Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Study suggests raising downtown parking rates to battle congestion

By Ted Raymond, CFRA News, March 29, 2017

A new study, commissioned by four city councillors, suggests raising the price of downtown parking would be the most cost-effective way to reduce traffic congestion in the core of the city.

Councillors David Chernushenko, Jeff Leiper, Catherine McKenney and Tobi Nussbaum paid for the study through their office budgets. Chernushenko tells CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon he spent $8,000. Responding by email, Leiper says his office paid roughly $5,000 and McKenney estimates her office paid $3,000. Nussbaum had not replied to a request for comment by the time this article was published.

The study by CPCS, looked at four main options for reducing traffic volume downtown and encouraging transit ridership. The options were putting a toll on the Queensway; placing a “cordon” around the downtown core and charging drivers who enter the area; increasing downtown parking rates; and raising the gas tax.

Labour ministry makes 47 orders on LRT project

Ottawa & Region

News

Ottawa

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, March 29, 2017

The Ontario Ministry of Labour says it made 47 orders after visiting the LRT construction site several times over the course of a week.

According to a ministry spokesperson, provincial reps performed 14 field visits during the week of March 20.

The ministry said the orders mostly related to four areas: reversing vehicles; a director’s consent to operate internal combustion engines in a tunnel; damaged, non-compliant or absent fire lines and equipment; and, inadequate lighting.

Should BIAs and communities get veto power to decide free parking?

Ottawa & Re

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, March 29, 2017

The veto that businesses and communities have over parking rates could be up for debate when councillors discuss free street parking in the Hintonburg-Westboro corridor next week.

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Keith Egli, chair of the transportation committee, expects there will be a discussion during a committee meeting next Wednesday about the appropriateness of a policy that gives business associations, community associations and ward councillors veto power over parking rates in their areas.

Plans underway to lift partially sunken barge from Picton Bay - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, March 29, 2017

The Canadian Coast Guard says the risk of more leaks from a partially sunken barge in Prince Edward County in southeastern Ontario is low, and the plan is to lift it out of Picton Bay tonight or Thursday morning.

The drinking water system in Prince Edward County in southeastern Ontario is up and running again after being shut down temporarily Tuesday when about 30 litres of an undetermined substance leaked from the barge and floated close to a water intake pipe.

STO backs down from court injunction - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, March 29, 2017

Lawyers for both the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) and the union representing drivers and mechanics with Gatineau's transit agency have agreed not to proceed with a request for a court-ordered injunction.

The agreement comes one day before Thursday's planned rotating strike, the third since workers began their job action.

On hydro, only some polls really matter to the Ontario government

Ottawa Citizen

By Brian Platt, Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 2017

Hey, remember the Hydro One sale?

It’s kind of fallen off the radar these days with all the hubbub over electricity rates, but this was the incredibly controversial decision by Premier Kathleen Wynne to effectively privatize the province’s transmission utility, gradually selling 60 per cent of it.

(For those of you keeping score at home of controversial Ontario Liberal electricity decisions, this one comes after the Green Energy Act, and after the gas plants cancellation, but before the refinancing of the global adjustment.)

Prescott mayor calls for trucks hauling toxic cargo to be banned from 401 in bad weather

Ottawa Citizen

By Wayne Lowrie, Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 2017

PRESCOTT – Mayor Brett Todd wants the provincial Ministry of Transport to enact regulations that would keep trucks with hazardous materials off the roads during storms.

In the wake of this month’s deadly pile up and toxic spill on Highway 401, Todd said there should be rules that restrict the hauling of toxic chemicals based on weather conditions.

“Why are there not regulations to keep this type of hazardous material off the road when the weather is bad?” the mayor asked at a council meeting this week.

About 2/3 of promised 500 electric vehicle charging stations installed

By Allison Jones, Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 2017

TORONTO - Ontario's Liberal government will miss its self-imposed deadline of the end of this month to have a network of nearly 500 electric vehicle charging stations up and running.

Ministry of Transportation officials say about two-thirds of the stations will be live by Friday.

The government made the commitment last year, but has run into a few problems with about one-third of the network, said Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca.

Reducing Greenbelt area not an option as Ontario tackles housing shortage: Wynne

By Allison Jones, Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 2017

TORONTO - Reducing the Greenbelt lands is not one of the options Ontario's Liberal government is considering as it tackles housing shortage in the province, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday.

The government, she said, is actually committed to expanding the Greenbelt, which is about 800,000 hectares of protected land that borders the Greater Golden Horseshoe area surrounding Lake Ontario.

"The Greenbelt is a hugely important swath of land that is like the lungs of this highly populated part of the province, so that's not something that we're looking at," said Wynne. "But we recognize that housing affordability is a huge, huge issue."

Planning primer aims to demystify development

StittsvilleCentral.ca

By StittsvilleCentral, March 26, 2017

If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between a site plan and a zoning amendment, or tried to decipher acronyms like CDP, CoA and OMB, there’s an event in Stittsville on Thursday, April 6 that will be right up your alley.

Councillor Shad Qadri and City of Ottawa planning staff are hosting a Planning Primer at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex (Hall A) from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

The three-hour session will be a condensed version of a two-day workshop that usually runs downtown at City Hall. (This may actually be the first time that they’ve brought such an event to the suburbs.)

Planning committee approves redevelopment for Westgate Shopping Centre

Metro Ottawa

By Haley Ritchie, Ottawa Metro News, March 28, 2017

Ity seems Ottawa’s oldest mall won't be a mall for much longer.The Westgate Shopping Centre, on Merivale Road, first opened in the spring of 1955, the first “weather protected” shopping mall in Ottawa.

The original mall had a Freiman’s department store and a movie theatre, both of which have long since closed. The mall’s retail stores, including Canada Post and Shoppers Drugmart, occupy the first storey of the building. Office spaces occupy a second story on the building’s east side.

(...)Construction of the long-term project would take place in three phases, with the final version completed in 15 to 20. The final vision for the development includes five towers and 8,230 square metres of commercial space, 1,146 residential units and a central public green space.

Residents keep track of bus detours

By Melissa Murray, Ottawa Community News, March 28, 2017

Before the city’s first light-rail transit system even opens, local residents already have an eye on the detours planned for the next phase.

And they’re watching the details of what some are calling “necessary evils” closely.

One planned detour includes building a temporary transitway to connect the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway with a Westboro residential area.