By Stephanie Kinsella, CFRA News, December 4, 2013
Future bridges might not have a sophisticated flair in their design, at least if the mayor gets his way.
The Airport Parkway pedestrian bridge, an overdue and over budget work in progress, includes a tower and stylized O\'s in the cement base. At least, that\'s what it\'s supposed to have when finished in November 2014.
By CBC News Ottawa, December 4, 2013
An Ottawa development company has reached an agreement to buy and transform waterfront property that once housed the Domtar paper mill.
Windmill Development Group announced late Wednesday they have reached an agreement to purchase Domtar’s property on Ottawa’s Albert and Chaudière Islands and downtown Gatineau.
By CBC News Ottawa, December 4, 2013
Hydro Ottawa has to reprint tens of thousands of flyers after it distributed incorrect information on peak rate times to half of its customers.
The utility, trying to act on provincial government policy that encourages consumers to conserve energy, printed up 310,000 flyers detailing when peak rates are charged, and the hours when electricity is cheaper.
By Ron Tolmie, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, December 4, 2013
Re: Energy plan includes big hydro hikes, Dec. 3.
The big hikes in electricity prices are completely unnecessary. They are the result of the Ontario government\'s almost total focus on electrical generation and distribution facilities at the expense of dealing with the much larger forms of energy, such as for heating and transportation.
Moreover, it is those other forms of energy that are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, so the government\'s neglect of those issues is leading to both an environmental and economic decline of the province.
By the Editor, Ottawa Citizen, December 3, 2013
The Ontario Liberal government has lost so much credibility on energy policy, it is not surprising that its long-term plan is being met with criticism and even derision.
It is natural for Ontarians to be skeptical about any blueprint from a governing party that turned green energy into a political football, and mishandled the siting of gas plants so badly, taxpayers were left with a $1-billion tab.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2013
OTTAWA — If a Toronto builder wants to erect a 12-storey condominium at the corner of Wellington Street and Island Park Drive, he’ll have to get through the powerful chairman of Ottawa city council’s planning committee first.
Mizrahi Developments has filed a proposal for a luxury condo after months of consulting nearby residents to find out what they’d like. The local councillor, Katherine Hobbs, is practically on board. But the building would violate the rules laid out in a comprehensive neighbourhood plan the city approved in 2011 that call for a building no taller than nine storeys on the property and only because it’s a prominent “gateway” to the neighbourhood. Ordinarily the limit on that stretch of Wellington Street would be six storeys.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2013
OTTAWA — It will cost about $72 million to kit out neighbourhoods around three east-side transit stations so they will be fit for the massive redevelopments it’s hoped light-rail service will spur, according to a city reckoning.
That tab could also be much higher, if Hydro Ottawa buries its wires at the same time.
By David Reevely, Ottawa Citizen, December 3, 2013
OTTAWA — A landmark 12-storey building newly proposed for the corner of Wellington Street and Island Park Drive can’t be built without changing the city’s master land-use plan, but it’s a special case that deserves that treatment, the area’s councillor says.
“I don’t want to see 12-storey buildings all the way down Wellington,” said Coun. Katherine Hobbs. “That’s not the goal.
By Stephanie Kinsella, CFRA News, December 2, 2013
The chair of the audit sub-committee says the long delayed investigation into the city\'s contract with Orgaworld for organics processing will likely be made public by March, whch coincides with the end of the first quarter of the city\'s fiscal year.
\"I\'m extremely confident it will be in the first few months of next year, and I\'m also quite sure it\'s not going to be a positive audit,\" Councillor Rick Chiarelli told CFRA News.
By Sarah Anderson, CFRA News, December 3, 2013
Dozens of residents are expected to attend an information session and protest Tuesday night against the proposed landfill in Carlsbad Springs that would be privately owned and operated by Taggart Miller.
The company held open houses in February to explain why they wanted to build a 400 acre landfill at the site, saying they valued the proximity to the highway and they say the area already has an industrial feel.
By Sarah Anderson, CFRA News, December 3, 2013
While many middle-income families worry about trying to tighten belts to accommodate a challenging rise in hydro rates those living on fixed incomes because of disability, age or circumstance face an even greater challenge of simply making ends meet.
There are systems in place for crisis situations, for example, the City and the Salvation Army have programs to pay bills before someone loses a home but Councillor Mark Taylor said those are Band-Aid solutions.
By Lauren Davis, CFRA News, December 3, 2013
Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli insists the provincial government is managing Ontario\'s electricity prices well and consumers won\'t be paying all that much more over the next two decades.
He says the province\'s new energy plan will see electricity rates increase by an average of 2.8 per cent over the next 20 years, but he admits the short-term hikes will be painful, a 42 per cent jump over the next five years.