbon tax to replace it.

MTO contractors mow down hundreds of saplings

By Stu Mills, CBC News Ottawa, June 13, 2018

Astounded that the same provincial ministry that planted thousands of trees along a highway later paid to have them mowed down, a Morrisburg, Ont., woman is now trying to save the few that remain.

Seven years ago, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) hired contractors to plant 3,250 saplings along the shoulder of Highway 401. The aim was to eventually create a barrier to wind, snow and sound, to stabilize the soil and to create a habitat for insects and birds.

Last June, mowers under MTO contract passed along the six-kilometre plantation between Nudell Bush and Upper Canada roads, lopping all but a few hundred of the trees off at their trunks.