Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

NOTEBOOK: Carleton Liberals, Carp Landfill, new businesses on Main

By Glen Gower, StittsvilleCentral, February 27, 2018

FIVE YEARS SINCE CARP LANDFILL EA APPORVAL West Carleton resident Harold Moore has been fighting the proposed Carp Road landfill expansion for at least a decade, and he emailed me recently to point out that this coming August will be the fifth anniversary of the approval of Waste Management‘s Environmental Assessment (EA) for the expansion.

Moore says that the Ministry of Environment should require a review of the EA due to all of the new developments and population growth in our area over the past five years.  He points out that the EA approval for the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre (CRRRC) landfill in the east end of Ottawa has a requirement for a five-year review. Here’s the text from that approval:

Elgin St. to close for redesign and construction

By CTV News Ottawa, February 27, 2018

The City of Ottawa has announced major road work and a major road closure coming in 2019.

A memo to city council has outlined that Elgin Street will be shut down from Gloucester Street to Isabella Street for the entirety of next year.

The closure is for the redesign and renewal of Elgin which will revamp the roadway, sidewalks, transit facilities, lighting, and sewers among other things.

Public information sessions will be held before, during,

REEVELY: Carbon-tax trap set for Ontario Tories by Feds

By David Reevely, Ottawa Sun, February 27, 2018

The province should say in the next month if it wants the federal government to tax carbon emissions for it, Tuesday’s federal budget says.

That’ll be tricky, with greenhouse-gas taxes likely to be a central issue in the spring election campaign. In fact, if the federal plan were to jam up the provincial Progressive Conservatives, it would be hard do it any better.

North Grenville eyes provincial money for Kemptville buses

By CBC News Ottawa, February 27, 2018

North Grenville has applied for provincial funding to help build a new public transportation system in Kemptville to keep up with the demands of the growing community.

On Monday, the municipality of North Grenville, which includes Kemptville, applied for Ontario's Community Transportation Grant Program.

The grant would provide up to $500,000 over five years for the "development of community transportation solutions to address local transportation needs," according to the province.

Little parking, big problem, neighbours of proposed Westboro condo say

By Laura Osman, CBC News Ottawa, February 27, 2018

The City of Ottawa's planning committee has approved a luxury condo building on Scott Street, pitting the councillor for Westboro against his residents, who fear the development will turn their neighbourhood into a parking lot.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said he felt uncomfortable opposing the community's wishes, but threw his support behind the proposal for 1946 Scott St. nonetheless.

The nine-storey building would have 49 units but only 13 surface parking spots, four of which would be reserved for visitors.

The idea is to discourage residents from owning cars and steer them toward public transit instead. The building would be about a three-minute walk from the existing Westboro Station.

Residents look to snap up land before developer does

By CBC News Ottawa, February 26, 2018

A community group from Ottawa's Heatherington neighbourhood is exploring the possibility of buying a vacant lot from the city with the aim of keeping it out of the hands of developers.

The 3.2-hactare lot at 1770 Heatherington Road near Walkley Road was a public works yard until 2012.

Josh Hawley, who grew up in the area and is one of the people behind the effort to create what's known as a community land trust, said the goal is to keep the property off the market and away from developers who don't necessarily have the community's best interest in mind.

DeVries and Shearer: Can cycling and the LRT mix? Indeed

By Alex Devries and Heather Shearer, Ottawa Citizen, February 26, 2018

Will there be room for bikes on Ottawa’s new $2.1-billion LRT system? At last Wednesday’s Transit Commission meeting, staff recommended that bikes be banned completely during peak periods, from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. A number of the commission’s members were wondering why staff were suggesting we couldn’t get everyone on the train. It didn’t seem like the right move for a city that wants to be green and sustainable. Ultimately, the commission rejected the staff-recommended limits.

We were confused, too. It’s cost-effective if every train is jam-packed, standing-room-only. But that’s a terrible starting point for attracting new users. They expect a little personal space and a seat.

Elgin Street construction begins in March, council told

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, February 26, 2018

A major construction project on Elgin Street will begin next month, forcing lane reductions and closures on side streets, city staff have warned council.

Alain Gonthier, director of infrastructure services, told council in a memo last Friday that Bell Canada will start fixing maintenance chambers and installing ducts beginning in March.

His email kicked off an email exchange over the weekend between a handful of council members and staff. Councillors are worried that the construction on Elgin Street will seriously impact traffic. Downtown travellers have already been navigating detours thanks to a closure of O’Connor Street to accommodate manhole reconstruction by Bell. The work on O’Connor Street is scheduled to be complete by Friday.

Heron Gate residents, developer sketch out community's future

By Marc-André Cossette, CBC News Ottawa, February 25, 2018

Dozens of residents gathered Saturday morning to sketch out plans for the redevelopment of Ottawa's Heron Gate neighbourhood — but not everyone shares the same vision for the south end community.

About 50 people showed up at Featherston Drive Public School to brainstorm the neighbourhood's long-term future, as part of a meeting organized by City of Ottawa officials.

(...)Alta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier says he felt it was important for Timbercreek to hear directly from residents about what they expect in terms of development, including new buildings and transit connections, parks and other amenities, as well as neighbourhood density and building heights.

Today's letters: War abroad, transit at home

By Bruce Roney and others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, February 25, 2018

Pets and public transit: a progressive idea

Re: Transpo wants to allow small pets on buses and trains, Feb. 14.

We are very lucky to live in the capital city of a progressive country. As a city, we are culturally and ethnically diverse and community-oriented. OC Transpo, however, has lagged behind other comparable cities in North America in its stance on pets (and bicycles).

The environmental, sustainable and economic benefits of public transport are well-documented. Tens of thousands of Ottawans daily rely on public transport because of economic marginalization, age, disability or a simple commitment to a green city.

Ideas for better NCC pathways

By Matthew Kupfer, CBC News Ottawa, February 23, 2018

Nearly 200 people registered to participate in two nights of consultation on the future use, maintenance and expansion of the National Capital Commission's multi-use pathway network.

Cyclists, pedestrians and cross-country skiers attended Thursday night's consultation at the NCC's Capital Urbanism Lab. It was the second in-person consultation, scheduled because demand was so great for the first meeting.

STO sees bump in January ridership

By CBC News Ottawa, February 23, 2018

Gatineau's public transportation system boosted its ridership numbers by 3.7 per cent in January.

Société de transport de l'Outaouais​ (STO) attributes the bump to the introduction of their social fare — a lower fare rate for individuals living below the poverty line — which came into effect Jan. 1.

While Ottawa has had such a fare since 2016, STO's social fare is the first of its kind in Quebec.