City committee examines plans to bury nuclear waste upstream

By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa

The City of Ottawa wants the company that runs the Chalk River nuclear waste facility to do more to protect the Ottawa River, and not accept nuclear waste from outside Ontario if it goes ahead and builds a large disposal site.

But councillors on the city committee responsible for water and environmental issues stopped short of outright opposing two Canadian Nuclear Laboratories projects: creating a mound to dispose of radioactive waste less than one kilometre from the river, and sealing the country's first reactor at near Rolphton, Ont., in specialized grout.


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Kavanagh: Chalk River nuclear waste disposal site threatens Ottawa's water

By Theresa Kavanagh, Ottawa Citizen

'One way or the other, your perfect summer day will involve water. And for most of Ottawa’s one million residents, the source is the Ottawa River. That’s why many citizens are concerned about plans for a hazardous waste landfill for radioactive material within a few kilometres of the Ottawa River upstream from our city. We will hear from many delegations on Tuesday, at the city’s environment committee meeting, who will be asking for significant improvements to the plans for nuclear waste in our watershed. The radioactive waste mound proposal comes from a consortium of SNC-Lavalin and two Texas-based corporations contracted in 2015 to operate Chalk River Laboratories and other federal nuclear research sites.'


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Fitness: As the climate changes, so will exercise habits

By Jill Barker, Ottawa Citizen, Mar 28, 2021

As much as climate change has been highlighted in the news and debated around kitchen tables, there’s been little discussion as to how fluctuations in the environment will affect physical activity and sport. Excessive heat, air pollution and volatile weather patterns have been independently linked to a decline in physical activity and sports participation, which suggests that as the climate changes, our exercise habits will, too.


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Air pollutants cost Canada $120B a year: Health Canada

By Carl Meyer, National Observer

'Across Canada, the largest air pollution impacts corresponded with the most populous provinces and those with the largest emissions sources: Ontario with an estimated 6,600 premature deaths; Quebec with 4,000; British Columbia with 1,900; and Alberta with 1,400.

“Some of the highest air pollution levels in Canada are found in the southern regions of Ontario and Quebec, which include the highly populated and industrialized Windsor-Quebec City Corridor,” reads the study.'


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'Disproportionately busy:' Ottawa bike shops like Cycle Power selling as many as they can get

By Denis Armstrong, City News

'Across Canada, and here in Ottawa especially, interest in cycling is surging. Big time.

“I think people are tired of feeling isolated,” Power, 59, says. “Normally, our season starts on March 15, but this year, we were going full-bore on January 15. In my 27 years at this shop, I've never seen customers so ready to get on with the season.”'

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Controversial two-tower proposal near future busway highlights intensification anxiety

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, Mar 23, 2021

'On paper, a strip plaza near a major road eyed for a rapid bus line is a perfect redevelopment opportunity to meet the city’s intensification goals.

But residents who live near the intersection of Baseline Road and Clyde Avenue are outraged that a company wants to raze the plaza and build a high-rise complex that would be more than double the height of neighbouring buildings.'


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OC Transpo to suspend some suburb-to-downtown routes

By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa

One year after the pandemic decimated Ottawa's transit ridership, OC Transpo has announced plans to suspend several bus routes or send buses less often, especially on routes meant to carry suburban residents to downtown offices.

...The service would be reinstated when ridership ticks back up to normal, but no one knows when that might be.

Federal employees and post-secondary students make up the bulk of Ottawa's ridership, and there's no indication when they might return to offices and campuses, said Hubley, adding the city manager speaks with the federal Privy Council Office about the public service's plans.


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Cole: Ottawa has an air pollution problem and it's time we tackled it

By Jake Cole

With funding from the Ottawa Community Foundation and in cooperation with Ecology Ottawa, the Sierra Club Canada Foundation is leading a project, BreatheEasy, to monitor outdoor air quality (AQ) in all wards across the city. From what we’re finding out, the air is not healthy, certainly not everywhere and not every day.

At the collective level, we can identify the air pollution concerns in our city, learn how to deal with them and significantly reduce the negative impact on our health. Cities like London are doing it. So can we, by learning from others and by creating our own solutions so that we can all breathe a little easier and live better as a result.

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Ambitious project aims to produce Canada’s first zero-emissions car. Will it work?

By Jacob Lorinc, Toronto Star, Mar 17 2021

Project Arrow is Canada’s first swing at an energy-friendly, all-Canadian-made vehicle. Spearheaded by the APMA and with the backing of the provincial and federal government, the initiative aims to sell Canada’s auto-parts savvy to the world and capitalize on an industry-wide pivot from gas-guzzling to battery-powered cars.

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As EV ownership grows, cities are looking at new ways to charge more vehicles

By Carl Meyer, National Observer, Mar 10, 2021

Vancouver’s decision to allow extension cords across sidewalks to charge electric cars is an interesting step, but comes with its own challenges, say the heads of two EV associations.

City council voted Feb. 9 to authorize the licensing of charging cords across city-owned property, so people who don’t have access to private driveways can charge their EVs while parked on the street. The charging cords have to include a cable cover that is slip-resistant and high-visibility.

(...)“I do see challenges particularly in the winter when snowplows would likely damage the cable when they run over them on the sidewalk — even with a cable ramp, which a snowplow or blower could pick up,” said Raymond Leury, president of the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa.

Demand still hot for local farm boxes, say growers

By Giacomo Panico, CBC News Ottawa, Mar 10, 2021

Local growers say they're anticipating even more demand for their products this season, as the pandemic continues to influence people's buying and eating habits.

Mel Foster, co-owner of Foster Family Farm in the rural Ottawa community of North Gower, said people are already eager to pre-order his produce.

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