By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, February 24, 2016
Mother Nature couldn’t seem to make up her mind Wednesday night between ice pellets, light rain, freezing rain or a bit of all three.
Environment Canada had earlier predicted 10 straight hours of freezing rain beginning in the evening, and about six more hours of a risk of freezing rain mixed with snow.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, February 24, 2016
If Ottawa wants to pretend to legalize ride-sharing services like Uber without threatening the city’s entrenched taxi companies, Calgary shows us the way.
In a 14-1 vote this week, Calgary’s city council voted for new rules that let “transportation networking companies” like Uber compete with Calgary’s taxi drivers. Sort of. Calgary’s taxi companies and drivers say they’re satisfied with Calgary council’s decision, because it creates a level playing field for cabbies and ride-sharing drivers alike. Yes. The playing field is weedy, littered with garbage and broken glass and something over in that corner looks like it’s on fire, but the field is level.
By Allison Sandor, CFRA News, February 23, 2016
Could changes be coming to the city's greenbelt?
Councillor Marianne Wilkinson is asking the National Capital Commission to look into altering the greenbelt to allow for more urban construction.
"The greenbelt is, as you know, the number one cause of urban sprawl in Ottawa because you have to jump it to have more development," she said. "I think 80 or 90 per cent of all the new growth is happening outside the greenbelt for houses ... In every other city in the world, they've moved from greenbelts to green fingers."
By Chris Holski, CFRA News, February 23, 2016
Ottawa city hall finished 2015 deep in the red.
According to a report in the posted agenda for next week's FEDCO meeting, the city posted a deficit in property tax-supported programs of $25.9-million.
Alongside that is a $15.9-million shortfall in water and wastewater operations.
By CBC News Ottawa, February 23, 2016
Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is calling on the National Capital Commission to include both the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau on its board, her office confirmed Tuesday.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin have previously called on the prime minister to make significant changes to the NCC, including elected representatives for each city on the board.
Joly recommended in a letter to the NCC that each mayor have a seat, but without the right to vote.
By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, February 22, 2016
If you’ve found an oil-slicked loonie in your pocket lately, you’re not going loony – you’re just an unwitting participant in the latest anti-pipeline campaign.
Ecology Ottawa has been hacking loonies with its black decals to protest TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline, which, if approved, will take 1.1 million barrels of crude oil across the Rideau River daily.
Up to 100,000 coins now show Canada’s iconic loon floating on a black, oil-slicked lake, along with the website noEEpipeline.ca.
If it seems alarmist, that’s the point, said Ecology Ottawa director Graham Saul.“This is an alarming issue,” he said. “The dangers are real.”
The loonies could also be alarming in vending machines and coin counters, though.
By CFRA News, February 22, 2016
Another winter storm system is moving towards our region and it could create some tough travelling conditions.
The system is expected to start dropping snow over the Ottawa area Wednesday morning.
Jeff Coulson, from Environment Canada, said that could change over to ice pellets, freezing rain, and rain, before shifting back to snow on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning.
By Chris Holski, CFRA News, February 22, 2016
It's a sure sign spring is on the way.
Ice breaking operations began on the Rideau River today between Rideau Falls and Hog's Back.
The city partners with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority every year to alleviate possible spring flooding.
By Chris Holski, CFRA News, February 22, 2016
The Rideau Canal will not be reopening this week.
That's the word from the NCC after the skateway was shut down due to warm weather on Saturday.
If it doesn't reopen, this will have been the shortest skating season in Canal history.
By Scott Campbell, Ottawa Community News, February 19, 2016
Vanier’s former St. Charles Church may end up being home to a food store and restaurant in the future.
That possibility is part of an Ottawa architecture firm’s plans to develop the property and land it bought from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa in 2014.
The church building that has been vacant at 135 Barrette Street in Vanier since 2010 was sold by the Archdiocese for $4 million to LineBox Studio.
By Donald Butler, Ottawa Sun, February 21, 2016
More routes, more services, longer hours.
Those are some of the changes that could be coming to the NCC’s Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bikedays program starting as early as 2017.
The National Capital Commission is developing a 10-year plan for the summer program.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, February 21, 2016
Ottawa city councillors will weigh in this week on the NCC’s long-term vision for the national capital.
Steve Willis, head of the National Capital Commission’s capital planning department, will make a 10-minute presentation at Tuesday’s planning committee meeting about the Plan for Canada’s Capital — the document that will chart the future of the region between 2017 and Canada’s 200th birthday in 2067.