Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Anonymous donor gives 60 bikes for Ottawa kids in need

Metro Ottawa

By Ottawa Metro News, April 27, 2017

Sixty kids will receive free bikeS from Ottawa police, courtesy of an anonymous donor.

The bicycles will be handed out at a Bikes for Kids event on Saturday Apr. 29 at the McNabb Community Arena.

“What this donor has done is allow us to reach out to our partners in both the school and general community to identify kids who have worked hard to overcome various different challenges in their lives,” Sgt. Adam Coakley, the Ottawa police school resource officer and the event organizer, said in a statement.

Builder has 2020 vision for 15 hectares in Barrhaven

OttawaCommunityNews.com

By Megan Delaire, Ottawa Community News, April 27, 2017

There's an empty expanse in the middle of Barrhaven the size of 15 rugby fields, and Claridge Homes sees townhouses, highrise condo buildings and parks in its future.

On March 23, the city’s planning committee will consider an application by Claridge to build 667 residential units, a small parkette and a larger park with a multi-use trail on the 15.5-hectare lot at 3370 Greenbank Rd.

The land lies along the west side of Greenbank Road, just north of Jock River, and is vacant except for a single abandoned farmhouse and some farm buildings in the southeast corner.

Watson defends RTG safety record in wake of crane accident

OttawaCommunityNews.com

By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, April 27, 2017

A toppled crane at the site near Laurier Avenue and Nicholas Street didn’t cause any injuries, according to the city.The accident was at the entrance to the light rail tunnel near the University of Ottawa.

Mayor Jim Watson spoke about the accident following the April 26 council meeting.

The vehicle tipped and the crane attached to it fell, Watson said, adding any time there’s an accident it’s “troubling.”

Despite the concern, Watson said the light rail project has one of the safest records in the province for a project of that size. The Ministry of Labour will visit the site and conduct an investigation, Watson said.

Ottawa, Gatineau traffic updates for April 27 - Ottawa - CBC News

By Doug Hempstead, CBC News Ottawa, April 27, 2017

Cyclist uses downtown sidewalks

Michael is a cyclist and sees little choice but to use the sidewalk in Ottawa sometimes.

"I am a daily cycle commuter. ... There are two places I take to the sidewalk in self-defence on my ride home. In front of the American Embassy on Mackenzie Avenue opposite Major Hill park ... the right (lane is) most heavily used by STO buses. It's a cyclist death trap during rush hour. The other is a 20m stretch on the east side of Colonel By between Pretoria and where Echo starts at Graham Avenue.Why don't I use the (multi-use pathway)?

I have more close calls with dog walkers, strollers, joggers, roller bladers, wheelchairs and, frankly, other cyclists on the MUP, than I do with cars on Colonel By. It's also in terrible condition. I try to be aware of, and defer to, pedestrians when I encounter them."

Crane operator escapes injury after heavy machine tips over near LRT tunnel

Ottawa Citizen

By Matthew Pearson and Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen, April 27, 2017

A crane operator escaped injury Wednesday when he leaped from his heavy machine as it tipped over while lifting a small cement mixer into a hole at the eastern portal of the Confederation LRT Line tunnel near Laurier Avenue and Waller Street.

Rideau Transit Group technical director Peter Lauch said the crane operator was “shaken” but unhurt in the incident, which occurred around 9:30 a.m.Once the load was on, treads on the crawler crane were to extend to create a square and centre the load to prevent tipping. “Those treads weren’t deployed and that caused an unbalance and therefore we tipped forward,” Lauch told reporters at the scene.

Lane, speed limit, parking cuts in proposed Elgin Street redesign

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, April 27, 2017

Four lanes of Elgin Street would be cut to two lanes, 32 parking spots would be eliminated and the speed limit would be decreased to 30 km/h in a recommended redesign of the commercial and entertainment strip.

A report published ahead of a transportation committee meeting Wednesday says Elgin Street would be closed for 12 months during heavy construction before crews take another 10 months to finish paving and landscaping through the corridor.

The $42-million reconstruction project, which includes Hawthorne Avenue and a small piece of Waverley Street, would begin in 2019. The cost estimate is preliminary and the budget still needs further scrutiny.

Conservationists want to rescue eels getting sliced in Ottawa dam turbines

Metro Ottawa

By Drew May, Ottawa Metro News, April 26, 2017

Conservationists are hoping new turbines in the Chaudière Falls dam will help restore the population of eels in the Ottawa River.David Browne, director of conservation at the Canadian Wildlife Federation, said the organization has partnered with Energy Ottawa, which owns the dams around Ottawa, to put in new turbines that won’t kill eels. The new turbines let them swim around so they can pass through more easily.

The CWF estimates that eels once made up around 50 per cent of fish in the river but their numbers have dropped to around 1,000. This is because they aren’t able to pass through the hydroelectric dams on the river, according to Browne. The federation estimates that around 80 per cent of the fish in the river are now catfish.

Construction crane topples at LRT tunnel entrance - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, April 26, 2017

A mobile crane operator had to hop from the cab of the machine when it fell onto its side at the eastern entrance to the LRT tunnel near the University of Ottawa Wednesday morning.

Rideau Transit Group technical director Peter Lauch said in a briefing outside the work site that the crane was lifting a small cement mixer into the tunnel when it toppled.

Saul: Ottawa is dithering on becoming a green energy leader

Ottawa Citizen

By Graham Saul, Ottawa Citizen, April 26, 2017

How many terms of city council does it take to screw in an energy efficient lightbulb? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t “one.”

In May 2014, well before the last municipal election, the City of Ottawa promised to develop a clean energy strategy. This energy strategy was to help Ottawa transition away from its dependence on fossil fuels by promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation. Now it looks like a real strategy – one that includes policy change and significant new investments – may not be ready until 2019, after the next municipal election.

City hall is essentially punting the decision about a renewable energy strategy into the next term of council. In other words, the last city council promised to prepare a renewable energy strategy, and the current council is saying that a strategy won’t be ready for this council’s term. So, it looks like it will be up to the 2019 council pass and fund that strategy, if at all.

Residents pleased parking preserved as Leiper can’t peddle cycling lanes

Ottawa Citizen

By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen, April 26, 2017

The wheels fell off a plan to swap 97 parking spots for bike lanes on Spencer Street — partly because of objections from cyclists themselves, Coun. Jeff Leiper reveals in a community message.

The Kitchissippi Ward councillor abandoned the cycling proposal after 55 per cent of 160 feedback emails clearly opposed the idea while still others were iffy on the proposal, the final step in the rebuilding of 600 metres of Spencer, from Holland to Western Avenue.

Leiper’s change of heart, posted online Tuesday afternoon, certainly deflated a possibly confrontational public meeting held later in the evening on Northwestern Avenue.

Groups call on Experimental Farm to educate about coyotes, not relocate

Metro Ottawa

By Haley Ritchie, Ottawa Metro News, April 25, 2017

Two environmental groups are calling on Agriculture Canada to educate, not relocate, when it comes to coyotes making their homes on the experimental farm.

Donna DuBreuil of the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre said the organization put out a news release with the Animal Protection Party of Canada when it received word that Agriculture Canada had hired professionals to capture and relocate the animals.

“It’s totally impractical. You can’t relocate wildlife when there’s an attraction there,” said DuBreuil. “There’s probably a very healthy rodent population there, with mice and voles and so on, which is part of the coyote’s diet.”

First hazardous waste depot of 2017 coming up on Sunday

Ottawa & Region

News

By Gabrielle Roy, Ottawa Sun, April 25, 2017

The first household hazardous waste depot of the year will take place on Sunday, April 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Rideau Carleton Raceway on 4837 Albion Road.

The waste accepted includes aerosol containers, propane cylinders, disinfectants, fluorescent bulbs, fire extinguishers, fertilizers and pesticides, mercury switches, needles and syringes, pharmaceuticals, oven and window cleaners, pool chemicals, batteries and paints and coatings.