Chiarelli defends Liberal record at Ottawa West-Nepean debate

By Devyn Barrie, 1310 News, May 29, 2018

Ottawa West-Nepean candidates and residents gathered at Ben Franklin Place on Monday night for a wide-ranging discussion on issues such as healthcare, transit and government finances.

(...)All candidates were supportive of LRT and said they would honour current commitments, including for phase three to west Ottawa. However, Roberts said he wasn’t sure if the PCs were committed to the recently-announced $50 million Riverside South extension to the Trillium line LRT.

Use carbon-market money to make a dedicated cycling budget for Ontario, Naqvi says

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, May 29, 2018

Ontario’s transportation budget should have money dedicated to bike path and lanes every year, Ottawa Centre Liberal candidate Yasir Naqvi said Tuesday, the way it does for roads.

Naqvi is fighting to keep his seat in Ottawa Centre and held a short press conference at the construction site for a new footbridge across the Rideau Canal between Fifth Avenue and Clegg Street, a $20-million project to which the provincial government under the Liberals contributed $5 million.

The government’s cap-and-trade system for limiting carbon-dioxide emissions — Naqvi called it “a price on pollution” — brings in a lot of money that should be dedicated at least partly to biking and walking, he said.

The Better Bin: When it comes to recycling, do you know what you’re doing?

By Alyson Queen, The Review, May 23, 2018

In the world of recycling, not all plastic is created equal – and not all things are recyclable.

And whether by intention or not, Canadians are attempting to recycle incorrect things – or are just recycling incorrectly – and it’s putting big pressure on those trying to sort and sell those materials.

In a single-stream recycling system as it exists in North Glengarry and some neighbouring communities, about 13% of recycling bin contents should actually be in the garbage.

New measures intended to protect Rockcliffe Park 'jewel'

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, May 28, 2018

New measures are in place to protect the “jewel” of Rockcliffe Park — the neighbourhood’s famed swimming hole.

A former gravel and sand quarry, the Pond is an inviting place to take a dip in the summertime. Over the past decade, declining water levels have created more space along the shoreline, which — on warm weekends, especially — often attracts families and sunbathers alike.

New posts and ropes have now been installed on either side of the rocks at the pond’s entrance to demarcate the small area of shoreline intended for public access. New signage also explains where the public should and shouldn’t go.

Everyone gets a seat

By Mark Taylor, Baywarddive.ca, May 28, 2018
Good morning colleagues,
As you may recall the Healthy Transportation Coalition recently co-hosted the ‘Building Affordable Housing Near Rapid Transit’ session at City Hall. I know several of you attended.
While the coalition has circulated the ‘As we heard it’ report to everyone who attended I also wanted to forward it with some concise comments, several of which you heard me discuss that day.
We are blessed to live in such a prosperous city. One where we invest much time and effort to ensure an equitable and inclusive life for all. We don’t always get it right. We don’t always succeed. But where we have fallen short I have always seen you, my colleagues, step up to make changes, right wrongs and advocate for fairness.
Collectively we have invested much in the new LRT project. I don’t have to tell you what a shift this system will make for our city. It is much more than a transit system. The development that LRT fosters provides a mechanism to address the shortfall we have in rental property, the gap we have in affordable housing, the rising stress on housing affordability on top of connectivity to employment, engagement and inclusion.
This only all works though if it is a system for everyone.

TOBI TALKS

By Tobi Nussbaum, Overbrook.ca, May 27, 2018

(...)McArthur Complete Street

The City has been preparing to convert McArthur Avenue to a “complete street” by introducing segregated bike lanes from North River Road to St-Laurent. Based on public consultations that began last spring, the plans have been updated to include more physical separation between the bike lanes and vehicle lanes. As part of the project, OC Transpo is proposing to redistribute bus stops along McArthur to ensure bus service on Route #14 is smoother and more reliable, while also ensuring the bus stops integrate safely with new bike lanes. Following an online consultation about the bus stops, the street conversion will take place starting this summer via installation of curbs and medians and repainting of the lines. Area residents and businesses will soon receive construction notices about this project and updates will be provided on the project website. I am continuing to work with City staff and a private property owner towards connecting this new cycling route with the Forbes/Cummings neighbourhood at Rainier/Gardenvale – stay tuned for updates.

Doug Ford’s PCs would put environmental gains at risk

By the Editor, Toronto Star, May 25, 2018

One of a series of editorials on issues facing Ontario’s voters:

The big issues in the Ontario election, so the pollsters tell us, are hydro costs, taxes, health care and the economy. The environment and climate change, they say, aren’t top of mind for most voters.

That may be so, but Ontarians ignore these issues at their peril. Whatever other failings they may have, the Liberals made impressive progress on environmental issues during their decade and a half in office. It would be tragic to see those gains halted or, even worse, reversed.

 

Green Bins find a new home at Nepean High School

By Claire Keenan, Kitchessippi Times, May 25, 2018

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” has always been a mantra at Nepean High School. But this year, “compost” has been added to the list. Just after students returned from March Break, some noticed the addition of a brand new compost bin in the cafeteria. Now, there are smaller green bins spread out around the school.

Eight other OCDSB high schools that have green bins, and Nepean is happy to become the ninth. Every day students throw out fruit cores, paper plates, and vegetable scraps which all go straight into the garbage. Now, thanks to the Environment Club, we can compost our food. The Environment Club initiated the idea of installing green bins in September 2017 and they finally completed the project in March 2018.

Bowie the robot is coming to Westboro Beach

By Anne Boys-Hope, Kitchissippi Times, May 25, 2018

The robots are coming… to clean the beach. Friendly and hardworking, these robots are destined for something great: to help conquer the world’s shoreline pollution problem and engage the community in science and technology.

Erin Kennedy (aka RobotGrrl), Ottawa-based inventor and founder of Robot Missions, is deploying three robots to Westboro Beach this summer.

City aims to reduce plastic waste

By Jason White, 1310 News, May 24, 2018

As more of us take notice of the effects of all those straws, takeout containers, and other single-use items, city council has set its sights on the problem of plastic waste. But one city councillor thinks the city's going about the issue the wrong way.

A motion passed by city council, Wednesday, directs staff to research ways to reduce plastic waste. The councillor who made the motion says he hears about garbage and plastic waste quite often from his constituents.

"Hardly a day goes by -- I got one today -- someone said 'look what Montreal's just done on bottles,'" said Councillor David Chernushenko (Capital - Ward 17). "So, I think we need to position (the city) as one of the leaders."

Ottawa councillor’s motion provokes criticism of city’s approach to waste

By Bridget Britneff, Global News Ottawa, May 23, 2018

An Ottawa city councillor’s motion about reducing single-use plastics caused a bit of a stir during Wednesday’s council meeting, prompting one councillor to allege that council is losing focus when it comes to the city’s garbage, recycling and composting programs.

Up for discussion was a motion put forward by Coun. David Chernushenko, which called on city staff to contribute to a consultation on plastic waste recently launched by the federal government. The motion also tasked staff with studying best practices which other municipalities have already adopted to reduce the use of single-use plastics, like straws, cutlery and takeout containers.

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