Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Reevely: Ontario’s climate plan will change your life, whether you like it or not

Ottawa Citizen

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, June 8, 2016

Ontario’s new climate change plan will hit us where we live and work because it has to if it’s going to do any good.

The government wants us to replace old boilers and furnaces, re-insulate our attics and buy new windows, replace our cars with electric ones, plug in solar panels and put more ethanol in our gasoline. It wants our businesses to move more goods by rail, to slash their energy use, to trap more carbon dioxide. It’s all laid out in a five-year plan Premier Kathleen Wynne laid out Wednesday, one that’s to cost between $5.9 billion and $8.3 billion in public dollars.

580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: Over 66-million litres of combined sewage flowed into Ottawa River Sunday :: News - Article

By Alison Sandor, CFRA News, June 7, 2016

Sixty-six million litres of combined sewage overflow sloshed into the Ottawa River during Sunday's record rain fall. That's the highest amount of mixed storm water and sewage water to overflow into the Ottawa River in the past 12 months.

On Sunday, 36.4 mm of rain fell, smashing the old record for June 5th of 15 mm set in 1975. There are currently 18 locations in Ottawa where sewer overflows may enter the Ottawa River.

Plan for Airport Parkway widening clears another hurdle

By Jennifer McIntosh, Ottawa Community News, June 7, 2016

Despite a number of residents who called for a halt to a multi-million dollar, multi-phase plan to widen the Airport Parkway, the city’s transportation committee approved the environmental assessment for the project on June 1.

If the funding can be secured, work on the first phase – widening the parkway from Brookfield to Hunt Club roads – would start in 2020.

Cash for LRT south extension, airport link applauded

By Erin McCracken, Ottawa Community News, June 7, 2016

The provincial government’s commitment to fund one-third of the $3-billion second phase of the city’s light-rail rapid transit system was met with vigorous applause in the south end of the city.

The $1.16-billion contribution will help extend the Trillium O-Train line eight kilometres from Greenboro Station to Bowesville Station near Riverside South and lines east to Place D’Orléans, west to Bayshore and southwest to Baseline.

The province will also cover 50 per cent of the cost to finance the $160-million extension to Trim Road in Orléans and the $155-million three-kilometre LRT link to the Ottawa International Airport.

Ontario wants more trucks burning natural gas; won't ban it for home heating

CTV Ottawa News

By Kelly Leslie, CTV News Ottawa, June 7, 2016

TORONTO -- Ontario's action plan on climate change will include financial incentives to get cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks on the roads and to convince homeowners and businesses to lower their carbon footprints, The Canadian Press has learned.

The plan, scheduled to be released Wednesday, which calls for government spending of $5.9 billion to $8.3 billion on climate change initiatives over the next five years.

The money would come from the $1.9 billion the Liberal government expects to raise each year by auctioning off pollution emission credits when Ontario joins a cap-and-trade market with Quebec and California next January.

Nesting turtles possible targets in West Quebec

CTV Ottawa News

By CTV News Ottawa, June 7, 2016

The deaths of two nesting turtles on a country road in West Quebec have some locals worried this was no accident.The turtles were struck about one kilometre apart along Bristol Mine Road in Pontiac County.

Sandy Carr said she was driving to visit her father who lives in the area on Monday afternoon when she first noticed a large nesting turtle. Carr stopped her vehicle to take a video as she was captivated by the sight.

Lansdowne's urban park overshot budget by 23% - Ottawa - CBC News

By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, June 7, 2016

The City of Ottawa overshot the authorized spending target for the urban park portion of the Lansdowne redevelopment by 10 per cent, or 23 per cent more than the budget originally allocated for the city-built portion of the project.Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park

The Horticulture Building was relocated and restored by the city as part of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment. It reopened in November 2014. (Kate Porter/CBC)While Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group led the redevelopment of the stadium and retail areas, the city was fully responsible for the seven-hectare urban park.

Watson orders benches in new Ogilvy Square plaza

Ottawa Citizen

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, June 7, 2016

A Rideau Street pedestrian plaza under construction will have park benches after all.

Mayor Jim Watson said Tuesday that he has ordered city staff to install benches in Ogilvy Square, which is replacing a short stretch of Nicholas Street between Rideau and Besserer streets closed permanently to vehicle traffic, after reading a story in Monday’s Citizen.

“It should be a place where people can sit, relax and enjoy this new plaza,” Watson told reporters.

Five things you need to know about the new OC Transpo

Ottawa Citizen

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, June 7, 2016

The take-home message from Tuesday’s OC Transpo briefing is that the city’s public transit system is about to undergo a massive overhaul that will almost certainly affect every single rider.

And many of the proposed changes will become a reality even before the Confederation line opens in 2018.

Here are five things you need to know about the new OC Transpo.

City announces fare and route changes ahead of LRT

Ottawa Citizen

By Jon Willing, June 6, 2016

Major changes to OC Transpo’s bus routes, fares and maps will set the stage for the LRT Confederation Line debut in 2018.

Transpo unveiled the changes Tuesday as a first step to slowly introducing riders to new shapes and colours that will appear on bus stop signs, transit maps and pamphlets ahead of LRT’s launch.The transit agency also released its projected fare table. If council likes it, the new fares will begin in 2017.

Chinatown gets crafty with weekly farmers market in Ottawa

Metro News

By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, June 6, 2016

There’s a new fresh veggie haven coming to Centretown this summer, as the Chinatown Craft Market launches a new weekly flea and farmer’s market this weekend.

Craft vendors, flea market stalls and local farmers will set up beside the Shanghai restaurant every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., said organizer Don Kwan.

Petition rejects highway widening

Metro News

By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, June 6, 2016

Residents are speaking out against widening the highway.

A petition on change.org had 166 signatures on Monday after resident Mark Scrivens launched it two weeks ago. He hopes to get 200.Energy minister Bob Chiarelli announced last month the province will widen Highway 417 by one lane in each direction between Carling and Maitland avenues between now and 2020. The lanes would eventually extend to the 416.

Scrivens said the widening “will hurt neighbourhoods in the heart of Ottawa by adding pollution, noise, and increased pressure” on the road network.He said the plan “calls into question” the province’s climate change commitment and will undermine the city’s LRT system.