Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Hazmat call, fire at construction site doused in Little Italy

Ottawa Citizen

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, August 10, 2016

A fire that ignited spray foam insulation at a Little Italy construction site has been doused and fire and air tests turned up clear, although road closures are still in place, Ottawa Fire Services said Wednesday as the afternoon commute began.

Concerns about potentially-toxic burning insulation was behind the large perimeter established around the Claridge Icon project at Carling Avenue and Preston Street after a loud noise and smoke were reported at noon, a fire service spokeswoman said.

Province cool to picking up tab for low-income transit pass in Ottawa

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 10, 2016

The provincial government is hesitant to cough up $3.3 million for OC Transpo to subsidize a low-income transit pass, putting pressure on council to decide if the rebate should be part of the 2017 city budget.

Council voted in May to ask the province to cover the costs of a deeply discounted pass for low-income residents.

Postmedia asked the province this week if it would give the city money to pay for a low-income pass, as requested by council. The transportation ministry said it doesn’t have a say on the city’s day-to-day transit service, including the structure of fares.

No decision for at least a decade on reduction of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway lanes

Ottawa Citizen

By Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen, August 11, 2016

The National Capital Commission won’t decide whether to eliminate two lanes on the western section of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway for at least another decade, correspondence with Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre indicates.

Poilievre’s office asked the NCC and the City of Ottawa in July to provide the timeline for the potential reduction of the parkway west of Island Park Drive from four lanes to two. The NCC is considering the idea as part of its long-term plan to create a linear park along the Ottawa River.

Green run-off initiatives bogged down by bureaucracy

Metro News

By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, August 9, 2016

You finally get a community and developer on the same page, and then bureaucracy goes and ruins it.

Green initiatives at the Greystone Village development in Old Ottawa East have been delayed up to nine months because of slow approval processes and poor communication, according to Sustainable Living Ottawa East.

The committee has been working with Regional Group for more than a year to develop low-impact storm water solutions for the major residential project beside the Rideau River.

Mobile food market bringing communities together

By Michelle Nash Baker, Ottawa Community News, August 9, 2016

Fresh produce is making a weekly stop in Overbrook — and the residents are really starting to get a taste for it.

The neighbourhood, long described by its residents and local advocacy groups as a ‘food desert’ has been given the gift of a mobile market, which since May has been making a stop every Wednesday in the community to offer fresh goods at an incredibly reasonable rate.

It’s time to protect Gatineau Park with real legislation

Ottawa Citizen

By Nikita Lopoukhine, Ottawa Citizen, August 9, 2016

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has committed to protect 17 per cent of Canada’s land mass and 10 per cent of our marine areas by 2020, a move that deserves the full support of Canadians. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. To lead the way, Mr. Trudeau could commit to ensuring that Gatineau Park’s 36,130 hectares are included in the tally of protected land. Gatineau Park, surprisingly, is still not protected with this kind of legislative muscle, despite numerous initiatives.

he NCC’s authority over the park is loose at best – as the recent complaint by the Gatineau Park Protection Committee about the building of another new home at Meech Lake illustrates.

Ottawa Health confirms West Nile detected in area mosquitoes

Ottawa Citizen

By Ottawa Citizen, August 9, 2016

Ottawa Public Health is asking residents to put safety first and protect against mosquito bites after confirmation that West Nile virus has been confirmed in some area mosquitoes again this year.

West Nile is an infection spread by mosquitoes that, in a small number of cases, can cause serious illness. Most people will not develop any symptoms if infected, but some may experience flu-like symptoms.

Drownings at Constance Bay

Ottawa Citizen

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, August 9, 2016

Aug. 6, 2016: A 10-year-old Toronto-area boy went missing off The Point late Saturday afternoon. The boy’s 21-year-old brother noticed his brother was in distress, but was not able to save him. The boy’s body was recovered by police divers shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday. His name has not been released.

July 20, 2002: Kurt Tessier, 33, of Ottawa drowned in waist-deep water after tossing a football to a friend wading only seven metres away. A friend said he heard Tessier yell for help, then saw him slip under the water’s surface.

Smog no longer an issue in Ottawa Valley after coal plant closures - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, August 8, 2016

Remember the last time there was a smog advisory in the Ottawa Valley?

You'd have to go back to 2014. There were none last year and none so far this year.Things weren't so nice about a decade ago, before Ontario closed all of its coal-fired power generation plants (the last, in Thunder Bay, closed in 2014).

In 2005 there were 25 smog advisory days in the Ottawa area and 53 across Ontario. By 2009 there were just four smog advisories in the valley. And by 2013, there was only one such advisory.

"This is a huge achievement. It's a good news story for the environment," said Paul Parker, a faculty of environment professor at the University of Waterloo, on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday.

Proposed Don Maynard Park sale 'disrespectful,' says late Almonte teacher's son - Ottawa - CBC News

By Hillary Johnstone, CBC News Ottawa, August 8, 2016

The son of a much-loved former teacher in Almonte says he's upset municipal leaders are considering the "disrespectful" move of selling the park named after his late father.

The municipality of Mississippi Mills — which includes Almonte — may sell Don Maynard Park so it can free up cash to pay for a new splash pad, skate park and play structure at the larger Gemmill Park in the centre of town.

More than 350 people have signed a petition calling on the town to reconsider the idea, however, and dozens are expected to show up at a town hall meeting Tuesday night to debate the future of the two acres of green space.

Warning signs at Constance Bay

Ottawa Citizen

By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, August 8, 2016

Swimming off some parts of the beach at Constance Bay, where a sandbar drops off dramatically into fast-flowing water, can be treacherous. The locals know this, but it isn’t common knowledge among those from afar who come to relax in the summer. On Saturday, a 10-year-old boy drowned there. “It’s only a matter of time before it happens again,” one resident said.

Why is there no signage to point out where the dangers lie? Here, the buck-passing begins.

Swimmers take a refreshing 4K dip to help the Ottawa River

Ottawa Citizen

By Norman Provencher, Ottawa Citizen, August 6, 2016

After the recent heat wave, scores of swimmers decided Saturday morning was a good time for a refreshing four-kilometre swim across the Ottawa River.

The air temperature was in the low 20s when the first participants dipped their toes in the river before 8 a.m. at Lac Deschênes Sailing Club, headed towards Aylmer’s Parc des Cèdres.

Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown said the water temperature for the swim was “very warm.”