Ecology Ottawa

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Today's letters: What Trudeau's throne speech should say

By Elise Ondet, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, September 22, 2020

Here’s what a good throne speech would do

I agree, we want a throne speech for adults. But we disagree on what being an adult means.

I am part of groups in the Ottawa region called Ottawa Reduces and For Our Kids. Together, these groups count more than 1,600 worried citizens. Over the past two weeks, a lot of conversations has been about getting the government to understand that we want this throne speech to bring systemic changes for a green and just recovery, not just a “modest, doable and reassuring” plan. We don’t have time for reassuring. California is on fire, and so was Australia in the winter. The fumes from California reached our city this week. The Earth is sending us cries of help. We don’t have time for modest.

Re: Editorial, A throne speech for adults, Sept. 19.

Lopoukhine: Gatineau Park deserves legislation to properly protect it

By Nikita Lopoukhine, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, September 19, 2020

The National Capital Commission (NCC) recently released its 2020 draft of the Gatineau Park Master Plan. Buried towards the end of the draft plan is a presentation of the advantages and the need for modernizing the park’s legal framework.

This may surprise readers who think Gatineau Park is a “real park” under a federal act. Sadly, Gatineau Park’s boundaries are currently not legislated, and as such lands can be sold, traded without parliamentary approval and houses are still being constructed on the remaining private land within the park. As the draft plan points out, legislation would firm up the park’s conservation mission and its protection, modernize pricing of activities, establish regulations and assign powers of protection.

(...)

Gatineau Park, on the doorstep of the National Capital, containing the prime minister’s summer residence, the House of Commons Speaker’s residence and the historic Mackenzie King Estate, deserves the attention of our legislators. With climate change impacts on our horizon, expanding urban developments and growing recreation demands, it is critical that Gatineau Park’s biodiversity be given the high level of protection it deserves.

Otherwise, without legislative protection and regardless of the current Master Plan’s intentions, Gatineau Park will continue to be threatened by boundary modifications, policy shifts and, most importantly, the loss of ecological integrity.

Ottawa signs off on Doug Ford’s industrial carbon pricing plan, even though it’s ‘weaker’

By Emma McIntosh, National Observer, September 21, 2020

The federal government has approved Ontario’s plan to charge industry for carbon pollution, even though it is “clearly weaker” than what Ottawa intended.

In a statement Monday, federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Premier Doug Ford’s program “meets the minimum stringency requirements” to replace Ottawa’s version and the government is “required” to sign off.

“However, the proposed Ontario system is clearly weaker than the federal backstop system that it would be replacing,” the statement said.

“It is therefore not consistent with a long-term climate plan aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/09/21/news/ottawa-signs-doug-fords-industrial-carbon-pricing-plan-even-though-its-weaker?utm_source=National+Observer&utm_campaign=038b8a051c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_09_22_12_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cacd0f141f-038b8a051c-277003849

Today's letters: Name change won't help the Navy

(This is the type of view that will make preventing urban sprawl hard)

By Mark Christie, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, September 12, 2020

(...)Single-family neighbourhood is under threat

Re: Adding density to Ottawa neighbourhoods can be done gently, Sept. 6.

It’s not often that I agree with Coun. Jeff Leiper but when it comes to adding multi-unit, low-rise buildings to a low-rise residential neighbourhood, I do.

As a resident of a single family home on a street of mostly the same, I can attest to the disruptive nature of this mix. The three multi-unit buildings on my street are hugely destructive to our quality of life. Absentee and uncaring landlords rent to anyone, collect the rent and leave the neighbours to deal with the consequences of bad tenants with no stake in the property. The result of a bad landlord includes an unkempt yard with weeds and pests; loud gatherings; non-stop marijuana smoking with groups of friends on the front decks, day and night; fights; non- stop comings and goings of strangers; and garbage from four occupants piled up and smelling for weeks in the summer.

'No valid reason for this hunt': Local advocates encourage others to save the cormorants

By InsideOttawaValley, September 10, 2020

Sept. 15 marks the start of Ontario’s Cormorant Hunt, despite the government having received 50,000 written inputs from Ontarians, a majority of which were not in favour. Scientists and Wildlife Managers have spoken out against the hunt, noting it is not based in science and likely to cause harm to our ecosystem. Given the limit of 15 birds per hunter per day, the small, 40-bird colony on Big Rideau Lake is clearly at risk of being wiped out.

So, someone on a local Facebook page asked what could be done to protect the Big Rideau Lake cormorant colony. The best answer I have is to talk with your friends or neighbours who may be planning to go cormorant hunting and ask them not to. The second step is to be a witness at the colony site if you can. Make no mistake, Ontario residents with a General Hunting Licence have the legal right to be present on our lakes and rivers with guns starting on Sept. 15. They should not be harassed or interfered with. Confrontation would neither be safe or sensible. Witnessing, however, is sensible and likely an impactful behaviour modification tool.

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/opinion-story/10187086--no-valid-reason-for-this-hunt-local-advocates-encourage-others-to-save-the-cormorants/?s=n1?source=newsletter&utm_content=a02&utm_source=ml_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=6cf0e4c8dfed7b7e28f22e123857e24f&utm_campaign=ovop_84243

Councillor’s Corner: Byron Avenue restrictions and a ward boundary review

By Jeff Leiper, Kitchissippi Times, September 10, 2020

(...)One matter we’ve been receiving a lot of notes about is the local-only restrictions on Byron Avenue. I advocated for these restrictions in the spring to help encourage physical distancing and create space for residents to enjoy the outdoors safely. I know that there are residents who are hoping to make these restrictions permanent; I’ve also heard from many who would like the restrictions lifted as traffic pressures begin to rise. Presently, I don’t intend to remove the barricades. I’ve observed this space to be well-used and the need for distancing has not diminished. However, if a request to maintain these restrictions permanently comes forward, I will entertain it. Currently, we’re monitoring traffic volumes in the area and I’m discussing with the City how this could be made permanent. Most importantly though, I won’t advocate for keeping this stretch of Byron local-only without opening the question to the community for input.  

https://kitchissippi.com/2020/09/10/councillors-corner-byron-avenue-restrictions-and-a-ward-boundary-review/

LRT marks 1st birthday with few riders — and fewer issues

By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, September 14, 2020

Reliable and fast. Few delays. Not crowded.

That's how some riders described Ottawa's light rail system last week, and they're not words that would have been used during the darkest times of the Confederation Line's first year. 

And with a litany of issues from flat wheels to snagged overhead wires, there were many such times. But as the white-and-red electric trains carry passengers into a second year, the picture is now dramatically different.

(...)

he consortium was not available to comment for this story. But Manconi says RTG has taken advantage of a precipitous drop in ridership to 15 to 20 per cent of normal levels, using periodic shutdowns of the Confederation Line during the pandemic to clear most of the problems, from installing door software to dealing with the overhead wires.

We never want to repeat a year like last year.

- John Manconi, City of Ottawa's general manager of transportation

One sign of progress is that since August, RTG has finally been running 15 trains, rather than only 13. With service improved, the consortium is also finally getting monthly payments — the city handed it $17.45 million in August.

 

Pellerin: Adding density to Ottawa neighbourhoods can be done gently

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen, September 6, 2020

(...)Staff recommend making modifications to zoning regulations in urban wards to permit the construction of medium-sized apartment buildings (eight to 12 units) on existing lots, in order to provide more options between detached family homes and humongous towers. The city calls this the missing middle. I prefer the term “gentle density.” Both essentially mean the same thing. We’re talking about adding the kind of two- or three-story buildings that make Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal or Outremont neighbourhoods so charming.

It also happens to be the kind of building that would help align our urban wards with the Five Big Moves already approved by Ottawa Council, that constitute the backbone of the new Official Plan. Nothing warms my heart like a city that does what it said it would, especially when what it said it would do makes so much sense.

(...)

Another reason it’s controversial is residents sometimes fear infills will ruin the character and look of existing neighbourhoods. Not an unreasonable thing to worry about. But the point of addressing the “missing middle” is precisely to add density without adding more awful towers, which are totally not in character anywhere outside the downtown core.

To my surprise, the most enthusiastic support I heard was from Coun. Jan Harder. Her ward, in suburban Barrhaven, will not be affect by the current review but as chair of the planning committee she says “the report is something to be excited about because it could very well help with the affordable housing shortage in Ottawa.”

If we can manage to stop widening roads and add affordable housing in lovely mid-sized urban buildings, you’ll find me cheering, too. Go, Team Gentle Density!

Boddy: Please stop destroying the Woods of Hampton Park

By Sharon Boddy, Ottawa Citizen, September 12, 2020

Hampton Park is one of Ottawa’s most beautiful public parks. Situated on the southern boundary of Kitchissippi, it contains a small urban forest, the Hampton Woods.

To passers-by on Island Park Drive, the Woods look lush and green, so it’s easy to understand why some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Inside the Woods, however, it’s different story. The smaller under-story plants, which make up the majority of biomass in forests, are disappearing. To properly maintain soil health, forests need a diversity of plant species.

One uncommon native plant, twisted rose stalk, has disappeared since it was observed in 2003; many others are at risk from the park’s 20+ invasive plant species. Although some of these invasives came in on the wind or through animal waste, many are spread unknowingly by feet, paws and bicycle tires.

The Wood’s most mature trees are suffering from invasive species, storm damage, and a lot of human ignorance. Trees are painted, carved, have their branches and leaves ripped off, their roots exposed, or their bark damaged or stripped.

As trees mature, new neighbourhoods become more like home

By Anita Murray, Ottawa Citizen, September 1, 2020

When I was a kid, we moved into a newly built neighbourhood in Kanata. It was so new that the streets weren’t paved yet, front yards were dirt, and both turned into a muddy soup during spring rains that made getting to the school bus stop an adventure. And, of course, there were no trees — no greenery of any kind, in fact.

While it’s not quite that drastic today, such is the fate of a new subdivision: the trade-off we make to get a newly built home in the suburbs with our choice of lot and floor plan, no repairs and the excitement of being part of a growing community is that it comes minus that mature neighbourhood feel we see in areas where the trees are so big they stretch out and form a green canopy over the street.

(...)Developing a piece of land for a new subdivision requires builders to raze the growth that’s already there. Trying to install infrastructure like water, sewage and roads cannot be done realistically without it, nor is it practical to build homes by trying to work around existing trees that might not even be of good quality. The disturbance to tree roots and the water table can be hard to avoid and can often lead to a tree’s death despite best efforts.

(...)“If it is a big enough lot and the trees are far enough away from the house and the foundation, we have tried to save trees in those instances,” Sachs says, citing the example of White Pines in Bridlewood, where the decision was made to design around the stands of trees. “We made an extraordinary effort to try to save as many of them as possible.”

NCC releases draft plan to guide future use of Gatineau Park

By CBC News Ottawa, August 30, 2020

The National Capital Commission's (NCC) newly released draft master plan for Gatineau Park emphasizes conservation, while at the same time encouraging park users to engage in outdoor activities that are environmentally friendly.

The plan, released Friday, calls for reducing the number of unofficial hiking trails and limiting development to protect sensitive habitats and ecosystems.

It also outlines a strategy to expand the park's boundaries by integrating adjacent NCC-owned land into its territory.

The draft plan was developed after a three-year consultation process where the NCC sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, including the park's users, representatives from local Indigenous communities, elected officials and special interest groups.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ncc-draft-master-plan-gatineau-park-1.5704286?ref=mobilerss&cmp=newsletter_CBC%20Ottawa_1643_110158

NCC asking for public feedback on latest Gatineau Park Master Plan

By Dani-elle Dubé, 1310 News, August 28, 2020

The NCC is asking the public to share their thoughts on their latest draft plan for Gatineau Park through an online consultation. 

The consultation will be available until September 20 and can be found on the NCC website.

According to the NCC, the Gatineau Park Master Plan helps guide the long-term planning, use and management of Gatineau Park.

It’s a plan that is reviewed every 10 years to make sure it takes into account past experiences, new issues and regulations an international best practices in the management of natural environments.