By Michael Woods, Ottawa Citizen, February 18, 2014
OTTAWA — For the first time since introducing its green bin program in 2010, more than half of the city’s waste is being diverted from landfills — but taxpayers are still paying more than once to dispose of thousands of tonnes of organic waste.
River Coun. Maria McRae, chair of the city’s environmental committee, told the committee Tuesday that the city’s curbside diversion rate — waste diverted from a landfill — was above 50 per cent for the first time in 2013, sitting at 51.9 per cent.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, February 18, 2014
OTTAWA — A builder has pulled back on plans to construct an 18-storey condo building overlooking the O-Train tracks on the edge of Little Italy, though the nine-storey proposal that’s replaced it would still be a huge change for the neighbourhood.
Crucially, Tamarack Homes’ new plan for the west end of Norman Street fits with “strategic directions” city council has approved for south end Preston Street near Carling Avenue, part of a hasty effort to get control over a thicket of condo towers that developers rushed to build in the area starting about two years ago.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen Blog, February 17, 2014
Mayor Jim Watson tells the Citizen‘s Michael Woods that he isn’t sure about a federal rule that could stand in the way of a $65-million contribution to the city’s $195-million plans for giant sewage tanks to hold potential overflows from downtown sewers back from the Ottawa River. The rule, newly instituted in the federal government’s promised new program to fund big local infrastructure projects, requires that any project worth more than $100-million be examined to see if it could be done better as a public-private partnership. Those projects must undergo a so-called “P3 screen,” which could take six to 18 months. If PPP conducts a so-called “P3 screen” and recommends that approach, but cities decline to take it, they would lose federal funding
By Laura Mueller, Ottawa Community News, February 13, 2014
City councillors called a new policy allowing suburban homeowners to widen their driveways a "Band-Aid solution" as they approved the changes on Jan. 28.
The new rules, once approved by council, would allow more homeowners to widen their driveways. All driveways in the suburbs are already allowed to take up 50 per cent of the lot's width, but the ability of a homeowner to take advantage of that width was hampered by a restriction preventing driveways from being located in front of the main home.
By CBC News Ottawa, February 14, 2014
The construction of a flood-control wall in the neighborhood of Britannia is expected to begin in October after the City of Ottawa and the province announced $1.3 million to fund the project.
The funding includes $195,000 from Britannia residents.
Bob Chiarelli said he has heard the concerns as former mayor and now as MPP.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, February 14, 2014
OTTAWA — Work on the Via tracks where they cross the Transitway near Barrhaven closed the busway on Friday for the second time in a week.
City spokeswoman Nikki Eaton refused to say whether the closure, which lasted about an hour in early afternoon, was for scheduled work or an emergency repair. The signals malfunctioned Tuesday night and a bus driver encountered them flashing with no train in sight. One warning gate was down and the other up. That took about 40 minutes to fix.
By Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen, February 14, 2014
OTTAWA — When Diane Holmes wrote a scathing column for a community newspaper last week, it raised eyebrows not just for its eviscerating content — after all, Holmes is one of council’s most outspoken members — but for its target.The Somerset ward councillor publicly lashed out at the city’s planning staff, charging that the branch that processes development applications “no longer represents the citizens, or neighbourhoods in the ward.”