By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, March 7, 2016
The city has announced consultations on a new water bill structure, which could include a base fee.
Not enough money is coming into the coffers through water bills to pay for water, wastewater and stormwater programs, so the city needs to find a new method to bill customers and feed the $316-million budget for the services.
By Logan Primeau, Stittsville Central, March 6, 2016
It has been a few months since I announced my intention to start a community garden in Stittsville and a lot has happened. Just before the holidays I started to collect bottles to raise money for the garden and received loads of donations from many people. All together $33 was raised during the first push, almost enough to build one raised bed. We will continue to collect bottles to fundraise for the project and welcome anyone who would like to donate empty containers to message us on Facebook or email us.
I attended the “How To Start A Community Garden” workshop in January which is offered by Just Food where the steps to get started were laid out.
Just Food runs the Ottawa Community Garden Network and offers funding to projects that qualify each year. Our application was made and at this time we are awaiting news on that.ADVERTISEMENTMany different sites for the garden were suggested to me. The Goulbourn Non Profit Housing Corporation was one such suggestion. They operate the Carleton Apartments on Carleton Cathcart Street in Stittsville which houses people aged 60+. The board approved my plan to build a community garden on their site which will include four raised beds, fruit bushes, a composting area, water storage area and a tool shed. The paths in the garden were designed to be fully accessible to wheelchairs and walkers and benches spaced evenly at the end of paths to provide a rest for weary gardeners.Residents of the apartments will be able to participate and benefit from the harvest. All extras that are not needed or used will be offered to the Stittsville Food Bank to give to their clients.There are still a few things that we require to make sure the garden is as successful as possible. We still need to get as many volunteers as possible to help out with certain key tasks. People will be needed to help build the raised beds and paths, people will be needed to plant the garden once it’s ready in the spring, people will be needed to weed and water the garden on a schedule and people will be needed for when it’s time to harvest during the middle and end of the season.We are also looking for support from the business community in Stittsville. With the support of businesses in Stittsville we will be able to reach more people and build a thriving project which will drive a positive change. If you are a business owner in and around Stittsville consider extending your support and help us make 2016 the year Stittsville takes one step closer to food security.We would like to extend a big thanks to everyone who has donated and helped us so far on our journey. If you would like to help out in any way or have any questions you can reach us by email at [email protected] THISfeaturedfoodfood bankgardensRecommended reading FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Project will teach people how to grow FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Project will teach people how to grow Black Family Farm helps Food Bank via Community Harvest program Black Family Farm helps Food Bank via Community Harvest program Algonquin student plants the seeds for a community garden Algonquin student plants the seeds for a community garden Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society announces 2015 photo competition winners Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society announces 2015 photo competition winnersLeave a ReplyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *CommentName *Email *WebsiteRecent Posts
By Glen Gower, Stittsville Central, March 2, 2016
The City’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) meets on Thursday morning and one of the items on the agenda is a look at the wild parsnip strategy.
The yellow plant was a common sight in Stittsville: along roadways, in ditches, along pathways, in fields. Its sap contains chemicals that can cause skin and eye irritation and make the skin prone to burning and blistering when exposed to the sun.
The City launched a pilot project last year to combat the weed, applying herbicide to over 200km of roadways and parkland, and mowing some of the infested areas. The city also mapped infestation areas, and launched an awareness and education campaign.
By Michelle Nash, Ottawa Community News, March 4, 2016
The final design for park space on the former Oblates land is one step closer to reality.Regional Group first began consultations about the park space in February 2015.
After a year of working with the community, the plans are almost set and a meeting on the latest design for the new public space in the Greystone Village development was held at the Greystone Village Presentation Centre on Feb. 29.
(...)
Gillis said getting a chance to look at the final concept was exciting and he believes the space will become part of a larger, walkable network for Old Ottawa East and surrounding communities.
By Jen M'Intosh, Ottawa Community News, March 4, 2016
The City of Ottawa should look at other options than its preferred route for the widening of Highway 174, says Anda Bruinsma, co-president of the Cumberland Community Association.
The city’s transportation committee approved the environmental assessment for the highway from Trim to Canaan roads on March 2.
By Aeden Helmer, Ottawa Sun, March 7, 2016
Compared to the winter weather that has battered Ottawa in recent years — the blizzards, cold snaps and the dreaded “polar vortex” — the coming week will be downright balmy in the capital.
Apart from the light dusting of snow in Sunday’s overnight forecast — about two cm was expected — there’s not a speck of the white stuff in store for the city, with near-record-high temperatures expected through the week and into the weekend.
By Michael Den Tandt, Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 2016
There is a way the economically vital Energy East pipeline gets built; one that requires time, patience, forbearance, a willingness to consider other points of view, a collective sense of national responsibility, a … oh never mind.
We’re doomed. Prepare ye the straw bale house with composting toilet.Let’s squeeze on our re-imagining caps and visualize, for a moment, how this might work out.
By Andrew Coyne, Ottawa Citizen, March 4, 2016
It would be, as a Canadian Press dispatch put it, “easy to mock” the results of this week’s first ministers’ conference on climate change, and the inevitable portentous communiqué (the “Vancouver Declaration”) that issued from it.
For example, it would be simple to point out that the Liberal election promise to “establish a pan-Canadian framework for combatting climate change” with the premiers “within 90 days” remains unfulfilled, that the best one can say is that first ministers have made a plan to make a plan.
By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, March 4, 2016
Construction of the new $4-million bike lane between Parliament Hill and Lansdowne Park begins this summer.
City council unanimously approved downtown Ottawa’s second segregated bike lane last year and plans to build the 2.5-kilometre north-south cycling spine in two stages, starting this summer.
By Patrick Langston, Ottawa Citizen, March 3, 2016
A touch of drama; heaps of storage space; energy efficiency galore: a custom two-storey infill in Westboro shows you really can have it all when thoughtful design and green building techniques unite.
Built for a young family, and a finalist in the green custom category at the 2015 Housing Design Awards in Ottawa, the three-bedroom, 2,372-square-foot home was designed by architect Jason Flynn and erected by Cornelis Grey Construction.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, March 4, 2016
Mayor Jim Watson doesn’t want road tolls in Ottawa. He doesn’t even want to study them.
“As stated in the past, Mayor Watson has no interest in studying road tolls in the City of Ottawa,” the mayor’s spokeswoman Livia Belcea said in an e-mail Friday.
“Specifically, Mayor Watson feels very strongly that Ottawa residents should not be penalized because of where they choose to live in our vast city and he is not interested in spending tax dollars on a study to implement tolls.”
By CBC News Ottawa, March 4, 2016
It was quite cold Friday morning, then it'll be a bit cold overnight and on Saturday, but don't worry — this should be the last of it for at least a week.
Nothing but plus-side high temperatures are expected in Ottawa after Friday's high of – 4 C and Saturday's high of – 2 C.Oh yes. Let's have a quick look: Sunday? 4 C. Monday? 8 C. Tuesday? 9 C. Wednesday? 11 C. And Thursday? 6 C.