By John Lancaster and Jennifer Fowler, CBC News Ottawa, November 3, 2015
A new report from the environmental commissioner of Ontario documents startling shortcomings in the way the province protects water, one of its most valuable resources.
"Our report notes that most water users still pay nothing for water, including agriculture, municipalities, the sand and gravel industry, golf courses, and so on," Ellen Schwartzel told reporters Tuesday.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, November 3, 2015
Ontario has stopped buying land to protect it for ecological reasons, the province’s environment commissioner complained Tuesday, making it very hard to preserve land outside the sparsely populated North.
“Land acquisition is one of the most effective ways in which to achieve permanent protection of natural lands,” says Ellen Schwartzel –the public official whose job it is to scold (and praise, when deserved) the provincial government on its environmental record – in her annual report. “An effective land acquisition program, guided by strategic planning and supported with sufficient funding, should be a key plank of the government’s efforts to conserve biodiversity in Ontario.”
By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, November 3, 2015
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney wants a developer to “do everything possible” to secure a grocery or hardware store on the ground floor of a Centretown property slated for redevelopment.
Broccolini Construction Inc. wants to build a 27-storey tower at 383 Slater St., replacing a two-storey building occupied by Alterna Savings and Credit Union.
By Beatrice Britneff, Ottawa Citizen, November 3, 2015
Even though Justin Trudeau decided not to move into the prime minister’s official residence for the time being, a group of environmental activists still plans on bringing a housewarming gift to 24 Sussex Dr.
As its way of saying “welcome” to the new prime minister, international climate action group 350.org is sponsoring a four-day sit-in outside 24 Sussex starting Thursday to demand that Trudeau put Canada on the path to a clean-energy economy.
By Jenn Pritchard, CFRA News, November 2, 2015
Tired of being stuck in traffic? Would you pay to get out of it?
A new report from Canada's Ecofiscal Commission finds that adding toll roads could help with the congestion.
The report, entitled 'We Can’t Get There from Here: Why Pricing Congestion is Critical to Beating It', makes four suggestions for dealing with traffic.
By Julienne Bay, Ottawa Sun, November 2, 2015
Members of the Canadian Taxi Association are collecting data of the Uber drivers in various cities, the association's president says.
Marc Andre Way said there are a team of cabbies taking Uber rides to collect the data of the drivers including plate numbers -- to share the information with various insurance companies.
As a result, Aviva Canada, an insurance company, cracked down on four of its Ottawa drivers after being tipped off about their rideshare operations.
By CBC News Ottawa, November 2, 2015
Electricity prices in Ontario rose over the weekend, pushing the average household hydro bill up by 3.4 per cent.
The price for off-peak hours rose 0.3 cents to 8.3 cents/kWh.
The price for mid-peak hours rose 0.6 cents to 12.8 cents/kWh.
The price for on-peak hours rose 1.4 cents to 17.5 cents/kWh. Ontario sees hydro rates jump — again
The Ontario Energy Board said several factors are driving the price hike, including increased costs related to Ontario Power Generation's nuclear and hydro-electric power plants, as well as costs from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.
By CBC News Ottawa, November 2, 2015
TransCanada Corporation has asked the U.S. State Department to pause its review of the presidential permit application for the Keystone XL pipeline.
The company sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, saying it believes there is sound precedent for making the request to pause the review.
By Andrew Foote, CBC News Ottawa, November 2, 2015
A University of Ottawa professor who helped create a national report on lessening congestion says a new kind of lane on Highway 417 would help save drivers time and money.
Stewart Elgie is part of Canada's Ecofiscal Commission, a non-partisan think tank made up of economists who work to find solutions to problems that are both economic and environmental.
By Blair Crawford and Beatrice Brittnef, Ottawa Citizen, October 31, 2015
The brother of a woman whose 2011 death on Queen Street was memorialized with a ghost bike would like to see a new permanent memorial in Ottawa to celebrate the spirit of cycling while commemorating those who’ve lost their lives on bikes.
Brent Naçu’s sister, Danielle, 33, died in October 2011 when she was struck by an opening car door that knocked her into the path of another car.
By Margo McDiarmid, CBC News Ottawa, October 30, 2015
Diane Beckett peers through the iron bars surrounding 24 Sussex Drive and shakes her head.
"In the summer there is an air conditioner in one of the windows, just a window air conditioner. Old and creaky and it's not very efficient."
By Peter Christie, Ottawa Citizen, October 30, 2015
As the world’s wildlife vanishes at an alarming rate, some conservationists say it’s time to start acting like battlefield doctors and choose which species to save. Peter Christie looks at what’s at stake.
In a scrub meadow north of Napanee, Hazel Wheeler fixes her binoculars on a distant cage and waits. The inmates — seven endangered Eastern loggerhead shrikes, masked like bandits and just as jittery — approach the open cage door then retreat inside, again and again.