By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 2017
Ecologists who study the Rideau River thought they knew what questions to ask, until the nature of flooding in Eastern Ontario changed before their eyes.
A new study of the Jock River by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority says ecologically it is stable despite many pressures. But the flood threat is a new variable.
The conservation authority studied the Jock because it pumps a lot of water into the Rideau.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 2017
Communities need more influence in city decisions to improve traffic safety when studies shoot down requests for speed limit reductions or stop signs, according to council’s transportation chairman.
Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Keith Egli said he doesn’t want to get rid of the “warrant” system – the metrics that must be achieved before a traffic change happens – but he sees the need for more flexibility in how the city makes decisions on traffic measures.
Warrant criteria can include vehicle and pedestrian volumes, pedestrian crossing wait times, collision data and visibility restrictions.
By Jon Willing and Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 2017
The city wants to tweak the proposed extension of the north-south Trillium Line to bring trains almost a kilometre closer to fast-growing Riverside South as part of the $3-billion Stage 2 transit program.
The current blueprint has the Trillium Line stopping at a rural area along Bowesville Road, but transit planners have spent weeks exploring the possibility of running the train farther south.
On Wednesday, Mayor Jim Watson and other officials unveiled a plan that would add about 800 metres of LRT track and move the station and park-and-ride lot south to Earl Armstrong Road.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, July 5, 2017
Three years after Lansdowne Park reopened, the trees on its commercial streets are still struggling, scraggly things, fighting for life in tough conditions.
“Greening” Lansdowne was a major selling point for the partnership between the city government and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), turning a dreary old fairground-cum-parking-lot into a city oasis. And, in fairness, the new trees in the Lansdowne’s eastern parky section are doing just fine. The ones in Aberdeen Square, where the farmers’ market sets up between the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Cineplex movie theatre, are also OK.
By StittsvilleCentral Staff, July 4, 2017
Mattamy will start filling in the temporary stormwater pond along Maple Grove Road this week. The pond is located just east of the Fairwinds subdivision, adjacent to Harmattan Avenue and Helm Circle. The work is expected to continue until September.
The pond was originally built along with the first homes in the Fairwinds subdivision, and was always meant to be a temporary facility for storing excess stormwater. The pond on Maple Grove, along with another temporary pond adjacent to Brigatine Avenue, will eventually be filled and new houses will be built on top.
By Alex Abdelwahab, Ottawa Metro News, July 3, 2017
At the height of the flooding in May, more than 20 kilometres of the National Capital Commission’s (NCC) pathways were underwater, the commission's board of directors heard last week.
In some cases, the paths were submerged by four or five feet of water, Gary Lacey, executive director of capital stewardship told the board.
Numerous parking lots and parks were also greatly affected, he added.
By Alex Abdelwahab, Ottawa Metro News, July 3, 2017
The National Capital Commission (NCC) has approved the preliminary design for the new Canadian Museum of Science and Technology Park.It will include a skateboarding area, outdoor theatre and an outdoor gym, among other features.
And it will also retain the iconic lighthouse, which will be the centrepiece of a skating rink in the winter, and a splash pad — complete with water jets and a fog and mist system — in the summer.
By Alex Abdelwahab, Ottawa Metro News, July 3, 2017
It’s time to have your say on the NCC’S Capital Illumination Plan 2017-2027, which is scheduled to launch this year.The NCC is asking the public’s input on its newly released plan, through a questionnaire on its website, until Sunday, July 9.
The 121-page plan focuses on the downtown core of both Ottawa and Gatineau, but also extends from Metcalfe to the Canadian Museum of Nature, on the Ottawa side.
The plan aims to improve the “nighttime beauty of the Capital” by doing a better job of lighting iconic buildings and monuments on both sides of the river, including the Parliament buildings and Canadian Museum of History, while also reducing energy use.
By Erin McCracken, Ottawa Community News, July 4, 2017
Eastway Gardens residents are another step closer to having a noise wall built in back of their homes to block sound coming from a light-rail yard that will be expanded over the coming months.
But from out of left field, they were surprised to learn the city is floating the option of building a second wall about 250 metres along their property lines to help muffle the sound of passing Via trains.
By Waubgeshig Rice, CBC News Ottawa, July 3, 2017
Some Ottawa-area farmers are getting fed up with rain that just doesn't seem to let up this growing season.
After another deluge on the Canada Day weekend, massive puddles remain on fields at Bit-Ta-Luk Farms in Carp where corn and soy should be growing.
"It's been a challenge since day one," said farmer Andrew Ross, surveying his soaked surroundings on the outskirts of Ottawa. "This field here has a giant lake in the middle, so everything that's there will die, and the other soy beans in the field are behind as well due to lack of sun and excess moisture."
By Blair Sanderson, CBC News Ottawa, July 2, 2017
After ruffling a few feathers, the grey jay will not be crowned Canada's national bird after all.
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society had hatched a plan to have a national bird declared by the federal government in time for Canada 150 celebrations. But it's not to be. For 18 months, the society ran its National Bird Project, which included an online contest, as well public debates and consultations with ornithologists and other experts.
By Melissa Murray, Ottawa Community News, June 29, 2017
The flood waters have receded, but the damage is already done.
Fixing pathways damaged from the flood this spring will cost the National Capital Commission $3.4 million.
During the commission's board meeting on June 29, Marc Corriveau, director, urban lands and transportation, and Gary Lacey, executive director, capital stewardship, gave members an update on the flood that affected 12 capital commission areas in early May.