Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

How 5 cities gave new life to old rail bridges - Ottawa - CBC News

By Alistair Steele, CBC News Ottawa, August 18, 2016

News that the City of Ottawa is considering spending $250,000 to install permanent gates to prevent pedestrian access to the Prince of Wales Bridge has been met with a fair degree of public criticism.

Trespassers who nevertheless enjoy strolling across the rusting structure, which saw its last train 15 years ago and was acquired by the city in 2005, see the idea as an unimaginative waste of money and, more to the point, potential.

To get an idea of what could be, here's a look at what five other cities did with disused bridges, viaducts and elevated railways.

Mayor Watson sick of lawsuits, calls for safety on Prince of Wales Bridge

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 18, 2016

Sick of the city being hauled to court, Mayor Jim Watson says the city can’t risk letting people hang out on a decrepit rail bridge above the Ottawa River.

“I’m getting tired of the city being sued. We spend a lot of money on lawsuits. People love to sue governments,” Watson said, adding that there have been “hazings” and people chasing others across the Prince of Wales Bridge.

“It’s not safe to be on an unused, rickety, old train bridge.”

Some seeds with your books? Library teams up with Just Food for community seed bank

Metro News

By Haley Ritchie, Ottawa Metro News, August 17, 2016

Local libraries are a great place to borrow books about gardening – but starting this year, Ottawa residents can also borrow the seeds to grow the garden.

Last spring, the Ottawa Public Library partnered with Just Food to create the city’s first “seed library” for gardeners and people who want to learn more about growing food.

“People take the seeds out of the library during workshops,” explained Jordan Bouchard, a Just Food co-ordinator and organizer of the program.

No deal made yet: library board chair

By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, August 17, 2016

The city could be considering a fourth site for a central library, said Ottawa library board chair Tim Tierney after an in-camera meeting to consider the top ranked sites for the new facility on Aug. 16.

Bookmark the Core, an advocacy group that aims to make sure the new library stays within the traditional downtown core, called foul on the ranking of the top three – or four – as Tierney hinted – sites, as they happened during an in-camera meeting of the board, which does not allow for public access.

Pedal Power: River Ward cycling group forms to advocate for route improvements

By Erin McCracken, Ottawa Community News, August 15, 2016

Pedal power is getting a powerful boost in River Ward with the creation of a coalition of avid cyclists who are advocating for an improved network of routes to improve safety and draw out more recreational and commuter cyclists.

The group is also now mapping out cycling routes for a report that will be submitted to the city by the fall. The report card will explore current conditions and recommend short- and long-term improvements to the city and the National Capital Commission.

Forecasters say a hot, dry summer could shorten the window to see fall foliage

CTV News

By Madeline Smith, CTV News Ottawa, August 17, 2016

TORONTO -- The vibrant colours of Ontario's fall foliage could have a shorter display than expected this year after a hot and dry summer.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips said the trees in eastern Canada could soon show the effects of a hotter and drier summer than normal, and they may not hold on to their leaves for very long as fall colours arrive.

1,600 parasitic wasps released in Ontario, Quebec to fight off emerald ash borers - Technology & Science - CBC News

By Justin Li, CBC News Ottawa, August 17, 2016

The Canadian Forest Service announced Wednesday it is releasing parasitic wasps in Ontario and Quebec this week in an effort to control the population of emerald ash borers.

Krista Ryall, a research scientist for the Canadian Forest Service, told CBC News that 1,600 of the non-stinging wasps native to China are meant to combat the emerald ash borers that have killed ash trees in more than 260,000 hectares of Ontario forests.

Gas leak forces evacuations, traffic tie-ups on Castlefrank

Ottawa Citizen

By Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen, August 17, 2016

Motorists are being asked to avoid Castlefrank Road between Winchester and McKitrick drives after a gas leak was reported Wednesday morning.

According to Ottawa police, the leak occurred in the 0-100 block of Castlefrank shortly before 8:17 a.m. and a number of people were evacuated.

Truck tunnel can be done, but it would cost up to $2B

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 17, 2016

A truck-diverting tunnel connecting Highway 417 with the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge would cost up to $2 billion to build, according to a study released Wednesday.

It’s possible to build a tunnel under Sandy Hill and Lowertown with two lanes in each direction, consultant Parsons says. The recommended alignment has the tunnel beginning at the intersection of Coventry Road and the Vanier Parkway, going under the Rideau River, and stretching 3.4 kilometres to the interprovincial bridge.

Saturday's rain triggers massive sewage spill

Metro News

By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, August 16, 2016

Nearly 173,000 cubic metres of raw sewage landed in the Ottawa River after Saturday’s heavy rainfall – a one-day dump that nearly equaled all the sewage spills combined in 2015.

The city’s combined sewers leaked 180,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage in 2015.

The 2016 season, however, seems to be going down the toilet with more than 420,000 cubic metres already logged and three months still to go in the reporting season.

Two new bike repair stands roll into Vanier

By Michelle Nash Baker, Ottawa Community News, August 16, 2016

There is a new reason to stop at Marier Avenue and Montreal Road.At the corner of the street sits a new bicycle repair stand. The free stand offers cyclists the chance to give their bike a quick tune-up on the go.

It is one of 11 stations up and running in the city. Other locations include at city hall, in the Glebe at the Glebe Parking Garage, 170 Second Ave. and in Overbrook at the St. Laurent Branch library.

Short list of up to 3 potential sites for Ottawa's central library to be kept secret - Ottawa - CBC News

By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, August 16, 2016

An advocacy group is calling for the short list of potential sites for a new central branch to be made public after the Ottawa Public Library board decides on the finalists at its meeting Tuesday.

Emilie Taman, of the group Bookmark the Core, calls the process "hugely problematic" and wants more transparency.

"Without disclosing which the top sites are, I think it's going to be very difficult for the public to have confidence in the process. And that's been our biggest issue from the very beginning," she told CBC News.