Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

'It breaks my heart:' Hazeldean Woods loses tract of trees following cleanup from May wind storm

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, Aug 11 2022

John Podgorski can’t bear to walk through Hazeldean Woods after the City of Ottawa removed a tract of trees from the Kanata forest.

... The forestry branch provided three reasons for removing the trees: public safety, access and regenerating the forest.

... According to Huras (NCC), trees not impacted by storm damage are only removed when they are in close proximity to damaged trees, allowing contractors to safely access the area. “Leaving hazardous trees within a busy recreational area is not an option,” Huras said.

Find the whole article here.

 

Ottawa needs more than 100,000 new homes by 2031, to get more ambitious with building plans, says author of new report on housing supply

By Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen, August 15, 2022

Between a pre-existing housing shortage and a growing population, Ottawa had better up its building game to meet housing needs in the coming years, according to the lead author of a new report from the University of Ottawa-based Smart Prosperity Institute.

...“Our fear is that if … enough housing isn’t made available in the city of Ottawa, we’re going to see more and more families move out to other parts of eastern Ontario,” said Moffatt, creating sprawl where those who’ve left continue to travel back into the city for work.

Find the whole article here.

CIB announces investment of up to $380M in City of Ottawa for zero-emission buses

By Canadian Manufacturing.com, August 11, 2022

OTTAWA — The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has achieved financial close on an investment of up to $380 million with the City of Ottawa (City) to help finance up to an additional 446 OC Transpo zero-emission buses (ZEBs) through 2027.

The CIB’s loan will contribute towards the upfront capital cost of the battery-electric buses, which will help accelerate the electrification of OC Transpo’s bus fleet.

OC Transpo welcomed its first four new 40-foot battery-electric buses into service in early 2022 and, thanks in part to CIB funding, is seeking to add 26 more in 2023, and another 420 by the end of 2027.

Find the whole article here.

Gatineau pourrait étendre sa collecte de matières résiduelles à davantage d’entreprises

Par Nathalie Tremblay, Radio Canada Ottawa Gatineau

La Ville de Gatineau mène actuellement un sondage pour évaluer les besoins en ce qui concerne les matières résiduelles. Elle souhaite ainsi préparer l'entrée en vigueur de son prochain plan de gestion qui visera particulièrement les commerces.

Après les citoyens, au tour des industries, commerces et institutions (ICI) de réduire leurs matières résiduelles. Dès l'an prochain, le compostage et le recyclage seront obligatoires dans ce secteur.

Lire l'article au complet ici.

Chilling without air conditioning

By Becky Reiner, National Observer

Ottawa resident Joan Lawrence says the key to living without air conditioning is all about “pacing yourself.”

“Calm down, move more slowly, get things done first thing in the morning before the sun gets too hot,” she says. “Work with the heat, rather than against it.”

...She adds they also have a couple of large, mature trees that help keep their house cool.

Find the whole article here.

 

Adam: Ottawa Council is going to change dramatically. Pay attention, voters

By Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, August 4, 2022

Municipal campaigns are so long that voters often have a hard time keeping track of what the candidates are all about. Campaigns begin with registration in May, then go through the summer when holiday travel is top-of-mind and politics takes a back seat. You can’t blame voters from tuning out.

...Ottawa residents need to pay particular attention beginning now because we are facing a consequential local election. We are not only electing a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, we could be electing 11 new council members, nearly half of council. 

Find the whole article here.

 

Young Roots Farm: comprendre son impact sur l'environnement

Par Ani-Rose Deschatelets, Le Droit, le 4 août 2022

Apprendre à prendre pleinement conscience de ses impacts à court et à long terme sur l’environnement, voilà ce que des jeunes défavorisés âgés de 5 à 14 ans ont pu expérimenter une fois de plus cette année durant le Young Roots Farm, un projet du Camp Amy Molson, situé à Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, près de Hawkesbury.

La ferme Young Roots Farm est une petite ferme écologique qui se transforme en espace d’apprentissage accessible et permet aux jeunes campeurs, principalement issus de la diversité et de communautés vulnérables issues de familles à faible revenu, de nouer des relations significatives avec la nature. 

Lire l'article au complet ici.

Canada's top court dismisses city of Ottawa's application to appeal Kanata golf course ruling

By Josh Pringle, CTV News, August 4, 2022

Residents living in Kanata Lakes promise the fight to protect the Kanata Golf and Country Club from development is "far from over", despite Canada's highest court not hearing the city of Ottawa's appeal on an agreement protecting the land from a housing development.

...The Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition says it is disappointed, but not surprised the high court will not hear the case.

Find the whole article here.

Derecho de mai 2022 : des propriétaires d’arbres font face à des dilemmes

Par Kristy Nease, Radio Canada, le 30 juillet 2022

Si vous avez essuyé la puissante tempête (aussi appelée derecho) qui a abattu plusieurs milliers d'arbres à Ottawa en mai, il y a de fortes chances pour que vous ou quelqu'un de votre entourage ait ressenti de l'anxiété à chaque nouvelle alerte d'orage émise depuis lors.

Cathy Malcolm Edwards connaît bien ce sentiment.

Elle pense que le conifère massif qui se trouve dans la cour avant de sa maison de Carlington présente un risque sérieux de chute en cas de mauvais temps et qu'il devrait être enlevé. D’un autre côté, c'est un arbre dont elle reconnaît la contribution à l'environnement.

Lire l'article au complet ici.

Rattled by derecho, homeowners face tree removal dilemma

By Kristy Nease, Ottawa Citizen, July 30, 2022

If you lived through the powerful derecho storm that knocked many thousands of trees down across Ottawa in May, chances are you or someone you know has confessed to feeling anxiety with every new thunderstorm warning.

Cathy Malcolm Edwards knows the sensation well.

She thinks the massive conifer in her Carlington front yard poses a serious risk of falling in bad weather and should be removed, but at the same time it's a tree she respects for its contribution to the environment.

Find the whole article here.

Shifting to EVs is not enough. The deeper problem is our car dependence

By Paris Marx, CBC News Op-Ed

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a bold claim: Canada "isn't just going to be a global player in EVs, … we get to be global leaders." Over the past year, the federal government has been announcing a series of deals with auto companies and suppliers aimed at growing the domestic electric vehicle industry.

...According to Statistics Canada, 73.7 per cent of Canadians live in urban areas, but the majority are in the suburbs, not the downtown core, and those suburbs keep growing. That reality is the product of decades of government policy that incentivized suburban living and prioritized cars above other forms of mobility.

Find the whole article here.

 

 

 

City aiming to restore full service to LRT Friday

By CBC News Ottawa, July 26, 2022

City of Ottawa transportation officials say they're aiming to restore full service to OC Transpo's light-rail system by Friday.

The City of Ottawa held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to address questions and concerns about OC Transpo's most recent light-rail failures, after a majority of trains were taken off the rails due to "technical issues."

Find the whole article here.