Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

EGAN: Why are the great sturgeon of the Ottawa River dying?

By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Sun, August 29, 2020

On the weekend of Aug. 23, a large fish washed up dead on the sandy shores of Constance Bay, overturned on its thin white belly, strange little whiskers pointing to the sky.

It was a sturgeon — more properly a lake sturgeon — about four feet long and likely weighing in excess of 30 pounds. Neighbours, beach-walkers, began to chatter. Not only was it a rare sight, but it also wasn’t the first one this summer.

(...)The City of Ottawa, it turns out, carefully tracks the temperature of the river at its two drinking-water intakes. (The precise reading actually affects the water treatment process.)

In July, the average temperature of the river at Britannia was 24.9 C, a full 1.5 degrees higher than the 10-year average of 23.4. August was higher as well, with average readings so far this month of 24.6 C, versus the historic average of 23.6 C.

And something else: In three of the past 12 years, the temperature of the river never rose above 25 C. Not for one day. This year, it has exceeded 25 C on 26 days, the highest number since at least 2009.

Today's letters: One stupid piece of plastic caused a whole lot of fuss

By Kath Fischer, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 28, 2020

All because of one piece of plastic

A pleasant walk along the Rideau Canal quickly turned depressing last week. Sitting atop a large rock in the small pond next to the Canal Ritz was a majestic Great Blue Heron. Typically shy, such close proximity struck me as unusual behaviour. Yet most of the passing cyclists and pedestrians eager to grab a photo didn’t see the long piece of clear plastic the heron was struggling to disengage from its mouth.

A call for help went out to Safe Wings Ottawa. But after a great deal of preparation, their valiant attempt to capture the distressed bird was unsuccessful. He still had enough strength to fly out of reach. In all, the attempted rescue took hours of devoted volunteer and passersby time. All for one stupid piece of plastic — a totally preventable scourge that will undoubtedly kill this stately bird, and so many others like him.

Birds starve to death from ingesting plastic, a long painful ordeal. The experience was upsetting. So, just days later, as I was approaching Dow’s Lake to begin another walk, I was disheartened when the very first thing I noticed in the water was a large plastic bag. And then another. And another. With a stick, in fewer than two minutes, I managed to pull out several plastic bags of varying sizes (some containing COVID masks), two plastic bowls, one plastic water bottle, and so on. I hadn’t even walked two meters. Shame on all of us. Surely we can do better.

'Not letting this one go': Cyclists angered over councillor's proposal to remove Almonte bike lanes

By Ashley Kulp, InsideOttawaValley, August 25, 2020

The Mississippi Mills cycling community wants to see a councillor back pedal on his proposal to scrap bike lanes in Almonte.

Mississippi Mills Coun. John Dalgity introduced a motion at the Aug. 11 council meeting to seek alternate routes for cyclists without the use of designated bicycle lanes or losing on-street parking on Ottawa Street and Martin Street North. Dalgity said the reason behind his proposal is one of safety.

“Those streets are very busy with heavy commercial and vehicle traffic,” he noted, adding that 99 per cent of people he spoke to weren’t in favour of the lanes. “It's not safe on these streets for cyclists. It's nothing against people on bicycles.”

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/10145332--not-letting-this-one-go-cyclists-angered-over-councillor-s-proposal-to-remove-almonte-bike-lanes/?s=n1?source=newsletter&utm_content=a01&utm_source=ml_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=6cf0e4c8dfed7b7e28f22e123857e24f&utm_campaign=ovhp_83178

Florizone: Don’t let green recovery become a political hot potato

By Richard Florizone, Ottawa Citizen, August 24, 2020

The idea that stimulus spending should drive a green, resilient recovery has wrongly become a partisan issue in this country, apparently playing a role in the departure of Bill Morneau as finance minister on one side and highlighting the lack of strong Conservative leadership on climate on the other.

Ensuring a resilient recovery is not just a question of what’s good for the economy or what’s good for the environment. It is now an issue of national competitiveness.

Leaders around the globe and across the political spectrum are making historic commitments to build a low-carbon future, rejecting the false compromise between economic growth and climate action. The scale of investment and economic change around the world illustrates the urgency with which Canada needs to lift its eyes to this horizon and move forward with the best Canadian ideas, informed by fast-moving global trends.

Advocates worried as COVID-19 cases among transit workers continue to rise

By Natalia Goodwin, CBC News Ottawa, August 23, 2020

Transit advocates in Ottawa are concerned about the rising number of COVID-19 cases among OC Transpo staff and hope to work on convincing the public that the city's buses, LRT, and Para Transpo are still safe.

As of Friday afternoon, OC Transpo reported that 28 out of its 3,000 employees had tested positive for the illness, including six operators this month alone. 

Yet, not all of the 28 employees have direct contact with the public. 

(...)The Ottawa Transit Riders group discussed the increase in cases at its Annual General Meeting Saturday. The group plans to focus on convincing the public that transit is still safe to use.

Dead and dying trees to be felled on Confederation Boulevard and in urban parks, NCC says

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, August 22, 2020

National Capital Commission crews will start chopping down 30 dead and dying trees along Confederation Boulevard and in some of its urban parks on Monday.

The NCC said the trees on Wellington Street, Elgin Street, Mackenzie Avenue and Sussex Drive in Ottawa and Laurier Street in Gatineau posed “a safety hazard for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.”

The elms have succumbed to Dutch elm disease despite years of treatments aimed at saving them or at least extending their lives. Some maple, oak, linden, hackberry, apple and cedar trees have also succumbed to “environmental and urban stresses” such as pollution, road salt and damage by parking vehicles and other accidents.

‘We’re trying to encourage water conservation’: North Grenville approves new water usage rates beginning in October

By Paulina Hrebacka, InsideOttawaValley, August 20, 2020

Water usage rates in North Grenville are going to see some significant changes this fall.

Whether you’ll be paying more or less for water depends on how much you use — average households using around 12 cubic metres or less per month are anticipated to save money, while larger users will see their bill increase.

Council discussed the changes at the Aug. 18 virtual meeting, where they accepted a report from a water and wastewater rate study conducted in March by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd.

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/10143207--we-re-trying-to-encourage-water-conservation-north-grenville-approves-new-water-usage-rates-beginning-in-october/?s=n1?source=newsletter&utm_content=a09&utm_source=ml_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=6cf0e4c8dfed7b7e28f22e123857e24f&utm_campaign=ovha_82878

City withholding millions from LRT builder

By Hillary Johnstone, CBC News Ottawa, August 19, 2020

OC Transpo boss John Manconi says the city continues to withhold millions of dollars from Rideau Transit Group (RTG) over ongoing problems with Ottawa's new light rail system.

In a memo to the mayor, councillors and transit commissioners Wednesday, Manconi said the city has paid out approximately one-quarter of the amount RTG has billed in recent months.

Between October 2019 and July 2020, RTG sought approximately $60 million from the city, but Manconi said for now, the city will only be cutting a cheque for $17.45 million. 

As reported by CBC, the contract with RTG allows the city to deduct payments for poor performance.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-holds-back-millions-lrt-builder-rtg-1.5691808?ref=mobilerss&cmp=newsletter_CBC%20Ottawa_1643_98211

COVID-19 consequences: Reduced air pollution, less waste, fresh insights

By Matthew Guida, Capital Current, April 12, 2020

More than 20 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported globally to date. There is no overstating of the scope of the pandemic tragedy for humanity.

However, it is also important to recognize that it has resulted in some unexpected environmental benefits — especially when it comes to air pollution and waste management. 

The World Health Organization estimates that there are more than six million deaths annually because of outdoor and indoor air pollution. According to the 2019 report on the State of Global Air, air pollution contributed to the loss of 147 million years of healthy life in 2017 alone.

By obeying stay-at-home directives during the pandemic, people in Canada and beyond have contributed to the reduction of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, as well as particulate matter in major cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, which have experienced reductions in nitrogen dioxide levels of between 30 and 40 per cent.

https://capitalcurrent.ca/covid-19-consequences-reduced-air-pollution-less-waste-fresh-insights

https://capitalcurrent.ca/covid-19-consequences-reduced-air-pollution-less-waste-fresh-insights/

One year in the life of the Flora Footbridge

By John Dance, The Mainstreeter, August 9, 2020

She’s now been very visibly with us for more than a year.

The Flora Footbridge was officially opened last June and as of mid-June of this year, there were 722,411 trips across the Rideau Canal between Clegg Street in Old Ottawa East (OOE) and Fifth Avenue in the Glebe.

The bridge was built after decades of lobbying by the neighbouring communities. Now, it’s simply a part of Capital Ward’s fabric, tying OOE and the Glebe together and making it easier, safer and more enjoyable for Ottawa pedestrians and cyclists to get across the mid-town section of the Canal.

In terms of use, the bridge has met expectations. Its environmental assessment forecast 1,500 to 2,500 daily trips and it’s averaged 2,058, although this varies greatly month to month. This past
May there was an average of 3,401 per day while in February there were only 701 per day.

Numbers aside, the bridge has positively altered the daily patterns of residents. Many commuting, shopping and social trips now go via the bridge rather than over the Pretoria or Bank Street bridges.

Boosting Ontario Blue Box Programs

By Steve Palkin, TVO Climate Watch, August 17, 2020

Norman Lee, the Peel Region's director of Waste Management, discusses how changes to the province's recycling strategy will affect municipalities.

Construction begins on the new Larose Forest Visitor Centre

By The Review, August 18, 2020

The United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) is pleased to announce that construction of the new Visitor Centre in the Larose Forest has now begun.

A project valued at $980,000, this visitor centre will allow for the rental of equipment, such as bicycles and snowshoes, and will provide a relaxation area for users as well as a source of drinking water.

The construction of the Visitor Centre represents an important partnership between the UCPR and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. FedDev Ontario has invested $350,000 through the Canadian Experiences Fund, while the UCPR is investing $630,000 for road upgrades, parking, and stormwater management improvements.

“The UCPR is extremely excited to open our new Visitor Centre for the coming fall season, following an already record-breaking year of trail usage in our majestic forest,” stated Pierre Leroux, Warden of the UCPR Council.

https://thereview.ca/2020/08/13/construction-begins-on-the-new-larose-forest-visitor-centre/