By CBC News Ottawa, March 4, 2016
Avid snowmobiler and Ottawa Coun. George Darouze say the many freeze-thaw cycles in the capital region have been a challenge for people who groom trails for recreational use.
"The trails were very dangerous this year," said Darouze, the councillor for the rural ward of Osgoode."I tell my snowmobile friends, 'Be careful, be cautious, don't speed on the trails — and stick to the trails.'"
By Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen, March 3, 2016
The disagreement between Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and the federal Liberals over a national carbon tax raises a more profound question: Why do conservative or right-wing politicians often deny that climate change exists, or have such a hard time accepting it?
Wall opposes a carbon tax, he says, because it would hurt Saskatchewan’s economy, but one can’t help wondering whether he is merely using the well-worn conservative tactic of pitting the economy against climate change to justify inaction.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, March 3, 2016
Road tolls could be part of the next transportation master plan if council agrees to study how fees could reduce traffic congestion and pay for maintenance. Local politicians will turn their minds to road tolls next month because a downtown councillor wants the city to research the potential of charging motorists to use roads in Ottawa.
Capital Coun. David Chernushenko, the environment buff fresh off ushering through a new climate change policy at City Hall, wanted to drive through his proposal this week at the end of a transportation committee meeting, only to have the brakes applied by colleagues around the table. Instead, it will be up for discussion at a meeting in April.
By Norman Jack, CFRA News, March 2, 2016
Warm weather is on the way, and we could see most of our snow melting away soon.
Long range forecasts show daily highs well above freezing, beginning on Sunday and lasting through the rest of March.
But Environment Canada's Etienne Gregoire said the temperature will still fall below freezing many nights.
He noted that, at this time of year, that could still bring us a snowy surprise or two."Sometimes, some of the worst ones you get now, because they have so much moisture as they originate in the southern U.S., and these sometimes pack a punch."
By Joanne E. Laucius, Ottawa Sun, March 2, 2016
The City of Ottawa plans to continue spraying and mowing areas heavily infested with wild parsnip, the invasive plant with a nasty reputation for causing blisters and burns.
Wild parsnip spreads quickly and can be dormant for long periods of time. In the summer of 2014, the city mapped infestation levels on city properties, including rural roadsides. The mapping continued in 2015, when the city discovered wild parsnip has moved into newly-identified areas.
By Scott Vaughn and Philip Gass, Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 2016
Canada’s leadership at the December Paris climate change conference was dramatic and impressive. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, together with five premiers and many provincial and territorial ministers, sent a strong, unambiguous signal that tackling climate change is urgent. Three months after Paris, the hard work of translating ambition to action continues.
The prime minister is now at the second of two First Ministers’ meetings to lay out steps towards a Pan-Canadian climate plan. A few days from now, U.S. President Barack Obama will host the prime minister in Washington, where joint action to tackle climate change will loom large.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 2016
Alberta and Saskatchewan politicians who are furious over Quebec’s handling of a major oil-pipeline proposal should take it easy, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday morning, alongside Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
They’re Liberal premiers of large, populous provinces, with the warmest relationship the premiers of Quebec and Ontario have had in years.
By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, March 2, 2016
The city will now buy hybrid and electric vehicles whenever possible, thanks to a motion from Coun. Mathieu Fleury.The Rideau-Vanier councillor raised the issue at transportation committee Wednesday as part of the city’s green fleet plan update.
The city currently has 59 hybrid and electric vehicles – including four electric Zambonis. Nine hybrid cherry pickers are on order.But good intentions aren’t good enough, Fleury said.
“There’s nothing mandating staff to purchase equal or fair-value vehicles that are friendlier to the environment,” he said.
If council agrees, eco-friendly vehicles will be top choice when staff replace vehicles in 2017 and 2018, as long as the technology meets operational requirements.
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 2016
Snow fell and winds blew, but both let the city off more lightly than their advance billing had threatened as the heart of the storm bypassed Ottawa.
Ottawa’s International Airport reported 11 centimetres of snow a little before 8 a.m., with more expected during the morning.
But an Environment Canada spokesman said the bulk of the snowfall came along a line farther north than the forecast had predicted. Numbers aren’t in yet, but the department believes about 25 cm fell in the area of Renfrew, Cobden, Pembroke and the south side of Algonquin Park.
By Alison Sandor, CFRA News, March 1, 2016
The City of Ottawa is being slapped with a nearly $8,000 fine for improperly shipping a radioactive gauge.The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued an administrative penalty to the City for the December 2015 incident.
The City had been shipping four special gauges used to test moisture and density of materials and asphalt to southern Ontario for annual maintenance and one of the devices was not shipped in accordance with the regulations for such radiation devices.
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, March 1, 2016
There’s no urgency at city hall to find another garbage-processing technology a year after council torched a tentative deal with Plasco Energy Group because it’s waiting to see how the province will refresh waste management laws.
A three-phase municipal waste plan was in the works, and council signed off on the first phase in November 2011, but work on the other two phases has been delayed. Plasco, whose technology was supposed to superheat municipal trash down to a reusable rock-like material, was a major wild card that could have altered the city’s waste diversion strategy. Plasco ran a test facility in Ottawa but couldn’t pay for a full commercial facility. The local company filed for creditor protection in February 2015, the same month council voted to cancel the deal.
By Glen Gower, Stittsville Central, February 29, 2016
Hydro One and Hydro Ottawa are planning extensive infrastructure upgrades to support the power requirements of the proposed Energy East pipeline, including 20 megawatts for a pumping station near Richmond.
“Initial plans to service this customer will require extensive infrastructure upgrades due to the proposed remote location of their station and the size of the load they require,” said Dan Seguin, a spokesperson with Hydro Ottawa.
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“It shows the huge amount of power needed to move something as thick as bitumen around even in the diluted form,” says Mike Fletcher, a volunteer with Ecology Ottawa.