Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Remember This? Ottawa recycles

By James Powell, 1310 News, June 4, 2018

OttawaMatters.com, in partnership with the Historical Society of Ottawa, brings you this weekly feature by Director James Powell, highlighting a moment in the city's history.

5 June 1972

If you were to do a word search for “recycling” in North American newspapers, you would find very little prior to about 1970.

Before then the word simply did not exist in our everyday lexicon. But that dramatically changed with the growing awareness of the consequences of pollution. In 1965, U.S. President Johnson warned Congress that the burning of fossil fuels was leading to “a steady increase in carbon dioxide” in the atmosphere. He added that “pollution destroys beauty and menaces health,” and “the longer we wait to act the greater the dangers and the larger the problem.” Four years later, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire (again). Startling images of flames shooting up from the surface of the river to engulf ships and bridges seared our collective consciousness. People began asking what they could personally do to help; recycling provided a partial answer.

No Ottawa roads on CAA's annual worst roads list

By 1310 News, June 4, 2018

The Canadian Automobile Association has released its list of the worst roads in Ontario.

The worst road in our region is Letts Cemetery Road, near Eganville, but a few roads in Ottawa were also named and shamed.

"Three-quarters of the people (who) voted, or nominated, cited potholes as their major concern," said Mandy Chepeka, CAA Northern and Eastern Ontario.

CAA releases its Worst Roads List each year, determined by online submissions from the public, to try to shame governments into improving road conditions. It's rare that no Ottawa road makes the provincial top ten, in the annual road ranking by drivers.

City wants to spend $1 million more on fixing potholes from other project savings

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2018 Maybe it’s because 2018 is a municipal election year, or maybe there just happens to be a big pile of money suddenly available for fixing potholes in Ottawa.

The city has found $1 million more to pay for repairs to roads damaged over the winter, thanks to an annual process where projects are closed and leftover money is returned to city hall coffers.

A report on the budget transfers is scheduled for consideration Tuesday by council’s finance and economic development committee.

NDP transit promise could save Transpo millions

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, May 31, 2018

An NDP provincial government could pay off for city hall and OC Transpo if the party follows through on an election promise to provide more than $100 million each year to operate trains, conventional buses and Para Transit vehicles.

Transpo’s 2018 spending budget is about $563 million. The end cost to property taxpayers is projected to be $285 million after deducting revenue from transit fares and other fees. The NDP wants to evenly split that net cost with transit operators, like the city. Using the 2018 City of Ottawa transit budget, it would mean the city would save $142.5 million, money that could be used to lower fares or expand service.

Taxpayers shouldn’t pay to clean up Zibi land feds owned, Centretown councillor says

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, May 31, 2018

Taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for paying to clean up portions of industrial lands on the Ottawa River once owned by the federal government and now slated for an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment, Centretown Coun. Catherine McKenney said Thursday.

The Somerset rep was responding to news Windmill Developments has filed the largest ever grant application to the city to help finance the cleanup costs of contaminated industrial lands where the company plans to build its flagship Zibi community.

EXCLUSIVE: Liberals ignored green energy advice that could’ve saved Ontarians billions, lead engineer says

By Brian Hill and Carolyn Jarvis, Global News Ottawa, May 30, 2018

It’s been nearly a decade since Ontario Liberals passed the Green Energy Act, an ambitious plan to rid the province of coal-fired electricity and make Ontario a powerhouse in renewable energy manufacturing.

But the lead engineer responsible for designing and implementing a key component of the plan – the FIT and Micro-FIT programs that saw billions of dollars in green-energy contracts awarded to solar and wind companies – tells Global News in an exclusive interview the Liberal government ignored expert advice that, if followed, could have saved Ontario electricity customers billions of dollars in unnecessary spending.

Reevely: Which party has the best, or least worst, hydro plan?

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, May 30, 2018

The Ontario New Democrats’ very bad plan for electricity will make consumer hydro bills shoot up, the Progressive Conservatives charged Tuesday. As opposed to the Tories’ very good plan, which will make bills shoot up later.

“Today we want to shine light on the consequences of the NDP’s real hydro policies and how they will hurt you,” Nepean Tory candidate Lisa MacLeod said in Toronto, with fellow incumbent MPP Todd Smith. They’re the Tories’ former and current energy critics, potential future ministers.

McLeod: If city is going to talk about environmental issues, it should get serious

By Jonathan McLeod, Ottawa Sun, May 30, 2018

I’m at a bit of a loss.

All of a sudden, the city seems worried about the amount of plastic people are throwing in the trash. It’s such an issue that city council has tasked staff with looking into how we can reduce all the plastic headed to landfills.

It’s not really a novel idea. A number of jurisdictions have gone further and banned plastic bags altogether, and even more are talking about banning plastic straws.

Ontario Greens would close nuclear plant this summer

By CBC News Ottawa, May 29, 2018

The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station would close this summer if the Green Party of Ontario formed a government, according to leader Mike Schreiner.

Speaking on CBC Radio's Ontario Today, Schreiner said while 1,900 jobs would be lost if the plant closed, others could be created by developing the plant's prime waterfront property.

The party would not close the Bruce or Darlington nuclear generating stations, Schreiner said.

Judge tosses taxi union's Uber lawsuit

By Laura, Osman, CBC News Ottawa, May 30, 2028

An Ontario Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the union representing licensed taxi drivers in Ottawa that claimed the city treated its members unfairly when it paved the way for Uber and similar companies to enter the local market.

Uber began operating in Ottawa in 2014. In September 2016, the city amended its taxi bylaw by creating a new category of licence, essentially legalizing the ride-hailing company's business model.

Today's letters: Cycling injuries are a sad reality

By Jack Pyl, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, May 30, 2018

Cyclist injuries a sad reality Re: Cyclists riding for charity struck by passing car, May 29

I can’t say this article surprises me. As a cyclist myself, I have had to endure any amount of hurled verbal abuse and near-death-experiences at the hands of drivers who thought that half a second of their precious time was worth more than my entire life.

The driver who struck four riders by passing on the shoulder of the road is by no means atypical.

Windmill seeks record $60M grant from city for cleanup of Zibi site

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, May 30, 3018

The developer is asking for more than $60 million in brownfields rehabilitation grant and development charge credits to clean up the 6.5 hectares of land it owns at 3 and 4 Booth St., on Chaudière and Albert islands.

The city’s program, which caps all grants, tax breaks and development charge reductions at 50 per cent of the eligible costs to scrub the property, is designed to kickstart development at key lands, fuelling economic development and building the property tax base.