By Melissa Murray, Ottawa Community News, December 20, 2016
The status of the Carling Avenue eastbound ramp to the 417 beside Westgate is still up in the air even as the provincial and federal governments are moving forward with the expansion of Highway 417 and have promised up to $47.57 million each to .
On Dec. 19, David McGuinty, MP for Ottawa South, and Bob Chiarelli, MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, made the funding announcement overlooking a busy Highway 417 crossing Preston Street.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, December 21, 2016
Poisonous chemicals from the demolition of the Sir John Carling Building have seeped into Dow’s Lake and pose challenges for building a new hospital at the northeast corner of the Central Experimental Farm.
Almost any redevelopment on a property that used to be used for something else involves cleaning up some kind of old contamination. The older the site, the more gunk is likely to be found in the ground — on former industrial properties especially, but even an old office building’s boilers can have leaked oil or left behind coal dust.
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Sun, December 21, 2016
This winter, Tom Spears looks under snow and behind icicles to find out what makes our coldest season tick. It's a series we call The Science of Winter, and today's episode, on the first day of winter, looks at one side of cold weather that doesn't seem to make any sense.
Yes, dear optimists, the days will now grow longer, bringing more solar energy each day, warming us steadily until we reach glorious summer, right?
By Joe Palermo, Ottawa Sun, December 21, 2016
Joe Gallipeau, a Smiths Falls developer and town councillor is suing the town he represents because he says the municipality has been overcharging his business for water and related services.
A statement of claim filed at the Ontario Superior Court in Perth on Nov. 22 claims that in December 2015, Gallipeau became aware that his business, the Gallipeau Centre, was being improperly billed for a base water rate, a residential water rate, and a sewer charge, and claims that these charges should not apply as billed.
By Thomson Reuters, CBC News Ottawa, December 19, 2016
BlackBerry's track record for mobile security and leadership in automotive software makes moving into autonomous driving research a natural fit, the company's chief executive John Chen said Monday at the opening of a new research centre in Kanata, Ont.
"Autonomous vehicles require software that is extremely sophisticated and highly secure," Chen said.
By Amanda Van Frankfoort, Ottawa Citizen, December 19, 2016
The 60 centimetres of snow dumped on the city over the past two weeks has displeased some Ottawa residents, but one winter trail groomer couldn’t have been happier to see more fluffy white flakes promised in the weekend forecast.
“When I see snow forecasted I get into an excited, nervous state of mind. I love winter and I love grooming!” said Dave Adams, Sir John A. Macdonald Trail manager and head groomer.
By CBC News Ottawa, December 17, 2016
A water contamination crisis near Smiths Falls that erupted after a local flea market burned to the ground last month is far from over — and authorities say they still don't know the full scale of the problem.
That became clear during an information meeting Friday evening attended by homeowners from the affected area in Drummond North Elmsley Township, officials from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOE), the local medical officer of health and various township politicians.
By Randall Denley, CBC News Ottawa, December 18, 2016
There is no doubt Canadians are going to pay more for infrastructure over the next decade, but tolls are the wrong way to do it.It's easy to see the allure of road tolls.
They punish driving, which some view as inherently evil, and they give politicians a new sack of money so they can promise to spend more on transit and reduce road congestion while holding the line on taxes.
It's the next best thing to magic.
By Catherine McKenney and Tobi Nussbaum, Ottawa Citizen, December 16, 2016
The prospect of a new central public library in our city is an exciting one. Successful central libraries offer citizens a one-stop shop of diverse civic and cultural life. Across the country, new libraries have breathed additional life into downtown cores, from Vancouver to Halifax. In that context, the recommendation to move Ottawa’s new Central Library from the downtown core to the edge of LeBreton Flats raises important questions that Ottawa residents need to consider before the Ottawa Library Board convenes at the end of January. Here are three questions worth asking.
First, how was the feedback from the extensive public consultation reflected in the recommendation? The three highest-ranked criteria during the online public consultations on location were that the site be easy to access: for people with physical disabilities, by foot and by bus. On the face, it is not clear how a site separated from downtown by an escarpment, further removed from the residents who live or work in Centretown, and located more than two km from the crossroads of the city’s bus routes at the Rideau Centre reflects these priorities. Although the recommended site is close to an LRT station – a necessary condition for any future site – library-user surveys indicate that 81 per cent of current users arrive by foot.
By Lauren Sproule, Ottawa Sun, December 16, 2016
Starting Christmas Day, several changes will be introduced to OC Transpo route numbers, services and stations.
New Connexion routes (formerly “express”) will be implemented throughout the network and numbered in the 200s. Most west-end Connexion routes will bypass Westboro, Dominion, Lincoln Fields, Pinecrest, Queensway, and Iris stations for the afternoon commute.
A number of 200-series routes will replace routes 135, 20B, and 64 in north- and southbound directions in the morning and afternoon.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, December 16, 2016
Moving Ottawa’s main library to the edge of LeBreton Flats will open a big gap in downtown Ottawa, leaving no branch directly serving some of the city’s densest neighbourhoods.
Having a central library where the planners announced Thursday they want to put it, at the northwest corner of Bronson Avenue and Albert Street, isn’t a tragedy — a central library should be central, sure, but that spot is, and will be even more so once LeBreton Flats fills in. The particular piece of land the library staff have chosen comes with some challenges, such as being distinctly uphill from the nearest transit station, but centralness isn’t one of them.
By Andrew Savory, Ottawa Citizen, December 16, 2016
Ottawa residents eager to lace up their skates and hit the Rideau Canal will have to wait a little longer.
The National Capital Commission issued a safety advisory Friday warning people to stay off the Rideau Canal Skateway until the ice thickens.