By Marie-Danielle Smith, Ottawa Citizen, January 4, 2014
The City of Gatineau says a boiled water advisory remains in effect for the Masson-Angers and Buckingham sectors although a major watermain break in the area has been fixed.
Regular water pressure has been re-established in both sectors.
By Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen, January 4, 2014
Reports of a propane shortage in Eastern Ontario do not surprise former MP Dan McTeague, who predicted as much when he fought the merger of two Canadian propane producers more than a decade ago in Parliament.
The former MP from Whitby, near Toronto, who now works as an energy analyst, said reports of a shortage of propane in Eastern Ontario speak to a serious problem in Canada’s propane production and distribution system. “I am very worried about this.”
By Chris Bradshaw, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, January 4, 2014
Re: Dinner and a bus ride, Jan. 2.
The loss of the World Exchange Plaza movie theatre is a small indicator of a larger city-core problem. Just look at the larger advertisers in local newspapers and think about how few have locations within the core: Somerset, By-Rideau.
Ottawa\'s core is well supplied with food stores although no Sobeys or Food Basics, or Farm Boy stores, banks, clothing stores, and two representatives of bigbox retailers Chapters and Staples. Hardware is hanging on by its fingernails, due to the loss of two Home Hardwares. As much as living without a car is a faint hope in the suburbs, it is more than possible in the core, thanks to lots of jobs, great transit, and taxis running constantly on every arterial.
By Ottawa Citizen, January 4, 2014
OTTAWA — New Presto cards will not be available for purchase from the service’s website beginning Sunday until Jan. 12 as the service prepares for a website overhaul.
Cards will be available at OC Transpo service desks or through Presto’s call centre, 1-8-PRESTO-1-2-3 1-877-378-6123
By Michelle Nash, Ottawa Community News, January 2, 2014
The Vanier Cycles committee is planning a number of exciting activities for the new year.
Sarah Partridge, chairwoman of the group, which is a sub-committee of the Vanier Community Association, announced some of the events the committee will be working on for 2014 at a recent meeting.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, January 3, 2014
OTTAWA — The next chief executive of the National Capital Commission will take over a beleaguered Crown corporation, one that’s been operating without a permanent top manager for nearly a year and a half.
In that time, the commission has battled with the City of Ottawa over light-rail routes, presented two studies on transportation across the Ottawa River (one on transit, one on a new east-end bridge) that promptly sank, absorbed budget cuts and, toughest of all, seen its festival-planning responsibilities amputated and grafted onto the Department of Canadian Heritage, with dozens of staff going with them.
By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, January 1, 2014
The demise of the World Exchange Plaza movie theatre is not the end of the world, but it is a blow to Ottawa’s downtown, and adds to the continuing erosion of its quality of life. Downtown is certainly booming with condos, other infill projects and even a sumptuous convention centre. But buildings alone don’t make a vibrant, livable city or community, and the city should know that.
For the longest while, the biggest knock against living downtown was that parts of it turned into a ghost town after 5 p.m. New residential development helps, but not if those residents have to ride the bus for half an hour to see a movie. What does it say about downtown living when basic services like grocery stores and entertainment facilities are hard to come by?
By Sarah Anderson, CFRA News, January 2, 2014
In order to make the City\'s proposed transportation master plan a reality, Mayor Jim Watson needs to secure almost $1 B in funding from both the federal and provincial governments.
Speaking to CFRA\'s Mark Sutcliffe, Premier Kathleen Wynne said she isn\'t committing to any financial amount yet.
By Sarah Anderson, CFRA News, January 2, 2014
With the cold weather and a water main break this morning on Kaladar Ave. the City of Ottawa is stepping up efforts to prevent future similar breaks.
Water distribution operations manager Karen Smadella says extra staff address water main breaks and increase inspection during the winter months.
The City also gets in touch with houses where there\'s been a history of frozen water service pipes and they ask the homeowners to help with prevention by doing things like keeping taps running.
