Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Reevely: Police, potholes and trains — pre-election goodies sprinkle out of city hall

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, June 13, 2018

In barely a week, Mayor Jim Watson has found more than $2 million to fill more potholes, hire more police officers and study a light-rail extension to Barrhaven. An election is in the air.

The pothole money is skimmed from cash that turned out not to be needed for a bunch of under-budget capital projects. Rather than putting the money into reserves, the city’s going to spend $1 million more on superficial road repairs — on top of the $10 million city councillors decided to spend out of last year’s surplus back before Christmas, and the regular $8-million pothole budget.

Crumbling asphalt and concrete are very visible signs of a municipal government that’s not doing its most basic work and after eight years of thrift, Ottawa has a whole lot of them. Throw in a sense that gun crime is out of control and it might start looking like whoever’s in charge has let some things slip.

Mayor Watson wants council to spend money on studying Barrhaven LRT

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, June 13, 2018

Make room, Kanata. Barrhaven has become part the conversation for a Stage 3 LRT extension.

Up until Wednesday, Mayor Jim Watson had consistently positioned Kanata as the obvious next stop for LRT once the first two stages of light rail are constructed.

But the mayor, who’s also running for re-election in the October municipal vote, said on Wednesday it will be up to a future council to decide which suburb will be next to receive rail service, potentially leaving the other community with a serious case of train envy.

Protect yourself from West Nile virus this summer

By The Review, June 12, 2018

With summer comes the return of mosquitoes and the risk of being infected by the West Nile Virus. Every year, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) encourages individuals to protect themselves and to make a habit of eliminating all mosquito breeding grounds.

“West Nile Virus is a concern in our area, and people should be aware and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites when they spend time outdoors,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU.

Coyne: Ontario's broke, will Ford really reject a multi-billion dollar carbon tax windfall?

By Andrew Coyne, Ottawa Citizen, June 9, 2018

There is a tendency after every election to over-read the results. We are particularly prone to this in my trade, invested as we are in the significance of every falling leaf.

So the replacement of one government with another in Ontario, Doug Ford’s Conservatives taking over from Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals, has been greeted with headlines to the effect that Ontario had overnight been tranformed into “Ford Nation.” In Ottawa, Conservative MPs were on their feet in the House claiming the results meant Ontarians had “rejected” the federal carbon tax, along with the rest of what their leader, Andrew Scheer, called “Justin Trudeau’s damaging policies.” There is much talk of the sweeping mandate Ford has been given.

So let’s just take a minute, shall we, and get real? Over four previous elections, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives averaged roughly 33 per cent of the popular vote, enough for between 24 and 37 seats. The difference between those abysmal failures and Thursday night’s 76-seat triumph was seven percentage points: it is only the funhouse mirrors of the “first past the post” electoral system that converts 40 per cent of the vote into 60 per cent of the seats.

Ignore the green lobby, Doug Ford. Ontarians voted for affordable energy this time

By Peter Shawn Taylor, Ottawa Citizen, June 12, 2018

Elections are often considered to be referendums on the economy. When the economy is performing well, incumbent governments are supposed to benefit from a contented electorate. That’s not what happened in Ontario.

By most measures, the Ontario economy is doing just fine. Unemployment, one of the most important indicators for voters, is the lowest it’s been in several decades. GDP growth is in the two-per-cent range — decent, if not spectacular. Housing starts and other measures of consumer spending seem reasonably strong as well.

Nevertheless, Ontario’s long-governing Liberals were just shown the door in spectacular fashion. Voters were willing to look past the Liberals’ ugly scandals in previous elections for the sake of predictability. But when voters looked at the economy this time, they plainly could not get past one aspect of it that was actually in horrible shape: Energy affordability.

Copenhagenize your city: the case for urban cycling in 12 graphs

By the Guardian, June 11, 2018

Danish-Canadian urban designer Mikael Colville-Andersen busts some common myths and shows how the bicycle has the potential to transform cities around the world

(...)Why Copenhageners cycle

Most residents cycle because it is quick. Only 1% cite concern for the environment as their primary reason. This shows it is a mistake to focus pro-cycling campaigns on environmental benefits, says Colville-Andersen

Nespresso introduces free coffee pod recycling by mail in Canada

By Kerri Breen, Global News, June 11, 2018

As municipalities and consumers alike grapple with what to do with used coffee pods, one company has announced plans to take back its trash.

Nespresso is introducing a program to allow Canadian customers to recycle their coffee capsules for free by mail.

The company announced on Monday that recycling bags are now available with the purchase of the Nespresso capsules online, or at its boutiques. Customers can fill the red bag, then drop off the sealed package at any Canada Post outlet or mailbox.

Gatineau to cut down all its ash trees, sick or not

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, June 11, 2018

Gatineau has given up on trying to save its ash trees and has contracted with a private firm to cut them all down, sick or not, in the next three years.

This will remove another 40,000 trees from the city, in addition to close to 30,000 trees (including some elms) that are already gone.

The city has concluded there’s just no way to stop the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect with no North American enemies that has eaten its way across the U.S. Midwest, then much of Ontario, and now Gatineau.

Climate fight continues despite Ontario election result: Alberta premier

By Global News Ottawa, June 8, 2018

Ontario still has a choice to make on climate change legislation despite its incoming premier’s promises to do away with carbon pricing, said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

“Do you want a pricing regime that’s made in your own province … or do you want a made-in-Ottawa system?” she asked Friday.

READ MORE: Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives win majority government

Doug Ford’s victory in Thursday’s Ontario provincial election has raised questions about climate change policy in Canada’s largest province.

Summer-long night market kicks off Friday

By CBC News Ottawa, June 7, 2018

Ottawa loves its farmers markets, especially under a sunny sky.

What the city has lacked is a similar meeting place for night owls. Until now.

"We wanted to create a space that didn't already exist," said Naomi Praamsma, executive director of Bethany Hope Centre on Fox Crescent. "An opportunity to create an evening community, a place to come in and meet with your neighbours, your friends."

The market starts Friday and will feature farmers, food vendors, gardeners, artisans and more.

Reevely: Doug Ford's first things

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, June 8, 2018

Premier-designate Doug Ford’s transition team has some heavy lifting to do before he and his Progressive Conservative cabinet take office on June 29.

Led by Ottawa lobbyist and former provincial and federal conservative aide Chris Froggatt, the group Ford announced will ease him into power includes former minister John Baird, who has experience in everything from energy to environment policy to shepherding laws through the legislature. That knowledge will be useful as Ford and the Tories work out how to answer some the questions they’ll have to answer right away.

Newcomer Harden says he's ready to work hard for Ottawa Centre

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, June 8, 2018

(...)“It’s not about Joel, it’s about us and building the strength of us,” Harden said Thursday night, as the gap between him and Naqvi grew.

A career community organizer, university lecturer and education researcher, Harden, 46, was painted by the Progressive Conservatives during the campaign as “radical,” in part because he publicly backs the “Leap Manifesto,” a set of ideas that’s pretty leftist even by NDP standards. It proposes radical reductions in fossil-fuel use, big moves to improve life for Indigenous people and nearly wide-open borders.

Asked if he now has to prove to residents he’s not who he’s been painted as by opponents, Harden said he is inspired by the NDP’s “socialist tradition,” naming Tommy Douglas, Ed Broadbent and Jack Layton as political mentors.

“Those are my values, that’s where I come from, but I want to build things and if there is anybody in this province that wants to tear this province down to some narrow ideological design, it’s not me,” he said.