By CBC News Ottawa, August 31, 2016
Ottawa city council has voted to ban smoking waterpipes in public places, a move hookah lounge owners have said could be "devastating" for their businesses.
The ban means smoking shisha from hookah pipes will fall in line with smoking tobacco, which has been prohibited from Ottawa restaurants and patios for 15 years.
Ottawa Public Health says smoking hookah waterpipes exposes the public to the risks of second-hand smoke.
By Glen Murray, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 31, 2016
Cap-and-trade is good for environment and economy
Re: Bad signs for Ontario’s cap-and-trade hopes, Aug. 24
Ontario will soon be partnering with Quebec and California, in what will be North America’s largest carbon credit trading market.
This partnership represents a historic landmark in the fight against climate change and real economic opportunity for our province to grab ahold of. By linking our cap-and-trade markets, Ontario will be able to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.
By Allison Sandor, CFRA News, August 30, 2016
Should the city's beach season be longer?
Lifeguards are no longer on duty at the city's five beaches, even though it's still warm out.
Rideau-Vanier Councillor Mathieu Fleury said extending beach season isn't that simple."There are significant budget challenges," said Fleury. "At the same time, there are some staffing issues. We could certainly look at other approaches to keep the beach season expanded."
By Michelle Nash Baker, Ottawa Community News, August 30, 2016
An event scheduled at Lansdowne Park aims to be the most efficient in history.
The Green Energy Doors Open will be held across the city and region from Sept. 9 through to Sept. 11. Organized by the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, the second annual weekend-long event is aimed at showcasing green energy initiatives and technology to help every day people make energy efficient choices.
By CTV News Ottawa, August 30, 2016
There have been mixed reviews on the new speed tables installed on Viseneau Dr. in Orléans. Some residents do not believe they are not doing enough to stop people from speeding.
“They are so low - cars are flying through them,” said resident Mike Mckay.Another concerned resident, Pat Teolis, said they asked the city to install speed humps instead, but they were told those affect OC Transpo Buses.
“Other routes in Ottawa have gradual speed humps so we’re a bit perplexed by what they’ve done,” Teolis said.
A speed table is designed to raise nearly the entire wheelbase of a vehicle so drivers are forced to slow down. They are roughly the same height as a speed hump or bump, but are several metres longer.
By Madeline Ashby, Ottawa Citizen, August 30, 2016
The people have spoken, and they don’t want pipelines.
On Monday, protesters effectively disrupted a hearing in Montreal related to the Energy East Pipeline. The pipeline, which would transport crude oil from Alberta to Saint John, N.B., has come under fire from some First Nations groups, multiple municipalities in Quebec and environmental groups. Their primary criticism is that the pipeline would threaten the water supply for more than five million Canadians, by traversing through or under more than 3,000 lakes, rivers and streams. These are sources of clean drinking water, and even one oil spill could put local communities at risk.
By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, August 30, 2016
While city officials in Ottawa think about ways to expand bike paths, those in the rural county of Prescott and Russell are pondering closing a 72-kilometre trail.
The Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail, which opened about a decade ago, runs on an unused Via railway line from St. Eugene in the east, through Vankleek Hill and Plantagenet, then skirts the Larose Forest and Alfred Bog before ending in the village of Hammond, close to Ottawa’s eastern boundary.
By Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen, August 29, 2016
City council extended Ottawa’s beach season this summer, but some residents would like to see it stretched even further to Labour Day weekend.
Lifeguards at four of Ottawa’s city-run beaches were on duty until Aug. 28. In 2015, the last day of the supervised beach season was Aug. 16.
A heat wave at the end of the beach season last year had drawn demands from the public to keep lifeguards in the chairs for a longer period, and council responded for 2016 by keeping them on duty until Sunday.
By Cassie Aylward, CFRA News, August 27, 2016
Lifeguards will be on duty at four of the City of Ottawa's five beaches this weekend for the last time this summer.
While most of the City beaches are open for swimming today, Westboro Beach remains under a no-swim advisory.
By Bernie Restedler, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 25, 2016
Pricey pedestrian bridge a bad use of funds
Re: Federal funds for city include $10.5M for crossing over canal, Aug. 24
How can Mayor Jim Watson even consider spending $21 million on a pedestrian/cycling bridge across the canal? I really don’t care if the federal government has promised $10.5 million to help out. The City of Ottawa doesn’t have a very good track record for pedestrian/cycling bridges. Does anyone else remember the Airport Parkway Pedestrian Bridge fiasco?
By Chris Holski, CFRA News, August 26, 2016
We're getting a better idea from Ottawa City Hall about where a tunnel from the 417 to the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge might be located.
A report on the feasibility of a tunnel, one which could cost as much as $2-billion, requires provincial support, and is a long distance away from being reality has been publicly released.It outlines six possible tunnel routes from as far west as Lowertown to as far east as Vanier.
Of those options, the report favours a 3.4 kilometre route.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, August 26, 2016
A councillor’s presentation at a national conference partially highlighting the perceived dark sides of municipal planning has raised eyebrows in some offices at Ottawa City Hall.
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum delivered a presentation called Fixing the 5 ‘i’s’ of Planning Failure during a Canadian Institute of Planners conference in Quebec City in July.