From the Guardian, April 26, 2021
'As the family lawyers at Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s inquest, we join her mother and the coroner in calling for changes to the environment bill... The inquest also identified that while Ella had been seen by multiple specialist clinicians, none had warned her mother of the risks of air pollution. It was only after her death that Rosamund became aware of the risk that air pollution posed. '
Stories like this show the importance of air quality in Ottawa.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Catherine McKenna, the city’s senior federal cabinet minister, likes to see the National Capital Commission taking a bigger role in planning transportation, including public transit, despite a criticism from Ottawa’s mayor that the agency is needlessly dipping into municipal matters.
“The reality is the NCC plays an important role. We have to think about this area as not Ottawa and Gatineau, but as one region,” McKenna said in an interview Wednesday, two days after the federal budget announced more transportation responsibilities for the NCC.
By Daniel Buckles, Ottawa Citizen
...We are now coming up on the two-year anniversary, April 24, of the unanimous declaration by council of Ottawa’s climate emergency. Earth Day precedes the anniversary by two days. What do the mayor and city council have to show for themselves on this file?
By Janette Sadik-Khan & Seth Solomonow, in The Atlantic, April 16, 2021
Amid the devastation caused by the pandemic, an urban awakening occurred. It would have been international news on its own, had the health crisis not overshadowed it. As businesses and offices closed their doors, cities opened their streets for residents and restaurants hungry for space and socially distant outdoor activity—a radical transformation of asphalt into active places at an astonishing scale and pace. The revival of street life revealed how much of their own vitality cities had conceded to cars. But this sudden flowering is now in peril as traffic returns.
...To serve their residents well, U.S. cities can’t just return to the pre-pandemic norm. They need to come back more resilient, more sustainable, more economically connected, and more equitable. Reclaiming city streets from the domination of cars is never easy, but it will never be easier than it is right now.
By Robb Barnes and Jennifer Joanna Drouin from Amsterdam
What do a doughnut and Ottawa’s Official Plan have in common? Absolutely nothing right now, but maybe they should.
...For the new official plan, we need to move away from “business as usual” and explore innovative ways, like doughnut economics, to build consensus around what Ottawa should look like.
Toronto Sun article also appears in the Ottawa Citizen today
A look at how other cities are doing intensification projects while enhancing greenspace.
'as with the High Line Park (in New York), Rotterdam’s Hofbogden Park takes things to a new level by creating not just a trail but a nature inclusive park that is home to native plantings and ponds.'
By Evelyn Harford, Smith Falls Record News, April 13, 2021
An article about a new project to create a new square with more green space and even a butterfly garden. This would be nice to see in Ottawa neighborhoods, especially as part of 15 min neighborhood design..
Toronto Star, April 11 2021
Something we might want to push for in Ottawa....
Ottawa Citizen, April 13, 2021
'What is the future we want for our Ottawa River, the mighty Kichi Sibi? And who are “we”? When we approach these questions from a place of Earth Law, “we” becomes not just humans, but all our relatives, all the species we share this river with. We must think of the eels, sturgeon, pickerel, molluscs, wild rice, moose, white pines, birds, butterflies, bees and all the species to which we are connected, species that enrich and sustain us.
The Ottawa River is the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people who have lived in harmony with the land and waters since time immemorial. Experiences from around the world indicate ecosystems receive greater protection when Indigenous Peoples’ rights are recognized.'
Ottawa Citizen, April 13, 2021
'Ottawa’s environmental protection committee recently heard from dozens of groups and individuals opposed to CNL’s plans. The committee passed a motion urging CNL to stop transferring radioactive waste from other provinces to the Chalk River federal site.
The remaining waste would be buildings and soil contaminated by nuclear operations at Chalk River since 1945, and waste containers already stored there. Once in the giant landfill, the containers would rust and disintegrate. The concentrated radioactive wastes in them would mingle with the soil and other materials. The result: a radioactive mess where it’s impossible to tell what’s what or to ever separate or extract the more toxic elements if things go wrong.'
By Chris Atlee, Ottawa Citizen, Apr 10, 2021
'Recently, Ottawa Council passed a motion to allow and expand the use of e-scooters on our streets in the downtown and some suburbs, putting blind people, other persons with disabilities and all pedestrians at risk. Despite the very real safety concerns raised by various groups, council did not even require the e-scooter companies to implement measures to lessen the risks.
'These e-scooters are motorized vehicles that can travel at 20 km/hr, and can be rented by anyone over the age of 16 with a smartphone app. There are no insurance requirements, and helmets do not have to be worn if the driver is 18 or over. To make matters worse, e-scooters are a silent menace, emitting no sound.
By Carl Meyer, National Observer.. about new draft Health Canada regulations about GMOs. The new regulations will allow more GMOs products to be approved. You can still input to the draft, until May 24, 2021