A case for the electric car
CTV Ottawa News

By CTV News Ottawa, August 18, 2015

Doug George loves his Tesla. Or, in his case, Teslas. The Ottawa man owns two of the high-end electric vehicles. He was the first in Canada to take possession of the Model S sedan. He also owns a discontinued Tesla Roadster he bought 5 years ago. Photos Tesla A Tesla Model S gets topped up in its owners garage in Ottawa, Aug. 18, 2015 Tesla Doug George sits in his Tesla Roadster, parked beside his Model S, in Ottawa, Aug. 18, 2015 “The car is just such a fun thing to drive,” he says. “And it’s also so efficient and inexpensive to run. I don’t see why anyone would want to go back to gas after driving one of these.” via A case for the electric car | CTV Ottawa News.

Transit is the big local ask for federal election candidates
Willing
Columni

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun, August 18, 2015

Anyone working on the LRT file at City Hall was waiting on -- or crossing their fingers for -- two major announcements in 2009 and 2010. The city needed the federal and provincial governments to provide money for Ottawa's first phase of LRT. No money meant no expansion to the municipal rail service, no downtown tunnel and no hope to reduce the bus congestion downtown. via Transit is the big local ask for federal election candidates | Willing | Columni.

Letter: Move Zibi project, re-green the islands
Ottawa Citizen

By Cathy Remus, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 18, 2015

Re: The Algonquin people don’t need to be saved, Aug. 15. Chief Kirby Whiteduck questions the right of non-Algonquins to express a view about Windmill’s Zibi development. In a way, I agree. It’s not up to me to decide what happens with this special place on the Ottawa River. I oppose the Zibi development because I support the vision of Algonquin elder William Commanda to re-green the islands, remove the dam from Chaudière Falls and restore the islands and falls as a meeting place for all peoples. Algonquin people own the land — not Windmill. Algonquins need to lead this redevelopment. I believe LeBreton Flats is a better place for Windmill Development Group’s mega-project. via Letter: Move Zibi project, re-green the islands | Ottawa Citizen.

Energy East pipeline could threaten Rideau, Ottawa rivers

By  Emma Jackson, Ottawa Community News, August 18, 2015

Some local leaders are hoping a report from the Ontario Energy Board will take the steam out of a proposal to bring crude oil through the Ottawa Valley.

TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline proposal would convert about 3,000 kilometres of natural gas pipeline to instead carry diluted bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to refineries on the east coast.

(...)

“We’re assuming with this report the provincial government cannot support this project,” said Graham Saul, executive director of Ecology Ottawa. “The OEB emphasized there were serious risks, not just environmental risks, and they clearly stated those risks outweigh the benefits.”

As passengers, we're just along for the ride in Ottawa's taxi battle
Metro News

By Steve Collins, Ottawa Metro News, August 16, 2015 Your expectations as a customer upon getting in a taxi are modest. You want to get where you’re going safely for a non-stupid amount of time and money. What’s going on under the hood, whether of the car itself or the business that keeps it on the road, is typically a matter of no great curiosity. This summer, though, thanks to drama over the fees cab drivers pay to pick up fares at the airport, and the ongoing disruption by ride-sharing apps like Uber, we’re increasingly, if unwillingly, confronted with the workings of Ottawa’s taxi regime. via As passengers, we're just along for the ride in Ottawa's taxi battle | Metro News.

OC Transpo's new online travel planner confusing, barely more functional than before
Metro News

By Kathryn Hunt, Ottawa Metro News, August 17, 2015

There was a time when OC Transpo’s online travel planner was a mainstay for me, when I didn’t have a bicycle and I got everywhere by bus (and in the days before everyone had GPS on their phones). The problem was that it could only give you a route based on the schedule, and as anyone who’s been late for an important meeting knows, buses can’t always stick to the schedule. via OC Transpo's new online travel planner confusing, barely more functional than before | Metro News.

Liquidator takes ownership of Plasco assets for pennies on the dollar
Ottawa Citizen

By Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen, August 17, 2015

What assets remained of failed Plasco Energy Group were sold to a liquidation company for $487,000 U.S., a tiny fraction of the millions of dollars the company owed when it sought protection from its creditors earlier this year. Once the clean-tech darling of the nation’s capital — promising to turn the city’s garbage into energy — Plasco had attracted more than $300 million worth of investment since it was founded in 2005. But on Monday, online auctioneers began to detail the various components of Plasco’s test facility on Trail Road that are now up for sale. The items will all be sold off to the highest bidder in an auction that’s scheduled to begin Tuesday, via Liquidator takes ownership of Plasco assets for pennies on the dollar | Ottawa Citizen.

Couillard open to legalizing UberX-style modes of transportation

By Jocelyne Richer, Ottawa Citizen, August 16, 2015

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard is showing himself open to legalizing UberX-style means of transportation, despite opposition from the taxi industry.

If he moves forward in this direction, Couillard’s Liberals would align themselves with their youth wing, who adopted a resolution Saturday asking Quebec to pass laws regulating the “new practices” stemming from a “new sharing economy.”

Canada's parrot problem
CTV Ottawa News

By Eric Longley, CTV News Ottawa, August 14, 2015

Canada has a parrot problem. The large, often brightly-coloured birds are commonly purchased as pets. The problem, according to Judy Tennant, is “they don’t make a good pet.” A parrot surveys its domain at Parrot Partner in Smiths Falls, On. Aug. 14, 2015 Parrot A parrot explores the environment at Parrot Partner in Smiths Falls, On. Aug. 14, 2015 Tennant runs Parrot Partner, a charity based in Smiths Falls, Ontario. It’s a sanctuary and training facility for abandoned parrots. via Canada's parrot problem | CTV Ottawa News.

Letter: Call McKay Pond its true name
Ottawa Citizen

By François Lavigne, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 14, 2015

Tom Spears’ article about the water level at McKay Pond brought back a lot of memories to me. It also hit a nerve because McKay Pond is not its name. I grew up in Rockcliffe Park, on Birch Avenue, in the 1970s. Back then, the “sand pits”, as we called it, was a favourite spot for us to play, although back then it was strictly off-limits for swimming. But that didn’t stop many of us from cooling off there on a hot summer’s day. We managed to outrun the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer who occasionally chased us. It was easy enough. Back then the pits was surrounded by swamp, especially between it and McKay Lake. The land would only be reclaimed in the 1980s when houses were built there. via Letter: Call McKay Pond its true name | Ottawa Citizen.
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