Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Residents surveyed on Hospital Link landscaping, paths, barriers, sledding hill

By Erin MacCracken, Ottawa Community News, May 11, 2016

With maps in hand and city officials as their guides, Riverview Park residents got a first-hand glimpse of a construction site where a portion of their community is being transformed into the Hospital Link Road.

Located along the northern edge of CHEO, the Ottawa Hospital’s General campus and the Department of National Defence medical property east of Alta Vista Drive, the site is still very much a work in progress.

Large swaths of bulldozed dirt give a rough outline of where the new two-lane road will be located.

“I think the highlights were actually seeing firsthand where the road is and what the footprint is,” said Kris Nanda, president of the Riverview Park Community Association, who requested the community walkthrough. “I think it’s a really good first step.

Give 'em space: law sets minimum safe distance for passing bicyclists

CTV Montreal News

By CTV News Ottawa, May 12, 2016

Quebec is taking steps to protect cyclists, and to penalize those who injure them.

Bill 100 will change the Highway Safety Code to emphasize that bicycles in a traffic lane will legally occupy the entire lane.

That means motorists who wish to pass a bicycle will be obliged to change lanes.

Debate over who gets to use Ottawa Valley rail trail gears up - Ottawa - CBC News

By Giacomo Panico, CBC News Ottawa, May 12, 2016

Opinion is divided among elected officials in both Lanark and Renfrew counties over whether a planned 296-kilometre trail should be open to snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

The trail will be built along a former Canadian Pacific Railway rail corridor that connects Smiths Falls to Mattawa, passing through Carleton Place, Almonte, Arnprior, Pembroke and Petawawa.

"I think this is fabulous," said Gail Code, the warden of Lanark County. "It's good news for economic development, for our health, for recreation, and it connects our community,"

Crosswalk coming to Lees Avenue following pedestrian safety concerns - Ottawa - CBC News

By Waubgeshig Rice, CBC News Ottawa, May 13, 2016

Pedestrians feeling overwhelmed by an increase in traffic on Lees Avenue due to LRT construction will get some relief thanks to a new crosswalk, but it won't be up and running until September.

With some OC Transpo buses re-routed to Lees and commuters adjusting to detours and changes in downtown traffic because of construction, Capital ward Coun. David Chernushenko has been hearing from worried residents who live and work on Lees.

Brush, forest fire doused in Gatineau

Ottawa Citizen

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, May 12, 2016

Gatineau firefighters doused a blaze that ignited about a kilometre of brush and forest in the Lac des Fees area Thursday evening, creating a cloud of smoke visible on both sides of the Ottawa River.They were called to the fire along the creek between rue Gamelin and blvd. des Allumettières at about 7 p.m.

Firefighters quickly controlled the blaze using tools including portable pumps to get creek water onto the flames but were still checking at around 9:30 p.m. for embers that could reignite.

Windstream Energy was in tight with province, but lobbying fell short

Ottawa Citizen

By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, May 12, 2016

The Ontario government’s decision to ditch its plan for wind farms in the Great Lakes seems to have been made all the more awkward by the lobbyist-lubricated relationship the province had developed with the company that wanted to build one of the biggest.

The company was Windstream Energy, which is seeking as much as $568 million in damages on the grounds that the government mistreated it because it’s backed by American money, which would be a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Wanted: shipping containers for outdoor rink change rooms

Metro News

By Haley Ritchie, Ottawa Metro News, May 11, 2016

There's nothing more Canadian than lacing up a pair of skates inside an old shipping container.

Wait, what?

It turns out that's one idea the City of Ottawa is kicking around. The city is looking for companies who can turn old shipping containers into change rooms for city-run rinks.It's part of a trendy and economical pilot project to transform the 20-foot steel boxes into mobile and “architecturally distinctive” change rooms for skaters.

ByWard makeover, Fort Mac and Max: What happened at Ottawa council

Metro News

By Lucy Scholey, Ottawa Metro News, May 11, 2016

The ByWard Market will soon get a fresh look after city councillors unanimously approved a “revitalization” plan for the neighbourhood.

But a car-free ByWard Market is not part of the plan – nor should it ever be, according to several councillors.

What the plan does include is a $1-million overhaul of the George Street Plaza, complete with new vendor stalls, seating and a horse fountain.

580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: Reported Metrolinx fee hike 'a rip-off' says Transit chair :: News - Article

By Ted Raymond, CFRA News, May 12, 2016

A report, saying Metrolinx plans to hike the fees it charges the City to use the Presto Card, has the chair of the Transit Commission saying the City "would be getting ripped off" if it happens.

Metrolinx is a Crown agency that oversees the Presto Card system in Ontario. It charges a 2 per cent commission on every fare whenever a card is tapped on a bus or train in Ottawa. A Postmedia report says Metrolinx plans to increase that commission to 10 per cent in the next contract. The current contract expires in October, and while OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi would not publicly confirm the numbers cited in the report to CFRA, he says the City is currently in the process of negotiating with Metrolinx.

Councillor’s pitch to expand photo radar pilot project rejected at council

By Jennifer MacIntosh, Ottawa Community News, May 11, 2016

An attempt by River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington to expand the city's proposed pilot program for photo radar failed at council on May 11.

Brockington called the plan to petition the province for a pilot project that would place photo radar in some school zones and allow councillors to request speed limits be decreased from 50 kilometres per hour to 40, a watered-down compromise

CTV/CFRA Exclusive: Draft environmental assessment report on Experimental Farm land proposed for Civic Hospital

CTV Ottawa News

By Catherine Latham, CTV News Ottawa, May 11, 2016

It's been at times a heated debate, but now what may be a signal that the Central Experimental Farm remains the preferred site for the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus expansion.

CTV News has obtained a draft 160-page Environmental Assessment commissioned by the federal government. The assessment directly focuses on the 60-acres of land proposed as the potential new site of the Civic Campus.

The report finds a small portion of the land, less than one-acre, referred to as AEC-3 in the report, is contaminated.

Your letters for Thursday May 12: Foreign workers, helping the poor

Ottawa Citizen

By Douglas Cornish, Russ Jackson and Rose Charbonneau, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, May 12, 2016

Let’s open up the canal

Re: Rideau Canal gets new launch docks for paddle sports, May 11.

Opening up the Rideau Canal for canoes, paddle sports and other such activities, via launch docks, makes sense. After all, the waterway cuts right through the core of the city. It is really the centrepiece of the city and touristy photos usually include it. The prime emphasis so far has been on the canal as a winter skating route, but hopefully, this canal will turn into a year-round place.