Seven information sessions planned about Civic hospital campus

By Melissa Murray, Ottawa Community News, November 17, 2017

The Ottawa Hospital is kicking off its consultations for the new Civic campus with a series of seven sessions.

The information sessions were planned to begin in Orléans on Nov. 22 and will make stops in Kanata, Nepean, Cornwall, Pembroke, Old Ottawa East and Hintonburg.

“People have an interest in learning what’s coming for the hospital. It’s a very exciting time and we want to be able to reach out to as many people as possible,” said Bernie Etzinger, chief officer of communications and outreach for the hospital, of the upcoming sessions.

Reevely: Ottawa's 2018 budget skimps on greening the city, for the fourth year in a row

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, November 17, 2017

The city government is millions of dollars behind in its plan to save money by using less energy in its own buildings and is set to punt real work on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions past 2020.

Mayor Jim Watson drew attention to this corner of the budget when he gave his speech on the city’s 2018 spending plans last week. Harsher weather — hotter summers, wetter and messier winters — was a recurring theme, along with how the city’s adapting, and doing its part to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

He made the energy-efficiency part sound pretty dull: “Under the umbrella of our Energy Evolution leadership, the city’s Building Engineering and Energy Management team has introduced over 120 energy reduction initiatives since its inception,” he said. “In 2018, the BEEM group will receive $1 million towards new projects.”

(...)“It’s not … entirely truthful,” says Robb Barnes, the acting executive director of Ecology Ottawa. He’s glad the city’s doing what it’s doing, but argues it should be doing a lot more than “re-labelling” money that belongs in the fleet budget as an environmental move.

Going to the Grey Cup? Don't Drive

By Jesse Cnockaert, Ottawa Metro News, November 16, 2017

With an expected 36,000 people heading to the Grey Cup in Ottawa next week, it’s important to have a plan.

 

For the Redblacks, the city and OC Transpo the key is going to be free transit parking restrictions and encouraging people to leave their cars at home.

 

Police investigate after cyclist drenched by tossed beverage

By CFRA News, November 16, 2017

Ottawa Police are investigating after a cyclist says he was assaulted, while on his way home from work in the east end.

Jason Office was pedaling along Tenth Line Road in a bike lane around 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, when he says someone rolled down the window of their car and threw a drink at him.

"It hit me and then splashed up my face and onto my arms and onto my bike," says Office.

Uber rival Lyft eyeing Ottawa

By Laura Osman, CBC News Ottawa, November 16, 2017

It's been one year since Uber became street legal in Ottawa; now a ride-hailing rival could be rolling into town.

Lyft, founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, claims to be the fastest-growing on-demand transportation service in the United States. It recently announced plans to launch in Toronto, and Ottawa may not be far behind.

Bylaw manager Roger Chapman said city officials met with executives from Lyft to talk about licensing the company, and expects the company to submit a formal application soon.

Lyme disease hit record levels in 2017, next year likely to be worse, health officials warn

By Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen, November 16, 2017 Last year was a record-breaking year for reported cases of Lyme disease in the nation’s capital and things are likely to get worse, according to health experts.

Ottawa Public Health says 168 cases have already been reported this year, more than double the 74 cases reported in all of 2016.

In 2007, the city only saw two reported cases of the disease, which can cause severe headaches and neck stiffness and possibly even paralysis if left untreated. Due to global warming, 2018 is likely to see those numbers rise even higher.

City plan for more electric car charging stations could cost you

By Kimberley Molina, CBC News Ottawa, November 16, 2017

The city's plan to build more charging stations could make it more expensive for people to charge their electric vehicles.

The City of Ottawa wants to start charging people to charge cars at stations installed after December 2017.

Currently, the city operates three free charging stations at John G. Mlacak Community Centre, City Hall and the Glebe Parking Garage. It also operates a pay station at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex.

The case of Ottawa's missing bike lane

By Kieran Delamont, Ottawa Metro News, November 15, 2017

There was a great deal of confusion at the corner of Lyon and Queen Streets after cycling advocates noticed the bike lanes that they believed were going in on Lyon had been scrapped, this week.

Advocates quickly made the comparison with the Booth Street bridge, where planned bike lanes were scrapped without much in the way of transparency.

"Looks like another case of disappearing [bike lanes], similar to the Booth Street bridge situation, where plans changed behind closed doors," tweeted Bike Ottawa, a cycling advocacy group, on Tuesday night.

 

Ecology Ottawa says city budget won't fight climate change fast enough

By Kieran Delamont, Ottawa Metro News, November 15, 2017

Ecology Ottawa is disappointed the city is not putting its money where its mouth is in its proposed budget, which contained $500,000 in new money for the city's flagship green energy policy.

The non-profit organization was calling for at least $1.5 million in new money. Mayor Jim Watson, in his tabling of the draft budget, said that the city "will be investing more than $2 million in various sustainability initiatives."

While that number appeared, at first glance, to go above and beyond Ecology Ottawa's ask it turned out to be a bit misleading, since $1.5 million of that money was already committed for the environment and climate protection committee under phase one of the Energy Evolution plan.

"$500,000 just isn't enough," said Robb Barnes of Ecology Ottawa. "Phase one won't get us to our emission reduction targets." He did add, however, that he was happy to see the city is concerned about climate change, calling any funding "a meaningful step forward."

3-day smog warning in Quebec now includes Gatineau

By CBC News Ottawa, November 14, 2017

A three-day-long smog warning that has swept across Montreal other parts of Quebec is now in effect in Gatineau, Environment Canada said Tuesday.

Residents can expect poor air quality with high concentrations of fine particulates in the air through Tuesday evening.

Wood heating seems to be the culprit behind the cold weather smog, which is why people living in Montreal have been told for the past three days not to use their wood-burning stoves or fireplaces until the warning is lifted.

Trudeau's trash talk: Ottawa seeking way to handle garbage stranded in Philippines

By Andy Blatchford, CTV News Ottawa, November 14, 2017

MANILA, Philippines -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he reassured Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that Ottawa is searching for a way to dispose of thousands of tons of Canadian trash languishing in the port of Manila.

The household waste, which includes soiled diapers, has been rotting in about 100 shipping containers at the port for four years.

The stranded Canadian garbage is a well-known concern in the Philippines -- it's been making headlines for years and has even been the subject of protests by environmental groups.

Number of STO buses leaving passengers behind up by almost 60%

By CBC News Ottawa, November 14, 2017

According to ridership data between Aug. 28, 2017 and Oct. 4, 2017 obtained by Radio-Canada, the number of Société de transport de l'Outaouais buses that reached maximum boarding capacity rose 58 per cent compared to the same period two years ago.

In 2015, there were 721 full buses between August 31 and October 7.

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