By James McCracken, Ottawa Citizen, September 16, 2016
Over the next several weeks, the National Capital Commission will be reaching out to the public for feedback on 12 potential sites for a new Civic campus. It is an opportunity to listen to our community. We wholeheartedly support the NCC’s process and encourage all residents of Ottawa and eastern Ontario to take part in the online consultation process and visit the NCC’s open house on Sept. 22.
By Michelle Nash Baker, Ottawa Metro News, September 18, 2016
A project to rid Sandy Hill of some of its pavement is back on this fall.
The Sandy Hill Tree Group is working with the city’s Neighbourhood Connections office on a pilot project that aims to de-pave three city-owned areas along Somerset Street – replacing some existing asphalt with perennials, shrubs and trees.
Sandy Hill Tree group member Sabrina Matthews said the group wants to make the street, which is now a popular cycling and pedestrian route thanks to the Adawe Crossing in Strathcona Park, a beautiful site to see and be.
By Megan Delaire, Ottawa Metro News, September 18, 2016
A Nepean wetland and the six-kilometre long creek that flows from it are undergoing enhancements expected to make them better havens for the area’s wildlife.
Thanks to a partnership between the National Capital Commission, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund, the Black Rapids Wetland Enhancement Project will double the size of the wetland in the headwaters of Black Rapids Creek.
By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, September 16, 2016
Too many parcels of land outside the greenbelt are sitting vacant, prompting the city to hire a consultant to conduct a review of the properties zoned for employment.
The city had a policy of maintaining a rate of 1.3 jobs per household, but that practice didn’t always extend to neighbourhoods such as Barrhaven, Riverside South and Orléans.
By Brigitte Desrochers, Ottawa Citizen, September 18, 2016
The more people go to the Ottawa River, the more we should care about its water quality, and the more we should think about the stormwater pipes that lead into it. There is a long way to go to bring the waters back to full health.
Ottawa is becoming a poster child for water management issues, with its sinkholes so big they make it into the New York Times. To be fair, water has become a headache in most cities, overtaking fire as the leading source of home insurance claims in Canada. All cities our size intensify, and leave fewer places where water can soak up before going down our stormwater drains. And those storms are becoming more violent by the year.
By Ottawa Citizen, September 17, 2016
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning residents to be careful due to heavy rainfall expected Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Of concern is the area centred at Brockville and Prescott, where heavy showers and a few thunderstorms are expected to move across the region.
By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, September 15, 2016
Councillors are pumped about a new mountain bike park, but for some residents it’s all downhill from here.
Staff were given the nod Thursday to partner with the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association to design a pump track and skills area at Carlington Park, which is between Kirkwood and Clyde avenues.
By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, September 16, 2016
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
City council voted on Sept. 14 to move forward and have Mayor Jim Watson ask the province to fund an environmental assessment of a truck tunnel that would stretch from the Vanier Parkway exit of Highway 417, under Sandy Hill and Lowertown, to King Edward Avenue near the MacDonald-Cartier Bridge.
The city released a feasibility study for the tunnel in August. It would be 3.4 kilometres long and costs were estimated to be between $1.7- and $2 billion.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, September 15, 2016
The city is reviving a dormant project to build a new Transitway along Heron and Baseline roads, a $200-million plan to move more bus passengers faster across the southern edge of downtown.
“Most people have no idea this is in the plans,” says River Coun. Riley Brockington, through whose ward the new Transitway would run, and who isn’t crazy about it.
By Heather Scoffield, Ottawa Citizen, September 16, 2016
Federal politicians were scarce on Parliament Hill this week, taking advantage of the last few days before Parliament returns to kick up their heels and work the barbecue circuit one last time in other parts of the country.
Still, divisions deepened over how the country’s economy should be run; the Liberals’ approach to Aboriginal Peoples drew new scrutiny; and questions about how to wrestle climate change to the ground intensified. Here’s how federal political developments affected Canadians’ lives this week.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, September 16, 2016
OC Transpo has shaved about one minute off the train frequencies on the O-Train Trillium Line, but it’s still not achieving the times promised to council when it originally approved the $60-million expansion project.
According to the transit department, the Trillium Line now has a frequency of about 11 minutes, depending on the number of passengers using the service.
By Erin McCracken, Ottawa Community News, September 13, 2016
Geoff Radnor walks through dappled sunlight beneath a canopy of trees in his backyard before emerging into full sun.
He scans the lush landscape there. A large patch of yellow flowers in full bloom and the rich green of a dozen waist-high cedars mark out a part of his backyard that actually isn’t his, but is, in fact, Hydro One’s territory.