WETLANDS: A regulatory loophole you can drive a dump truck through
StittsvilleCentral.ca

By Devyn Barrie, StittsvilleCentral, September 4, 2017

A local environmental activist believes some Goulbourn property owners are taking advantage of a regulatory loophole to destroy wetland on their property.

Ken McRae says he’s seen dump trucks delivering fill to a property on Flewellyn that he believes is being dumped into wetland.

“I couldn’t see any heavy earth moving equipment from the roadway because the tall vegetation along the roadway… but I could hear at least one bulldozer that would be being used to grade the fill being brought in by the dump trucks,” he wrote in an email last month to StittsvilleCentral.ca.

Longer parking hours, bike box protection proposed in bylaw overhaul
Metro Ottawa

By Kieran Delamont, Ottawa Metro News, September 4, 2017

As part of a large-scale update to its traffic and parking bylaws, the city is planning on doing away with the so-called three-hour rule that governs weekend parking on unsigned streets.

Last month, the city asked residents to weigh in on the proposed change to the rule, which will see the three-hour parking maximum on unsigned roads bumped up to six hours between 7 p.m. on Friday and 7 a.m. on Monday.

(...)Bike boxes — those green squares where cyclists are permitted to wait while turning — are also being written into the new bylaw, so that it will be a specific offence for motorists to impede a cyclist’s right of way while using cycling infrastructure.

Hydro One commits to trimming trees in Beaverbrook
OttawaCommunityNews.com

By Jessica Cunha, Ottawa Community News, September 1, 2017

Hydro One says it will continue to trim trees within the Beaverbrook easement for the time being, as opposed to clear-cutting the area.

Chief operating officer Greg Kiraly wrote a letter to residents after forestry crews went through homeowners’ backyards to mark trees within the easement.

“It is my commitment to you that we will pursue an approach similar to Hydro One’s urban maintenance practices employed in the Beaverbrook area in 2012, which will involve trimming methods rather than removing healthy vegetation, where possible,” he said in the letter, also posted on the Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association’s website.

OC Transpo fall schedule comes into effect Sunday; more route numbers to change
CTV Ottawa News

By  Ted Raymond, CTV News, September 1, 2017

As September begins and classes resume, OC Transpo is adjusting its schedules to meet the new demand.

Starting Sunday, many routes will see more frequent trips or larger buses. There will also be several adjustments for students affected by recent school closures. OC Transpo says there will be more trips on Routes 12, 18, 19, 24, 82, 84, 152, 665, and 669 to accommodate Grade 7 and 8 students who have moved to Bell, Sir Robert Borden and Gloucester secondary schools.

University and college students now have access to the fall U-Pass. The U-Pass pass is valid on all OC Transpo and STO routes from September 1 to April 30.

STO reports decline in customer satisfaction - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, September 1, 2017

Users of the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) in Gatineau were slightly less satisfied with the city's bus service last year, according to the results of an annual survey made public Thursday. Satisfaction with on-time performance dropped from seven points out of 10 in 2015 to 6.2 points last year. The quality of service also fell, according to respondents, by 0.5 points to 6.5.

STO president Gilles Carpentier pegs the decrease to traffic disruptions caused by road construction and street closures, particularly in Gatineau's Hull sector and across the river in downtown Ottawa.

Today’s letters: Loneliness, and fighting shoreline erosion
Ottawa Citizen

By Denise Foster, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, September 1, 2017

Boaters are damaging shorelines

I live in the narrows, and can tell you, with certainty, the two biggest problems for shoreline erosion are:The new sport of surfing: These boats are built to produce the largest wake possible; their wake is sometimes three feet over the shoreline, every single day back and forth through the narrows.

The extra-large cruisers, driving full throttle through our narrows, again three foot waves over our shoreline. It happens every day, and these two problems are causing the destruction of our shoreline.

Moodie LRT station won’t have park and ride because there’s no room
Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, September 1, 2017

West-end commuters won’t be able to ditch their cars at the future Moodie LRT station and ride the rails to downtown Ottawa.

There simply isn’t enough room near the station to build a park-and-ride facility, according to a report on the Stage 2 transit expansion.

Council had asked staff to see if a park and ride could be built at Moodie station, which will become one of the western terminuses of the Confederation Line LRT in 2023.

The Moodie LRT extension is being added to the $3-billion Stage 2 blueprint. The city expects it will help employees with the Department of National Defence get to work when their offices are relocated to the old Nortel complex. Using transit, it will take a bus ride to get from the LRT station to the DND complex.

City of Ottawa water revenues dry up in wet summer weather
CTV Ottawa News

By Josh Pringle, CTV News, August 30, 2017

The wet summer is causing a drought in the City of Ottawa’s water budget.

The City is projecting a $7.7 million deficit in its water and sewer budget this year due to lower water and sewer surcharge revenues. Staff say the wetter spring and summer weather has caused a drop in water usage.

There was a $1.7 million deficit in the water and sewer budget in the first six months of the year. Water consumption in the January to June period was 96% of the budgeted consumption.The June to September period is when the majority of water consumption occurs in the City of Ottawa. Environment Canada reports Ottawa has received 455 mm of rain between June 1 and the end of August.

StittsvilleCentral.ca

By StittsvilleCentral, August 30, 2017

In an update on Facebook today, Councillor Shad Qadri advises that tree clearing work started today on the site of a new commercial development owned by Huntington Properties at Iber and Hazeldean:

“Tree Clearing Starting today for development at south west corner of Hazeldean/Iber. A tree permit has been approved for the construction of a mixed retail, commercial and office to be located at 5734 and 5754 Hazeldean Road and 2 Iber Road. Unfortunately, the parking and building layout do not allow for more tree retention. Approximately 140 trees are scheduled for planting within and surrounding the development. Approximately 117 trees will be removed. 44 trees are to be retained on or adjacent to the developed areas. The tree permit issued for this address is issued under Part II of the Urban Tree Conservation By-law. Huntington Properties is developer of the site and have advised they are finalization of the leasing and pre-construction plans for the site and will provide more information in the future which I will share with the community.”

Deficit exposes need to weatherproof Ottawa's budget, expert warns - Ottawa - CBC News

By Laura Osman, CBC News Ottawa, August 31, 2017

An environmental economist says it's time to weatherproof Ottawa's budget in the face of climate change, as the city grapples with a projected $11-million deficit for 2017.

The red ink was precipitated in part by record rainfall, flooding and heavy snowstorms.

Ram Sahi, a former Carleton University professor, said massive swings in the amount of snow and rain caused by climate change will make it difficult for cities to know how much money to set aside for snow removal, flood cleanup and other weather-related costs.

Science of summer: Threatened monarchs battle back for best summer in years
Ottawa Citizen

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, August 31, 2017

Monarch butterflies, the flashy insects that have been close to extinction for years, are suddenly flapping their orange-and-black wings all over our region in a population boom that has stunned biologists.

“In the last several years you look around and you (didn’t) see any of them. You could spend your entire summer hunting and see four. You can spend 10 minutes right now and see 40. It’s great,” said Jeremy Kerr, who studies butterflies at the University of Ottawa.

“They seem to be having a completely stellar year in eastern North America and it’s looking like we could get some really welcome news in terms of beginning a population recovery this year.

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