580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: It could be months before a replacement for Plasco is chosen :: News - Article

By Alison Sandor, 580 CFRA, February 17, 2015

It will be months before a decision is made on how the city will manage its waste once the current landfill reaches capacity in 2043.

The city must choose a new option, since Plasco received creditor protection last week.

The Environment Committee has agreed to wait for the results of the green bin audit expected later this year before deciding how to move forward.

"Then we'll have a better understanding of where we are and just what is the waste that needs to be dealt with so that we don't find ourselves picking a technology because it looks great, but doesn't necessarily match as well as possible with what the real need is," said committee chair David Chernushenko.

Reevely: Gas-plant report reveals little more than partisan politics
Ottawa Citizen

By David Reevely, The Ottawa Citizen, February 17, 2015

The billion-dollar decision to scrap plans for two gas-fired energy plants near Toronto was nobody’s fault, really. Unless it was everybody’s. Look, mistakes were made and there’s lots of blame to go around. So says the official report on the matter from the Ontario legislature’s justice committee, released Tuesday. This is the business that dominated Queen’s Park for well over a year. What did then-premier Dalton McGuinty and his staff know about the price of cancelling the plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election, and when? What was McGuinty’s chief of staff, David Livingston, thinking, if, as is alleged by the OPP in their investigation, he had the boyfriend of one of his subordinates go through government computers to wipe out masses of emails? via Reevely: Gas-plant report reveals little more than partisan politics | Ottawa Citizen.

City Hall Blog: How the city lucked out on Plasco
Ottawa Citizen

By Joanne Chianello, The Ottawa Citizen, February 17, 2015

The city is having a little trouble extrapolating itself from its relationship with Plasco Energy. As our Matthew Pearson reports, the environment committee voted to officially cut ties with company on Tuesday, but city solicitor Rick O’Connor (left, in photo above) says the city can’t unilaterally cancel its contract with Plasco without a judge’s permission now that the company is under creditors’ protection. It won’t be entirely smooth sailing over the next while for the city when it comes to Plasco, and not just because the city needs a court’s permission to unilaterally end its contract. The city is owed $15,000 by Plasco, and it’s quite possible we won’t see much (or even any) of that money. And decommissioning the Plasco site, which sits on city land, looks like it’ll take 18 months. Plasco had already given the city a $300,000 deposit for the decommissioning and Tuesday, Kirkpatrick told councillors that he was “comfortable” that the deposit would cover the winding-down costs. Let’s hope he’s right. via City Hall Blog: How the city lucked out on Plasco | Ottawa Citizen.

Energy project pilgrim walking from Montreal to Ottawa
Ottawa Citizen

By Peter Mazereeuw, The Ottawa Citizen, February 16, 2015

Ottawa’s Jonathan Boutin plans to walk from Montreal to the capital next week as part of an energy awareness campaign organized by the Canadian Science and Technology Museum. Boutin, 28, hopes to complete the winding 210-kilometre trip between Feb. 22 and 27 as part of the Let’s Talk Energy campaign, an annual “energy literacy” program organized by Canada Science and Technology Museums Corp. and backed by a handful of natural resource industry partners and federal agencies. via Energy project pilgrim walking from Montreal to Ottawa | Ottawa Citizen.

Extreme cold, now dump of snow on its way
Ottawa & Region
News
Ottawa Sun

By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun, February 15, 2015

If motorists were already spinning their wheels trekking around snow-covered area roads Saturday, get ready for what's coming next. Environment Canada is warning of an Alberta clipper due to blow in overnight Saturday and continuing through Sunday, bringing with it a potential 10 to 15 cm dumping of snow followed by a blast of Arctic air. This on the heels of a cold snap that might see the lowest mean temperatures for February since 1979. via Extreme cold, now dump of snow on its way | Ottawa & Region | News | Ottawa Sun.

Green bins only used in 15% of apartment, condo buildings
Ottawa Citizen

By Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen, February 14, 2015

Nearly five years after it was introduced, the green bin organics recycling program is available in only 15 per cent of apartment buildings and townhouse complexes in Ottawa. The city provided bins to all single-family dwellings served by curb-side garbage collection in of advance of the program’s 2010 launch. But multi-unit apartment and condominium buildings, as well as some townhouse complexes — where residents bring garbage and recyclables to a central location for containerized pickup — have proven much more difficult because the city requires the co-operation of property managers, condo boards or residents to drive the program. That could explain why only 198 of the roughly 1,300 eligible buildings and townhouse complexes have green bins today, according to Marilyn Journeaux, manager of Ottawa’s solid waste services department. via Green bins only used in 15% of apartment, condo buildings | Ottawa Citizen.

580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: OC Transpo ridership expected to rise :: News - Article

By Allison Sandor, CFRA News, February 13, 2015

OC Transpo says despite the recent year-over-year decline in ridership they are seeing a reversal in that trend.

Transit Commission Chair Stephen Blais said ridership stabilized in the last half of 2014 and they even saw modest increases.

Blais told CFRA they believe boosting the service will help attract more riders.

Ontario seeks input on carbon pricing

By Ottawa Community News, February 12, 2015

TORONTO - The Ontario government is looking for public input on its climate change strategy, as it weighs whether to implement a cap-and-trade system or a carbon tax.

A 45-day consultation period will see town hall meetings held across the province and people can give feedback online and through social media.

Frigid February could be coldest in 35 years
Ottawa & Region
News
Ottawa S

By Doug Hempstead, Ottawa Sun, February 13, 2015

The city is cooking up what might be a record-breaking month for mean temperatures — in every sense of the word. If current trends continue — and it appears they will — Ottawa will approach a 1979 record for lowest mean temperature of -14.3C recorded at the airport where stats go back to 1938 via Frigid February could be coldest in 35 years | Ottawa & Region | News | Ottawa S.

Chianello: Plasco offers lesson in sobering reality
Ottawa Citizen

By Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen, February 12, 2015

There were plenty of skeptics over Plasco Energy’s chances of success, but nobody was celebrating its downfall this week. Just about everybody can agree with Mayor Jim Watson’s sentiment that he wished Plasco had fulfilled its promise. At heart, we were all cheering for Plasco, our hometown entry in the trash-to-energy sweepstakes. So it was an unfortunate outcome for Ottawa on Tuesday, and a particularly sad one for the 80 people who lost their jobs, when the company filed for creditor protection. via Chianello: Plasco offers lesson in sobering reality | Ottawa Citizen.

Denley: Ottawa’s garbage dilemma
Ottawa Citizen

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen, February 11, 2015

The collapse of the contract between the city and Plasco Energy Group is a disappointment, because this was a promising Ottawa company and the solution it offered for getting rid of garbage was just what Ottawa needed. The Plasco deal didn’t work out, but the city was correct to give the company a chance to show what it could do. If Canadians don’t support their own tech companies, who will? The deal was also structured in such a way that the cost and the risk were on Plasco’s side. All the city lost by giving Plasco a chance was some time. via Denley: Ottawa’s garbage dilemma | Ottawa Citizen.
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