Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Developer of 27-storey tower on Metcalfe Street must spend $200K on green space: Ottawa council

Metro News

By Lucy Scholey, Ottawa Metro News, September 9, 2015

The developer of a proposed 27-storey hotel and mixed-use tower at the old Medical Arts Building must fork over $200,000 for green space before he breaks ground.

That’s the condition councillors agreed on before unanimously approving the 180 Metcalfe St. plan on Wednesday.

Even Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, who previously argued against the 21-storey addition to the heritage building, supported the plan. She previously said this design contravenes the new community design plan. On Wednesday, she said this $200,000 bonus gives Centretown the rare opportunity to expand its green space.

580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: New report recommends regulating Uber in Toronto, but will Ottawa follow suit? :: News - Article

By Alison Sandor, CFRA News, September 9, 2015

Toronto Mayor John Tory says he supports creating new regulations for Uber and reducing the city's base rate for cab fares in order to level the playing field for taxis.The ideas stem from a new report conducted by Toronto city staffers released Wednesday.

Although Toronto may be paving the way to regulate Uber, Mayor Jim Watson said it doesn't mean Ottawa will jump on board.

"I don't want to prejudge the public consultation, but there's no question that the actions that are taking place right now at the Airport are helping Uber," said Watson. "I suspect if I saw a spreadsheet, I'd see Uber's numbers are way up because people are fed up with the blockades and the violence and that kind of completely unacceptable behaviour."

OC Transpo moves fast to ease gridlock at Hurdman Station

Ottawa & Region

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By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, September 9, 2015

OC Transpo is hoping for a better day on Wednesday after bus gridlock at a busy hub yesterday.Ottawa's Hurdman Station was at a near standstill for several hours Tuesday morning, annoying commuters who were stuck in a bus jam.

OC Transpo managed to ease the congestion for the afternoon rush after transit planners worked fast to find ways to keep buses moving through the hub.

Earthquake reported in western Quebec on Wednesday - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, September 9, 2015

An earthquake registering at magnitude 3.7 shook an area in western Quebec on Wednesday afternoon.

Natrual Resources Canada reported the quake about three kilometres south-southwest of Gracefield, Que., which is a popular spot for earthquakes.

LRT, communism memorial among mayor’s questions to federal leaders

Ottawa Citizen

By Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 2015

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has sent a questionnaire to federal leaders Stephen Harper, Tom Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May, putting to each 11 questions regarding their parties’ platform on issues of concern to the capital.

“The intention of this respectful initiative is to ensure local issues receive federal attention in the lead-up to the October 19 election,” Watson states in his Sept. 8 cover letter.

Ash borer treatment donated for Lac Leamy Park trees

Ottawa Citizen

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, September 9, 2015

Tree Canada, a non-profit charity that funds tree planting across the country, has donated enough pesticide to protect 40 ash trees in Lac Leamy Park in Gatineau.

The trees are in a stand that gives shade to a picnic area near the popular beach.

And the fact that it takes a National Capital Commission press conference to announce one year’s protection for 40 trees illustrates the major effort required to protect the city’s ashes. The tall hardwoods made up one-fifth of Ottawa’s and Gatineau’s tree cover before the emerald ash borer beetle arrived.

South Keys design plan bringing big change to transit hub

By Emma Jackson, Ottawa Community News, September 8, 2015

It’s the kind of grand revisioning that progressive urban planners can usually only dream: taking a car-centric box store mall and turning it into a walkable, attractive place to shop and live, complete with urban parkettes, green space and rapid transit right next door.

That’s exactly what the city has in mind for the South Keys shopping plaza near Bank Street and Hunt Club Road, which has anything but a main street feel right now. The mall, owned largely by Smart Centres box store plaza developer, is currently home to Chapters, Walmart, Loblaws, Winners, Michaels, a Cineplex movie theatre and several other major chains.

City's community design plans may be waste of money: Hubley

Ottawa & Region

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, September 8, 2015

Community design plans are becoming wasteful spending and the city might be better planned through spot-rezoning applications, a councillor says.

“I’m starting to form an opinion that we’re wasting taxpayers’ money on CDPs because we continue to be challenged on them, we continue to lose on them,” Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley said Tuesday.

OC Transpo ridership eats into bottom line

Ottawa & Region

News

Ottawa Sun

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, September 8, 2015

Stephen Blais sees one bright spot in a dismal report predicting an $11.5-million deficit at OC Transpo this year.

“Ridership has been stable, which is good,” the chairman of the transit commission told the Sun Tuesday.

The problem is, Transpo expected ridership to grow in the first half of 2015, bringing in more revenue. There were 49-million customer trips over the first six months of both 2015 and 2014.

Hurdman station changes cause OC Transpo delays - Ottawa - CBC News

By CBC News Ottawa, September 8, 2015

OC Transpo apologized to passengers Tuesday morning for extensive city-wide bus delays caused by a new "temporary configuration" of Hurdman station.

OC Transpo is working with the city on finding a solution, the organization tweeted on Tuesday.

The Hurdman station main platform is relocating slightly east to "allow construction required to transform" the station to serve both train and bus passengers.

Deadline to submit LeBreton Flats proposals extended to Dec. 15

Ottawa Citizen

By Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen, September 8, 2015

The National Capital Commission has agreed to give four teams preparing competing development plans for LeBreton Flats an extra six weeks to submit their designs.

At the request of two of the four teams, the deadline to submit proposals has been pushed back to Dec. 15 from Oct. 30, NCC chief executive Mark Kristmanson said Tuesday.

NCC announces new lecture series in popular Capital Urbanism Lab

Ottawa Citizen

By Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen, September 8, 2015

The National Capital Commission’s Capital Urbanism Lab, launched last year in a pop-up space at 40 Elgin St., was a hit, hosting more than 35 mostly full-house events. Now the NCC hopes to build on that success with a series of 10 lectures in 2015-16.

The lecture series kicks off Oct. 1 with a presentation on eco-design for cities and suburbs by famed urban planner Larry Beasley and Jonathan Barnett, an emeritus professor of practice in city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania.