Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Editorial: Hospital's pitch to the public a healthy sign

By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, February 3, 2018

It is early days for the new campus of The Ottawa Hospital, the ambitious health centre whose future home was so contentious for so long. But all parties have finally compromised on a site at the northeast corner of the Central Experimental Farm and the planning process is underway in earnest. So far, hospital brass are going about it properly – for a change.

This past week, the hospital held an open house to show the public concept drawings of the new buildings. These aren’t a final design, but an early “test-fit” to see how the site could be used in a way that would address its uneven terrain, serve future health needs effectively and complement both the nearby community and the abutting green space at the Farm, Arboretum and Dow’s lake, each cherished by Ottawans.

Today's letters: The wonders of Gatineau Park

By Dr Irwin M. Brodo and others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, January 31, 2018

Readers are impressed with the lushness of Gatineau Park, and the efforts that have been made to catalogue its flora. You can write to us on this  or other topics, at letters@ottawacitizen.com

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Let’s share information on Gatineau Park’s flora

Re: (Flower) Power Couple, Jan. 27. 

My friend and colleague, Dr. John M. (Jack) Gillett, might have cried seeing the recent article by Tom Spears on the efforts of amateur botanists Tom Delsey and Gwynneth Evans to document the flowers of Gatineau Park. On the other hand, he more probably would have laughed.

$1.4M bike path will link Old Chelsea to Hull

By Nicholas Dunne, Ottawa Sun, January 30, 2018

Residents have reacted positively to news of a four-kilometre bike path that will connect from Old Chelsea to the north end of Hull.

The path, which will follow Mine, Notch and Kingsmere roads, will cost $1.4 million to build, split evenly between the federal, provincial and municipal governments, Liberal MP Will Amos announced this week.

“The bike path project in Chelsea will create safe connections among our communities and offer residents of all ages of adopting an active mode of transportation in the Outaouais region,” he said in a release.

First view of new hospital's architectural concept to be revealed

By Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Sun, January 20, 2018

Ottawa residents will get a first glimpse this week of how a new Ottawa Hospital Civic campus will be situated on the eastern edge of the Central Experimental Farm.

The $2-billion-plus hospital, replacing the current Civic campus at Carling and Parkdale avenues, is not expected to be complete until 2026, but public engagement and planning are both underway.

City responds to LRT accessibility concerns

By CBC News Ottawa, January 30, 2018

The City of Ottawa says discussions about the accessibility of its new light rail system continue with a variety of groups, and is promising to keep an eye on emerging technologies that could make the system easier to navigate for people with disabilities.

City officials met Monday evening with the local chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians to discuss concerns about whether the trains will be properly equipped to meet the needs of some blind and visually impaired transit users.

Ottawa to get partial glimpse of 'super blue blood moon'

By CBC News Ottawa, January 30, 2018

Once in a blue moon, a lunar eclipse occurs during a blue moon.

That rare phenomenon will happen early Wednesday morning when the lunar eclipse, which will be partially visible in Ottawa's western sky, falls on the second full moon of the month, known as a blue moon.

For skygazers the effect will be what astronomers call "a super blue blood moon."

"Light refracted through our atmosphere turns the lunar surface red, much like we see red sunsets," said Ottawa astronomer Gary Boyle.

TOBI TALKS

By Tobi Neusbaumm, Overbrook.ca, January 27, 2018

...Ecology Ottawa panel: Climate Change and Cities

I will join Catherine McKenna (Ottawa Centre MP and Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change) and David Chernushenko (Capital Ward Councillor, Chair of the City’s Environment and Climate Protection Committee) for a panel discussion on climate change and cities, hosted by Ecology Ottawa.

Where: Ottawa Public Library (downtown branch) auditorium, 120 Metcalfe St. When: Wednesday, Jan. 31, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. RSVP on EventBrite

Mild weather puts temporary freeze on Mosaïvernales

By CBC News Ottawa, January 29, 2018

Another mild January weekend has forced Mosaïvernales to close temporarily.

The winter exhibit at Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau will be closed as a team of sculptors rework the snow sculptures that partially melted over the weekend because of the weather.

QADRI: Concept plans posted for William Bradley Park in Porter Place

By Shad Qadri, StittsvilleCentral. January 26, 2018

The City is seeking feedback from residents on the proposed plan for the new park to be located in the Porter Place development.  William Bradley Park is a new .34 hectares accessible park on gently rolling terrain located on Porter Street in Stittsville.

The park includes active and passive play areas, swings, and an asphalt pathway loop with seating and bicycle parking. There are 2 options for active play for the community to choose from: a children’s play structure; or an adult fitness area.  An existing vegetative buffer along the southeast of the property complements generous tree planting for shade and visual buffering.  The name for this park was recommend by a member of the community and was approved through the City’s Commemorative Naming Program, for more information on William Bradley please visit here.

LETTER: A field of dirt and potential in Blackstone

By Paul Wilson, StittsvilleCentral, January 29, 2018

I would like to see all new community and district parks include food forests. The initial Blackstone food forest can become a community engagement destination and support charity and educational engagement. The food forest, and nearby park features, can provide outdoor community spaces for numerous activities, including quiet reflection or picnics, in a setting conducive to education on the benefits of planting edible trees. It is intended to develop close ties to the other synergistic groups in the region.

My goal is to establish organic food forests within Stittsville and City of Ottawa with an emphasis on permanent, restorative agriculture. By design, a permaculture approach in these forests builds soil structure, uses less water and can yields a dramatic amount of highly nutritious food per square meter.

Patinage en foret outside Ottawa offers a picturesque skate through a forest

By Lee Berthiaume, CTV News Ottawa, January 29, 2018

The scraping of skates on ice and the occasional bird call are the only sounds as the dark forest glides past. There are no cellphones, no car engines. Only you and three kilometres of ice through the trees.

This is Patinage en foret, a picturesque skating trail located 45 minutes from downtown Ottawa on the edge of Gatineau Park in Quebec. It opened only last year but appears poised to become a fixture of the capital's winter landscape.

A long, rustic building with press-board walls, picnic tables and benches serves as the admission office and chalet where visitors can buy tickets, lace up their skates, grab lunch and otherwise take a break in relative comfort.

Citizens sue province over proposed wind turbine parks

By Amanda Pfeffer, CBC News Ottawa, January 28, 2018

Citizens living near five proposed wind turbine parks in Ontario have launched a lawsuit alleging the provincial government is allowing the companies behind the projects to defy safe noise limits.

The province approved the wind park projects in 2016. They are scattered around rural Ontario, and two are within an hour's drive from Ottawa.

The projects are now going through a "technical review" as part of the final approval process by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.