By CBC News Ottawa, October 14, 2015
Last week, the Quebec government announced an investment of $420 million to expand the province's electric-transport network.
Simon-Pierre Rioux, the president and founding member of the Quebec Electric Vehicle Association, says more and more Quebecers are buying electric cars.
By Brian Lee Crowley, Ottawa Citizen, October 9, 2015
In the Financial Post this week you might have stumbled across an article under a headline that read in part “Don’t pull the plug on the suburbs yet.” The column, which reports on a new study from PwC Canada on trends in Canada’s real estate market, opened with this nugget:“The predicted death of the suburbs may be a little premature.
”Premature is one word for it. In fact whoever predicted it was probably also loading up on bank stocks just before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Reports of the death of the suburbs have been greatly exaggerated.
By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, October 13, 2015
I wrote about complete streets last week when the framework to implement the city’s two-year-old policy was before the transportation committee.
Complete streets are designed and maintained with all road users in mind in an effort to create safe, comfortable and convenient travel and access for users of all ages, regardless of whether they are driving a car, riding a bike, walking or taking the bus.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, October 13, 2015
Leadnow, which wants to encourage anti-Conservative strategic voting, has fresh new polls Tuesday that require me to eat some crow.
The group has had Environics conduct riding-level surveys in places expected to have close races, including in Kanata-Carleton and Nepean — ridings where it’s reasonable to imagine the Tory candidates winning but not securing majorities. What they want is to figure out which non-Conservative is closest to winning, and then encourage the other parties’ supporters to back that candidate even if they have to hold their noses to do it.
They’re pretty agnostic as between Liberals, New Democrats and even Greens. Whichever non-Tory is best-placed to win, that’s who they want you to vote for. As before, in Ottawa they’re working with Ecology Ottawa, whose theory is that any of the other parties would be better for the environment than the Conservatives.
By Ted Dawson, Ottawa Citizen, October 14, 2015
Drivers will want to steer clear of Elgin Street this morning, as it is partially closed in both directions between Waverley Street and Gladstone Avenue due to a broken water main.
The thoroughfare was closed for about ab hour before reopening some lanes at about 7 a.m.
By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Metro News, October 11, 2015
As the city prepares to table its 2016 budget this November, advocates are drafting a list of the goodies they’d like to see for cycling, walking and transit.
Mayor Jim Watson has made it clear tax increases won’t surpass two per cent – and 2.5 per cent for transit – and both the city in general and OC Transpo are facing multi-millions in budget pressures.
But that’s not stopping interest groups from pushing for greater attention and funding, which they say is necessary for long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
The wish list:
*Shift gears to bike funding. The city will invest $70 million over 15 years in the Ottawa Cycling Plan – but, as Ecology Ottawa director Graham Saul pointed out, that’s less than the $85 million it will spend just to widen the Airport Parkway. “These are 15 year plans and the amount of money they’re actually planning on spending on them is totally inadequate,” said Saul. He argued that widening and adding roads just attracts more drivers, and in the case of the parkway could actually undermine the viability of the extended O-Train after 2018.
By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, October 12, 2015
In a little over a year from now, Ottawa residents may be able to sneak a peek at the light-rail trains set to transform the city’s public transportation system.
Shiny, new Alstom Citadis Spirit trains could begin travelling up and down newly laid tracks between Blair station and Belfast Yard, where the vehicles are being assembled, in order to test the system in advance of its opening in 2018.
By Alex Robinson, Ottawa Community News, October 10, 2015
Tax us more.
That was the message city councillors got from a few dozen residents who attended a budget consultation in Overbrook on Oct. 7.
The session was part of a series of budget consultations councillors are holding across the city to get constituents engaged in the budget process early. The Oct. 7 consultation was for residents of Wards 12 and 13 and was run by Citizens Academy, a local engagement organization.
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, October 9, 2015
Yes, that’s a frost warning that Environment Canada just issued. They seem to mean it, too, because they’re urging people to bring delicate plants indoors Friday night.
We’re due to get clear air Friday night, and the temperature will drop to 0 C, although that isn’t really a big drop after a miserable Friday.
By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun, October 7, 2015
With the Liberals and Conservatives locked in a virtual dead heat in national polls, the race is "too close to call" in three prominent local ridings.
A new poll conducted exclusively for Postmedia by Mainstreet on Oct. 4 shows the sprawling rural West Quebec riding of Pontiac, as well as newly formed Ottawa ridings of Kanata-Carleton and Nepean "going down to the wire," according to Mainstreet pollster Quito Maggi.
(...)
Pamic was dismissive when presented with the results of a mid-September poll -- conducted by left-leaning Ecology Ottawa and LeadNow -- that showed Conservative support at 44% with Liberals at 37%.
By Alex Robinson, Ottawa Community News, October 8, 2015
Residents are outraged that a developer has cut down more than 40 trees on a Rideau Street property before its proposed development for the site has been approved.
Sandy Hill resident Susan Young first noticed the trees were being cut down on Sept. 18. She contacted the city to try to get the cutting to stop, but by the end of the week, they had all been cut down.“Let’s not cut down our own trees until we really have to,” said Young, who leads the Sandy Hill Tree Group.
By Joanne Schnurr, CTV News Ottawa, October 8, 2015
Have you ever seen someone chuck garbage out their car window and wonder ‘Who's going to pick that up?’ An Ottawa man decided to stop wondering and start working. On this beautiful fall day, one would be hard-pressed to see a scrap of paper along a strip of pavement in Ottawa's southeast end. There is a reason why Johnston Road often appears free of litter. Majed Jadayel is that reason. He is a software engineer by day conscientious citizen by night. Jadayel spends hours on his bike, after work and weekends carefully picking up what other people carelessly toss out.
‘I can look at it every day or I can take a proactive approach and get involved in cleaning my community and where I live,’ he says.