Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Province to take control of TTC subway infrastructure under PCs, Ford says

By the Canadian Press, CBC News Ottawa, May 9, 2018

Doug Ford highlighted a transit spending pledge for his first announcement in the provincial election campaign.

The Progressive Conservative leader says he would spend $5 billion, above what has already been committed, on subways in Toronto.

(...)Outside of Toronto, Doug Ford says he would support two-way, all-day GO Transit service to Niagara and Phase 2 of the Ottawa LRT, as well as regional transit projects in Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London and Kitchener-Waterloo.

PHOTOS: Third annual Jane’s Walk on Stittsville Main Street

By Devyn Barrie, StittsvilleCentral, May 6, 2018

Third time’s a charm.

After a first try in 2016 that was partly drowned out by a passing motorcycle parade and a second shot that was drowned by a very rainy day, the third annual Stittsville Jane’s Walk on Saturday may have had the best turnout yet.

Jane’s Walks are named after author and urbanist Jane Jacobs. Her book The Death and LIfe of Great American Cities was published in 1961 and continues to influence urban planning ideas.

 

COMMENT: A tale of two LRT lines, for Stittsville and Riverside South

By Devyn Barrie, StittsvilleCentral, May 4, 2018

While Stittsville is still playing catch-up on the light rail transit file, Riverside South may be getting its own LRT station as early as 2021.

This, of course, all contingent on the provincial Liberals securing re-election this June, but it is a telling turn of events all the same: on Thursday, Mayor Jim Watson announced that the province would kick in $50 million to extend the Trillium line south into the centre of the community. With another $30 million contributed by two large property developers, service for this extension shall begin in 2021.

Gatineau accessible transit users frustrated with new booking system

By CBC News Ottawa, May 6, 2018

Riders who use accessible transit services in Gatineau say they're frustrated with a new automated system that's left them with little control over when their rides will arrive.

The Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) introduced the new system two weeks ago, and some users have complained that the system now decides when they're picked up, instead of letting them schedule an appointment.

Jean Bélanger, who uses the service to get to dialysis treatments three times a week, told Radio-Canada the changes are frustrating and make the service more difficult to depend on.

Tree felled in your neighbourhood? There's a map for that

By CBC News Ottawa, May 6, 2018

After a severe wind storm knocked down trees across the city Friday night, one Ottawa city councillor is hoping a new online tool will help keep track of those losses.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said he's been working with local environmental advocates to create a Google map that allows residents to pinpoint exactly where trees have come down.

They can note the type of tree, its location, and what happened, Leiper said — and even share a photo.

Foxes pop up in Lindenlea, New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe

By CBC News Ottawa, May 7, 2018

Furry red foxes have been spotted in the Lindenlea, New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe Park areas, and their sudden appearance is generating some excitement.

"I've seen [the fox] quite a few times. I've seen it from my work window, running through the playground and hunting, and I've seen it as well at my house in New Edinburgh, kind of wandering around the neighbourhood," said Seanna Kreager, general manager of the Lindenlea Community Association.

"You can see it dart across, and then you often see it come back with a squirrel in its mouth," Kreager told Ottawa Morning Monday.

Today's letters: Chalk River's nuclear waste, cleanup at Mud Lake

By Aurèle Gervais and Fran Ranger, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, May 4, 2018

Nuclear waste plan has to meet standards

Re: Canada has a dirty, big nuclear secret at Chalk River, April 23; Chalk River’s nuclear waste facility will respect safety and the environment, April 26.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has been following the opinion pieces regarding the proposed Near Surface Disposal Facility at Chalk River Laboratories and the requirement for Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to apply for and secure a licence to construct and operate this proposed facility.

It is important to remember that the CNSC is Canada’s independent regulator for the nuclear sector. In this role, the CNSC will review and assess CNL’s proposal thoroughly, and will only allow the project to proceed if it is convinced that it is safe for Canadians and the environment. In addition, the CNSC has a robust public participation process that includes public hearings, often held in local communities, and a Participant Funding Program to support members of the public, stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples who wish to participate in our regulatory decision-making process. The CNSC also has a proactive and transparent consultation approach that spans the life cycle of a project, from cradle to grave.

Today's letters: The cycling debate begins for another season

By Doug McKim and Sharon Mintz, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, May 7, 2018

Drivers owe cyclists some respect

It is early in the season but I cannot help it. Again, another vehicle-bicycle conflict. What I would really like to see changed, however, is the approach that vehicle drivers take to bicycle drivers.

The incident (among a sad and enormous number) that encouraged this letter was an encounter with a pick-up truck driven by a young man on April 29 at the corner of Pleasant Park and Lynda Lane where I was cycling towards Alta Vista. The pick-up and I stopped at the same time at the stop sign. I continued forward, only to see the pick-up turning right into my path with a young man at the wheel yelling at me that I had to stop (which, I assure you, I had already done). Not only had he failed to be certain that I was not going to be crushed beneath his vehicle, but he did not signal that he was going to turn right – even as he was yelling at me.

Ottawa Fire Services lifts the ban on open-air fires

By Jacquie Miller, Ottawa Citizen, May 7, 2018

Ottawa Fire Services has lifted its ban on open-air fires.

People with permits can resume their burning activities, Fire Services tweeted on Monday.

The ban was imposed on April 20 to prevent fires spreading in dry grass and brush. The day after the ban, firefighters put out two brush/grass fires in rural areas. One began after a homeowner burned material in an open barrel and the other apparently was ignited from an unattended brush pile burn.

Fire bans are imposed until fresh green growth starts to show through tall, dead grass.

City wants to cut fees for bike-sharing companies to use public land

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, May 2, 2018

More bike-share stations could pop up in Ottawa this summer if council agrees to make it cheaper for those companies to use public land.

The transportation committee on Wednesday endorsed the fee break, allowing bike-share companies to expand their services without paying a hefty bill for encroachment fees.

CycleHop, the company that runs the VeloGo bike share in Ottawa and Gatineau, has been meeting with city officials in recent months about expanding the service. Under a pilot program for 2018, ending on Nov. 15, the company and the city would work on new locations for the bike stations.

Transportation committee likes recommended route for Kanata LRT

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, May 2, 2018

The transportation committee is recommending council approve the proposed route for a $1.85-billion LRT extension through Kanata.

During a committee meeting Wednesday, Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson, who’s retiring after this term of council, called on the city to plug the Kanata LRT plan into the next transportation master plan. An LRT extension to the western suburb “is desperately needed,” she said, adding that an hour-and-a-half is too long for people to take a bus downtown.

The proposed route and the preliminary cost estimate, which is in 2017 dollars, are part of the project’s environmental assessment. The plan includes a mix of surface, underground and elevated rail. Like the first phase and planned second phase of LRT, the tracks would be completely segregated from roads.

Councillor Nussbaum to lead Jane’s Walk — on a bike!

By Overbrook.ca, May 2, 2018

Councillor Tobi Nussbaum will be leading a bike tour for Jane’s Walk on Saturday, May 5 from 9.00 to 10.30 am. Please find below the tour description:

Join my Jane’s Walk bike tour – May 5

Pump up your tires and join me for this year’s Jane’s Walk … on a bike! Our ride – on dedicated bike paths – will start at the Rockcliffe Pavilion on the Ottawa River, continue to the Rideau Falls, and end at the Rideau River by the Adàwe Crossing near the Rideau Sports Centre (the former Rideau Tennis Club). Along the way, we will be joined by three special guest experts who will remind us of the rivers’ key role in our city’s history and point to exciting developments that will allow us to better appreciate and enjoy their beauty.