NCC's Queen Elizabeth Driveway active use program sparked debate. Here's where key people stand

By Ben Andrews, CBC News Ottawa, July 22, 2023

The temporary closure of about two-kilometres of road to motor vehicles has sparked a debate that highlights a clear divide among local leaders on the city's approach to active transportation.

In a CFRA radio interview last Tuesday, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he believes the Queen Elizabeth Driveway (QED) active transportation program should be scaled back.

Coun. Jeff Leiper responded publicly in a post on the Kitchissippi Ward Facebook page calling the mayor's stance "regressive" and his approach to advocating on the issue "inappropriate."

Find the whole article here.

Cyclists pumped for seemingly imminent opening of car-free bridge

By Guy Quennville, CBC News Ottawa, July 23, 2023

Jeff Leiper is the sort of active transportation advocate who posts time-lapse videos of his Ottawa bike commutes on social media.

So, yes, the Kitchissippi ward councillor is excited about the prospect of soon riding across the Ottawa River on the rehabilitated and renamed Chief William Commanda Bridge, located just north of the Bayview LRT station.

Leiper's even worried the much-delayed opening — the date of which remains unconfirmed — will happen while he's away on summer vacation. 

"We're all wildly impatient," he said on Friday. "I want to be the first, right? Everyone wants to be the first over this bridge."

Find the whole article here.

'You've got to move fast': Science learns to quickly link extreme weather and climate

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, City News, July 22, 2023

As firefighters and other first responders battle an unprecedented summer of fires, floods, tornadoes and heat waves around the country, a group of Canadian scientists are asking why they’re happening in the first place. 

.... Gillett heads the Rapid Extreme Event Attribution Project, a new federal program that uses the growing field of attribution science to promptly establish to what extent — if any — a specific flood in British Columbia or wildfire in Quebec is due to climate change.  

Find the whole article here.

Algonquin leaders want Ottawa's attention on proposed radioactive dumping ground

By Matteo Cimellaro, National Observer, July 21, 2023

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed a resolution at its general assembly last week calling for an urgent meeting with Ottawa over nuclear waste transport and disposal decisions.

The resolution was led by Chief Lance Haymond of Kebaowek First Nation, who opposes the current proposal to build a radioactive waste disposal facility within a few hundred metres of the Ottawa River, known as the Kichi Sibi in Algonquin.

Find the whole article here.

No funding for LRT Stage 3 until 'we straighten out' issues with the O-Train, premier says

By Josh Pringle, CTV News, July 20, 2023

Premier Doug Ford says there will be no new provincial funding to extend Ottawa's light rail transit system to Barrhaven and Kanata until the city of Ottawa and OC Transpo fix the problems with the current O-Train line between Blair and Tunney's Pasture stations.

Ford made the comments as Ottawa's LRT system remains shut down for a third full day after a bearing issue was discovered on one train during a 50,000 km inspection on Monday. R1 replacement bus service is running with 36 buses during the morning and afternoon peak periods.

Find the whole article here.

Ottawa slows down timeline for faster Toronto to Quebec City passenger railway

By Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press/Financial Post, July 20, 2023

MONTREAL — The federal government has slowed the timeline on a faster passenger railway set to stretch from Toronto to Quebec City.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said July 20 he hopes the high-frequency rail line will be running by the mid-2030s — rather than the early 2030s, which he projected as recently as March.

The passenger cars are expected to pass through Montreal, Trois-Rivieres and other Quebec and Ontario municipalities that sit between Toronto and Quebec City, running at up to 200 km/h. The corridor would also include stops in Ottawa and Peterborough, Ont.

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Turtle eggs at Petrie Island get tender loving care

By CBC News, July 17, 2023

It's tough out there for unhatched turtle eggs, but a group of conservationists is trying to make it easier at Petrie Island.

The popular beaches in east Ottawa are home to three of the eight turtle species found in Ontario: snapping turtles, painted turtles and northern map turtles.

Shy eastern musk turtles and Blanding's turtles (a threatened species) could frequent Petrie Island too, but that's unclear.

...To help get more eggs to hatch, project members have been gathering eggs to incubate themselves, indoors, in Tupperware containers filled with damp vermiculite to prevent them from drying out completely.

Find the whole article here.

Pellerin: Urban transportation isn't just about vehicles, Mayor Sutcliffe

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, July 14, 2023

It's not OK for the City of Ottawa to prioritize everyone in their own car all the time at the expense of other options such as cycling, walking or scooters.

... The fact that there are half a handful of parkways reserved for active transportation in the summer is not exactly cyclist oppression of the masses. What the mayor said is concerning, to put it mildly. Perhaps, after the recent decision to bring cars, buses and trucks back to Wellington Street downtown, I shouldn’t be surprised.

But I was expecting better. Such as policies and programs that treat those of us who prefer not always using a car (and those of us who can’t use a car because they’re too young or too old or don’t have the income needed to maintain ownership of one) with the same consideration as drivers.

Find the whole article here.

Mayor Sutcliffe calls closure of Queen Elizabeth Driveway to cars unnecessary

By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, July 13, 2023

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is not a fan of the National Capital Commission’s decision to close portions of Queen Elizabeth Driveway to cars.

The NCC made the stretch of the driveway between Fifth Avenue and Somerset Street a route for active transportation – cyclists and pedestrians – during the pandemic, but has continued the practice since. But that’s having a negative effect on the surrounding neighbourhood and traffic flow, Sutcliffe said.

Find the whole article here.

Denley: OC Transpo is right to test 'on demand' bus service — but must do it properly

By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, July 11, 2023

OC Transpo’s tentative exploration of on-demand transit is a modest step, but at least it’s in the right direction. It’s quite a departure from Transpo’s traditional approach of determining when and where transit will run, then expecting you to adapt your life to the transit company’s schedule. Instead, on-demand transit is responsive to passengers’ varying needs.

....One of OC Transpo’s biggest challenges is restructuring its route system to accommodate transit supply to current transit demand. Bus ridership ranges between 70 and 75 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes. It will take a substantial change in routes and service levels to bring supply in line with demand. There is probably no popular way to do that, but on-demand transit, if deployed during weekday hours, could help close the gaps.

 

City hits pause on new renewable energy facilities

By Elise Skura, Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 2023

Ottawa city councillors have supported a staff recommendation to bar the installation of new solar, wind and bioenergy production facilities — for now — as the city explores how best to zone the projects. 

...Staff called this an interim solution, but some environmentalists said they were taken aback by the temporary ban, which they believe was introduced with no compelling reason. 

Find the whole article here.

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