Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

How a proposed bylaw change could affect Ottawa's trees

By Joanna Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, November 16, 2023

When is a tree considered “distinctive” in Ottawa? As it stands, that depends on where it grows. In the urban part of the city, inside the Greenbelt, any tree with a trunk more than 30 centimetres in diameter at chest height is considered a distinctive tree. A resident or developer with a property of less than a hectare needs a permit to cut down and remove a tree of that size.

...Many of Ottawa’s suburban neighbourhoods are now 50 years or older, where many trees fit into the 30-centimtre category, said Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital. “They deserve to be protected as much as those inside the greenbelt.

...Trees provide biodiversity, food, habitat for animals and shade as well as stormwater retention and absorption, said William van Geest, program co-ordinator with Ecology Ottawa.

It takes a long time to get those benefits if a mature tree is cut down and replaced with a sapling, he said. “The best tree for all of these benefits is one that is already there.”

Find the whole article here.

With or without a pricey incinerator, prepare to pay a lot more for trash

By Elise Skura, CBC News Ottawa, October 30, 2023

Ottawa is looking at two costly options to lengthen the life of its soon-to-be-full landfill: burning waste to create energy, or mechanically sorting trash to remove organics and recyclables.

Both mean a hike in what households pay — but even if councillors opt against the technologies, staff say the rates will likely double within the decade.

"In 2023, Ottawa residents paid on average $185 for the year for solid waste services," said project manager Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, noting that the projections are not definitive.

"By the time we're at 2050, you're looking at a cost per household of just under $500."

Find the whole article here.

Grover: Want better public transit, Ottawa? Invest in it

By Nick Grover, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 13, 2023

As a rule, people use transit when it works and don’t when it doesn’t. This helps explain why OC Transpo ridership is still at only 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

After three years of inaction, decades of neglect, and several rounds of cuts to the bus fleet, it’s no wonder so few people are riding. To make matters worse, OC Transpo wants to raise fares and cut 15 connector routes that, somehow, don’t have enough riders despite graciously running four hours a day, four days a week. So rather than fixing that, the buses will be redeployed to “more important” routes, none of which include the city’s 10 most popular or three worst performing.

A net reduction in service hours will mean worse service in many places, since new routes are being added at the expense of others being reduced, cut or overextended.

... Unfortunately the mayor and council have been unwilling to invest in improved and expanded bus service, tying its own hands with sub-inflationary tax increases and self-inflicted budget deficits. When transit can’t be counted on, people must either fork over $10,000 a year to own a car, Uber everywhere, or stay home. 

Find the whole article here.

Riders warn OC Transpo cuts will hurt most vulnerable

By Elise Skura, CBC News Ottawa, November 14, 2023

OC Transpo calls it "route optimization," but riders who spoke to the transit commission on Tuesday say it sounds more like giving up on getting the troubled service back to pre-pandemic levels. 

.. ."We're cutting service and aiming to meet current service demands," said Sarah Donnelly, one of 17 members of the public who complained to the transit committee. 

"You will be discouraging people to get back on transit, and also making it more difficult to adapt to needs when-slash-if ridership increases."

..."How is this putting customers first?" (Natalie Badour) asked. "My reality is that I can't afford to buy a car. I can't afford a $400.00 parking pass for campus parking, can't pay gas or insurance or repairs ... especially if I have absolutely no way to get to and from my job."

Find the whole article here.

Bury: Paying to divert trash from the dump now will save Ottawa money later

By Duncan Bury, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, October 28, 2023

Ottawa’s draft Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP), which will be tabled for discussion at the Nov. 21 meeting of the city’s Environment and Climate Change Committee, needs to focus on replacing the filter rather than buying a new engine. In order to postpone the need for either a new landfill or an incinerator to manage residual waste, the city needs to up its game and implement a wide variety of initiatives to reduce and divert waste from disposal rather than launching prematurely into a very expensive, controversial, environmentally problematic and lengthy process to site a new landfill or to burn our garbage.

Ottawa spends much less on managing waste than comparable municipalities, officials with the Solid Waste Division have told me. Sadly, not enough effort or priority has been given to waste reduction or diversion, and this must change if the SWMP is to be successful.

Find the whole article here.

What Ontario's urban boundary reversal means for Ottawa

By Elise Skura, CBC News Ottawa, October 24, 2023

Some Ottawa councillors are applauding the Ford government's scrapping of a controversial expansion to Ottawa's urban boundary, while suggesting the late move could prove both costly and complicated. 

Ontario Housing Minister Paul Calandra announced Monday that provincial changes to the city's official plan will be reversed after an investigation found "too much involvement from the minister's office."

In Ottawa, that means the 654-hectare expansion pushed on the city by then-housing minister Steve Clark is no more.

Find the whole article here.

Des usagers d’OC Transpo se sentent « trahis » par la suppression de trajets d’autobus

Par Joseph Tunney, ICI Radio Canada Ottawa, le 9 novembre 2023

Des changements seront apportés aux lignes d'autobus d'OC Transpo à la suite d'un examen effectué plus tôt cette année. C’est ce qui est indiqué dans un rapport qui sera présenté à la Commission du transport en commun de la Ville d’Ottawa le 14 novembre.

À l'occasion de ces changements, plusieurs trajets de la série 200 seront supprimés, notamment les lignes 232, 236, 252, 257, 258, 265, 267, 268, 270-273, 278 282, 290 et 291.

...Un résident d’Ottawa, Rohan Thukral, prend l’autobus 257 pour se rendre à l'école tous les jours. Cet élève de 15 ans estime que la durée de son trajet risque de doubler si ce circuit d'autobus est supprimé du réseau.

J'aimerais prendre l’autobus parce que je veux apporter ma contribution, explique-t-il, jugeant ridicule que l'utilisation du transport en commun lui prenne désormais quatre fois plus de temps que la voiture.

Lisez l'article au complet ici.

Reeves: How Ottawa can help ease conversions of empty office buildings into housing

By Andrew Reeves, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, October 31, 2023

As an architect and business owner living and working in Ottawa, I am deeply troubled by the current and possible future state of our city. Currently, our city is suffering. The downtown is empty, businesses are closing, and the situation is about to get much worse.

In the next 18 to 24 months, the federal government plans to sell or not renew leases on a significant number of properties in Ottawa.

...One key solution is the adaptive reuse of existing vacant office buildings to residences

...However, there are significant challenges to the adaptive reuse of office buildings. These include regulatory barriers such as city regulations and zoning laws.

...Calgary serves as an example of successful downtown revitalization through the adaptive reuse of office buildings. 

Find the whole article here.

Buckles: Now Ottawa can get its urban boundary right, while building housing and helping the environment

By Daniel Buckles, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, October 30, 2023

Ottawa’s mayor needs to become an eco-justice warrior. His legacy, and re-election, depend on it.

Two official emergency declarations hang over this term of city council, passed down by the previous council: the climate emergency and the housing and homelessness emergency. Both were declared by the City of Ottawa in 2019. Neither has gone away as emergencies or received the urgent attention needed.

Now is an opportunity to correct course. Premier Doug Ford’s government has acknowledged that public trust in provincial decisions affecting the Toronto Greenbelt has collapsed. Last week, provincial decisions on the urban boundaries of 10 cities and regions, including Ottawa, were also reversed as the result of deeply flawed decision-making.

Ottawa has 45 days to propose changes to the Official Plan that define the urban boundary. Our current council can now take its own stand on how it wants to invest in the city’s future climate footprint and affordable housing targets.

Find the whole article here.

Here's what would cost you more in Ottawa's draft budget

By Arthur White-Crummey, CBC Ottawa, November 9, 2023

...Then there are some costs that shoot up more if the budget passes — sometimes much more. The city says fee increases are in line with the cost of providing services. 

Here are some examples:

• The base OC Transpo fare would go up 2.5 per cent, bringing a single ride from $3.70 to $3.80 by card. Paying with cash still would cost a nickel more. Some transit costs would rise more: the price of a one-day pass would shoot up 4.4 per cent, reaching $11.75.
• Garbage user fees would increase 11.5 per cent for a single family household from $130 to $145. Tipping fees for the landfill would go up 9.2 per cent for loads under 250 kilograms.
• Maximum on-street parking rates would go up 12.5 per cent from $4 to $4.50. Staff can vary specific rates, but council sets the upper limit.
• ...
• The cost of a permit to cut down a distinctive tree would rise 7.4 per cent where no development is taking place, reaching $174. With development, the price rises by 27 per cent.

Find the whole article here.

Lansdowne 2.0: What's in, what's out, what's next?

By Mario Glass, Ottawa Citizen, November 10, 2023

While Lansdowne 2.0 has received the initial stamp of approval from council, the project has a lot of field in front of it before reaching the end zone.

Council approved the $419-million plan to revitalize Lansdowne Park Thursday. The project includes building a new events centre and north-side grandstands for the football stadium, along with two residential towers, a “retail podium” and more underground parking.

Here’s what the next steps of Lansdowne’s long drive could look like:

... Though Mayor Mark Sutcliffe likened council’s Thursday night vote to reaching the finish line of a marathon, he acknowledged the journey is far from over.

Find the whole article here.

BUSY AND BROKE: HOW TO LIVE SUSTAINABLY AS A UNIVERSITY STUDENT IN OTTAWA

By Maia Tustonic, HR at Carleton, October 9, 2023

In 2021, a global study of youth aged 16–25 revealed that 59% of respondents were “very or extremely worried” about climate change, and 84% were at least moderately concerned. That same year, a Canadian Youth Alliance for Climate Action study indicated that climate change was a top-five issue for young Canadians.

... With pricey tuition and the high cost of living, students may believe that sustainable lifestyle choices are too expensive for their limited budgets. Dan Rutabingwa Gakire, a Climate Campaigner at Ecology Ottawa, challenged students to rethink this belief.

“Living sustainably actually saves us a lot of money,” Rutabingwa said, emphasizing the importance of minimalism and downsizing in sustainable lifestyles. He listed carpooling, taking public transport, using less water, and meal prepping as great ways to help save both money and the environment.

Find the whole article here.