Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Today’s letters: Reviving the Rideau Canal, hydro, and Washington 2017

Ottawa Citizen

By Richard Graignery, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, January 26, 2017

Rideau Canal can be so much better

Re: The Rideau Canal Skateway is overrated. There, I said it, Jan. 23.

I was born and raised in Old Ottawa South and agree with Tyler Dawson that the Rideau Canal is overrated summer or winter, but it doesn’t have to be so. Given that winter canal-skating season is so short and expensive, why not just develop a beautiful skating mecca at Dow’s Lake and forget about skating the whole length?

Dozens of Outaouais bus routes cancelled as STO dispute continues

Ottawa Citizen

By Normand Provencher, Ottawa Citizen, January 26, 2017

Commuters in Gatineau and elsewhere in the Outaouais faced another challenging day Thursday as dozens of routes were cancelled or delayed in a continuing labour conflict.

As the morning rush hour began, at least 70 trips had been cancelled as unionized drivers and mechanics for the Société de transport de l’Outaouais continued to report even the most minor mechanical problems as part of their pressure tactics in seeking a new contract.

The STO published a list of cancellations here and urged customers to check on the website through the day for updates.

City goes back to the drawing board on Blackburn road, transit link

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, January 26, 2017

Piecing together a new Cumberland Transitway won’t be as easy as the city thought.

A report published this week ahead of Wednesday’s transportation committee meeting says the city needs to find cheaper way to build a road and Transitway between the Blackburn Hamlet Bypass and Brian Coburn Boulevard.

The city estimated that section of road would cost $17.5 million, but after studying the ground conditions, staff realized it would actually cost about $70 million. The plan has been to build this section of road between 2020 and 2025.

Mayor’s state of the city address includes Ottawa’s future in driverless cars

Metro Ottawa

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

Mayor Jim Watson's State of the City address focused on broad themes Wednesday: light rail construction, Ottawa 2017 celebrations and the burgeoning business opportunities from the autonomous car industry.

Watson said he plans to lead a delegation to Queen’s Park in the coming weeks including business leaders and organizations like Terry Matthews and Invest Ottawa.

The mayor said he wants the visit to be a kind of ‘dog and pony show’ to make provincial politicians aware of the talent and resources the city has for driverless car research.

Blackburn residents working on walkability

By Brier Dodge, Ottawa Community News, January 25, 2017

A group of residents in Blackburn Hamlet participated in a walk audit of the community on Jan. 21 to make sure the community is safe, accessible and walkable for all residents.

“No matter how good our community is, it can always be better,” said Blackburn Community Association president Laura Dudas.

The community association teamed up with Amica, which hosted the event, and the Council on Aging of Ottawa, which frequently does walk audits of different communities, to put it together.

Science of winter: Noon this time of year is not 12:00. On Wednesday it’s at 12:15 p.m.

Ottawa Citizen

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, January 25, 2017

Here’s an oddity for those who were taught that noon is the middle of the day, and the sun is due south at 12:00. Neither is true.

Noon this time of year is not 12:00. On Tuesday and Wednesday it is at 12:15 p.m., and it’s getting steadily later, as measured by the time when the sun is at its highest, halfway between sunrise and sunset.

Midnight similarly is at 12:15 a.m. Blame something called the analemma.

City could end trash collection for ‘bunker houses’ in Sandy Hill

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, January 25, 2017

Piles of trash at multi-bedroom “bunker houses” in Sandy Hill have drawn the ire of the community association, prompting the councillor to float changes to curbside garbage pickup in the neighbourhood.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury is asking for feedback on a series of initiatives that, if adopted by the city, would force landlords of converted multi-unit, multi-bedroom buildings in Sandy Hill to hire private garbage collection services, much like rooming houses do.

Fleury is using the term bunker houses to describe buildings that have several bedrooms in each unit, leading to some ugly garbage storage. It has also become a logistical nightmare for garbage collection since there’s so much trash generated by those buildings, according to Fleury.

Sewer protesters bring ‘mucking’ concerns to mayor’s office

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, January 25, 2017

Protestors buttonholed the city manager Wednesday but were stopped by the glass wall outside the mayor’s office as they called for changes to how the city will dig a new super sewer through the core.

Stanley Park, which is along the Rideau River not far from Sussex Drive, is poised to be a major construction and extraction area for the $232-million crosstown sewage tunnel, which will intercept overflow from combined sewers before it hits the Ottawa River.

Wearing construction vests and hard hats, about 50 protestors from the New Edinburgh community filed into chambers after a council meeting to do some intercepting of their own as politicians left the room.

Ottawa second-rattiest city in Ontario: Orkin

By Chris Holski, CFRA News, January 24, 2017

This is not a rat race Ottawa wants to place well in.

Orkin Canada says our city is the second-rattiest in Ontario.The pest control company based its findings on the number of rodent treatments it carries out.

That means because our city has a higher population, it's likely going to place higher.

Today’s letters: Columnist skates on thin ice with Rideau Canal screed

Ottawa Citizen

By Geoffroy Cullwright and others, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, January 24, 2017

Have a stick of celery with your skate, Mr. Dawson

Re: The Rideau Canal Skateway is overrated, Jan. 23.Ignoring for now objections to the premise of the article – that the Rideau Canal is overrated – columnist Tyler Dawson fails to make any coherent argument in support of his position. He decries Beavertails, yet admits to never having tried one. He laments the canal’s ice quality, but concedes that it is outdoors and is subject to the elements.

He complains of crowds on the canal, yet only references the busiest stretch. Mr. Dawson ignores what many Ottawans know: the canal offers an all-season opportunity for activity and exploration, and certainly one of the world’s most unique commutes.

Eastern Ontario drought appears close to ending

Ottawa Citizen

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, January 24, 2017

The drought that reached severe status this summer appears to be ending as lakes are high and streams are running after snow, rain and some melting.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has downgraded the drought status to “minor,” and the Mississippi Valley authority has cancelled its drought warning altogether.

Experts warn however that the return of water to Eastern Ontario is still patchy. Some water bodies such as Bob’s Lake and the Tay River are still low, and the state of our groundwater is uncertain.

STO transit users sideswiped by cancelled bus routes, labour dispute

Ottawa Citizen

By Susana Mas, Ottawa Citizen, January 24, 2017

Public transit users scrambled to find alternate ways to get to work Tuesday morning after several bus routes were delayed or cancelled as a result of pressure tactics by the union that represents Gatineau bus drivers.

Chaos ensued after dozens of buses remained in the garage for mechanical inspection forcing the cancellation of several bus trips during rush hour.

“We had to cancel, during peak periods this morning, 25 trips related to the lack of buses,” said Céline Gauthier, a spokeswoman for the Société de Transport de l’Outaouais, in an email to the Citizen.