By Kate Bueckert, CBC News Ottawa, August 15, 2017
The summer's high rainfall amounts combined with heat and humidity means this summer could be the worst for West Nile virus in Ontario since 2012.
Public Health Ontario reports on its weekly West Nile virus surveillance website that across 24 different health units, 172 mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile virus.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 16, 2017
A technical glitch was giving transit customers headaches loading their Presto cards this week.
A Presto spokeswoman said there was a delay in e-purse loading but the problem was fixed by noon on Wednesday.
Presto had been working on the fix since noticing a problem Tuesday.
By the Ottawa Citizen, August 14, 2017
A mild earthquake gently shook parts of the Ottawa-Gatineau area Monday but federal officials said there were no reports of damage.
Earthquake Canada said the tremor began at 4:58 p.m. and was an estimated magnitude of 3.3. The quake could be felt in Orléans, Buckingham, Que., and Val-des-Monts, Que., which is about 40 kilometres northeast of Gatineau.
By Alex Abdelwahab, Ottawa Metro News, August 13, 2017
When you walk into Ottawa’s first zero-waste grocery store, the first thing you notice is the writing on the wall that says “tare, fill, pay” above two scales.
The idea is that customers bring their own containers to fill up with food and household items sold at the store.
So, the tare station – tare weight is a term to describe the officially accepted weight of an empty container – ensures customers only pay for the cost of the food and not the container.
By Kieran Delamont, Ottawa Metro News, August 14, 2017
The Ontario government is investing $100 million from its carbon market into a new fund, called the Municipal GHG Challenge Fund, that will fund local initiatives to fight climate change.
The money, which is the first installment of a three-year plan, will be available for municipalities to fund programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their communities. Municipalities must apply with an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in their community, a strategy, and identifiable reduction targets, and are eligible to receive up to $10 million in 2018.
By Melissa Murray, Ottawa Community News, August 14, 2017
Out of 154 artists who put their names forward to create artwork for the city’s new light rail transit stations, 59 artists or teams were from Ottawa.The call for artists went out nationwide and those chosen are from Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Kingston, and Chelsea and Wakefield in west Quebec.
Two of those picked for artwork that will be incorporated directly into the station designs are from Ottawa.
Those local artists are preparing their works for Bayview and Lees stations.
By Ted Raymond, CTV News Ottawa, August 14, 2017
Earthquakes Canada says a small earthquake was detected near Gatineau Monday afternoon.
At this time, there are no reports of damage, and Earthquakes Canada says none would be expected.
The minor tremblor was felt just before 5:00 p.m.
By Stu Mills, CBC News Ottawa, August 13, 2017
The town of Smiths Falls is using swans to drive Canada geese from a park near the Rideau Canal, but the plan seems to be backfiring.
"We come here a couple times a day and the geese and swans are friends," said retiree Rob Kettles.
(...)In a page outlining the threat to native species, Environment and Climate Change Canada says pairs of Mute swans typically establish territories of 0.2-5.0 hectares and defend them from other Mute swans and other wetland-dependent birds and mammals.
By Malcolm Campbell, CBC News Ottawa, August 14, 2017
An electric car owner is working on changing the perception that the vehicles aren't made for long distance.
Paul Camire and his wife packed up their Chevy Bolt and took a road trip from Ottawa to P.E.I.
He said that although stopping more frequently is part of having an electric car, it works for him.
By Karla Hilton, CBC News Ottawa, August 14, 2017
Right now it looks more like a shed than a house.But when it's finished, the Northern Nomad could be one of the first tiny houses built in Canada to achieve net-zero energy.
"So the first thing was the challenge, can you do it?" says Scott Bucking, an associate engineering professor at Carleton University.
"Is it possible, in this footprint, to collect and store all the energy systems you will need in a given year?"
By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 2017
Clad in a white coverall and dragging a length of white flannel, Manisha Kulkarni seems a sinister figure in suburban Ottawa as she drags for a growing threat that is invisible to the naked eye.
Blacklegged ticks may be as small as a poppy seed but they can carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. It can be treated with antibiotics but, if left untreated, Lyme can cause arthritis, neurological problems, numbness, paralysis and, on rare occasions, even death.
“With urbanization, residential neighbourhoods are spreading into what used to be wooded areas where ticks are found,” explained the medical entomologist at the University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health. “This means that in many parts of the city, people can pick up ticks while walking through tall grasses, bush or wooded areas in their neighbourhoods or even in their own backyards.”
By CBC News Ottawa, August 12, 2017
Ottawa has broken a depressing amount of water-related weather records this year. So many, that Environment Canada has been calling 2017 "the year of the big wet."
To give you an idea of just how wet it has been, both May and July shattered rainfall records for Ottawa, and June was the wettest one we've seen in almost two decades. Combined with those sad accomplishments, 2017 hasn't seen a single day reach 30 C.