Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Troubled waters: Road salt increasing in Ottawa waterways, new study shows

By Samantha Pope, Capital Current, April 1, 2020

Since the 1950s, Canada has used road salt as a cheap and effective way to break up ice and keep citizens safe during the winter. More than seven million tonnes of road salt are spread each winter, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Some waterways in Southern Ontario have now eight times the recommended level of salt, surpassing more than 1,000 milligrams of salt per litre, the WWF found in a 2019 report.

Now the Ottawa Riverkeeper is raising the alarm about the impact of road salt on waterways in the National Capital Region.

Startling new findings from a pilot testing by the non-profit organization found waterways with more than 800 milligrams of salt per litre – seven times the healthy level. One creek showed sky-high readings of 3,500 milligrams per litre in mid-February, according to data released March 16.

Ottawa adjusts traffic signals as traffic volume drops by 50% during COVID-19 pandemic

By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa, April 1, 2020

OTTAWA -- Motorists won’t be waiting as long for red lights to change at Ottawa intersections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Ottawa tells CTV News Ottawa that traffic, pedestrian and cycling signals have been adjusted to reflect the decrease in vehicular traffic on the roads.

Traffic volume is down approximately 50 per cent on roads across the city over the past couple of weeks. OC Transpo has reported a 70 to 90 per cent drop in ridership.

(...)Over the weekend, Ecology Ottawa launched a petition calling on the city to re-purpose underused roads for cyclists and pedestrians during the pandemic.

Local food production critical during times of crisis: Flamborough farmer

By Shawn Brenn, InsideOttawaValley, March 31, 2020

In a normal year, our family farm would be busy getting ready for spring planting season. That means preparing seeds and fields and getting ready to get crops in the ground. Potatoes are our main fruit and vegetable crop, but we also grow onions and a lot of fresh, leafy greens like dill, cilantro, spinach, collards and beets. These are products you see on the shelves in your local grocery store.

As we all know, this year is anything but normal for all of us in all aspects of our lives. And we’re all trying to adjust to a world that’s changing around us daily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food safety has long been at the core of what we do, so our workers are already accustomed to frequent handwashing and other hygiene procedures. We’ve put new protocols in place to safely manage truck traffic, limit offsite visitors and co-ordinate grocery purchases for our workers.

And since we’re in rural areas, most farms are ideally suited to self-isolation due our open fields, buildings spaced far apart from each other and the lack of close neighbours.

(...)

Ottawa groups fight plan to expand urban boundary

By By Hope Berk, Jordan Haworth and Sissi De Flaviis Viva, Capital Current, March 30, 2020

As the City of Ottawa embarks on a new official plan – the blueprint to guide future development in the nation’s capital – local groups are resisting a possible push to expand the urban boundary.

Urban boundaries safeguard green spaces and dictate where and how intensively developers can build. While Ottawa’s projected growth suggests expansion of developable areas might be necessary, opposition groups say the opposite is true.

(...)“Intensification is the very first step we need to take to ensure Ottawa develops in a green way,” said Liza Odokiienko, who is spearheading Ecology Ottawa’s Hold the Line campaign. The campaign aims to increase intensification, which includes reducing the supply of single-family homes with higher-density dwellings and increasing infrastructure in already developed areas.

Odokiienko explained that intensification has been adopted by many cities as the best approach to accommodate a population boom while addressing affordable housing needs. Increasing density in existing residential areas – essentially replacing many single-family homes with multi-unit dwellings — reduces the need to develop new land for housing and increases the person-to-building ratio of current communities.

Plan to fix Ottawa LRT problems expected on mayor's desk today

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, March 31, 2020

The Rideau Transit Group (RTG) has just hours before it's expected to submit its plan to fix the problems with the City of Ottawa's light rail system.

City council issued a notice of default to RTG on March 10, giving the group to the end of the month to have a plan in place.

Mayor Jim Watson told 1310 NEWS' The Rob Snow Show on Tuesday, while the COVID-19 crisis has impacted most businesses, he still expects the plan on his desk.

Perry: COVID-19 – Here's why City of Ottawa should open some street space for pedestrians

By Michelle Perry, Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 2020

Weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, the stinginess of our public spaces is laid bare.

The message from public health leaders is clear: wash your hands, disinfect, don’t touch your face, stay home as much as possible. Go out for essentials and to maintain physical and mental health, but stay at least two metres apart to prevent the spread of the virus.

This is hard. Our lives have been uprooted. Schools, many workplaces, restaurants and most storefronts have closed, as have recreation centres, parks and other public spaces that make city life tolerable. The mental strain will only build as the pandemic continues. Staying home in a large house with a yard is one thing, but many of us — particularly in the urban core — have small indoor living spaces and tiny or non-existent private outdoor space. There is also a difference between driving in a private vehicle to get to work or pick up groceries and other essentials, and using narrow public sidewalks to do the same thing. Most sidewalks in Ottawa are barely two metres wide, making physical distancing difficult or impossible. Many pathways aren’t much wider. In normal times, this crowding is an annoyance. With COVID-19, it puts us at risk.

Should Ottawa motorists give way to pedestrians and cyclists to help physical distancing?

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 2020

Top public health officials want people to physically stay away from each other to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, leading some municipal politicians to ask if the city should partially close streets to increase safe pedestrian and cycling space.

There has already been at least one test case: should the city close a part of Bank Street through Centretown and Old Ottawa South to give people more room to roam?

(...)“We’ve been hearing from many, many residents that they’re looking just for some additional space to be able to walk and to be able to get to essential services, do their groceries, that sort of thing,” McKenney said during the council meeting.

Carbon pricing not going anywhere, Trudeau says

By Carl Meyer, National Observer, March 31, 2020

The federal price on pollution isn’t going anywhere during the COVID-19 crisis, says Canada’s prime minister, because fighting climate change remains a priority even during a pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said he will have more information soon about the Trans Mountain pipeline, as fears are raised in B.C. of possible transmission of the coronavirus through resource project work camps.

Trudeau said Monday his government’s price on carbon pollution was “designed to put more money in household pockets,” while Canada continues to “fight pollution and protect our planet.”

 

Ottawa's garbage, recycling and green bin collection continues during COVID-19 pandemic

By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa, March 29, 2020

OTTAWA -- There is no change in the City of Ottawa’s curbside garbage, recycling and green bin collection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But residents are being asked to take steps to help protect staff picking up the items at your curb.

Environment Committee Chair Scott Moffatt tweeted out some tips for residents to help out, including placing used paper facial tissues in plastic bags before disposing them in the green bin.

(...)The City of Ottawa has cancelled the first Household Hazardous Waste Depot scheduled for April 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ottawa urged to re-purpose underused streets for cyclists, pedestrians

By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa, March 29, 2020

OTTAWA -- Ecology Ottawa and two Councillors would like to see pedestrians and cyclists fill empty traffic lanes on Ottawa’s roads during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Ottawa tells CTV News Ottawa that there has been an approximately 50 per cent decrease in traffic across the city over the past two weeks.

Employees working at home, school cancellations and calls for physical distancing has reduced traffic volume on all roads and highways.

(...)In a media release, Ecology Ottawa says “now is the time for the Mayor to show leadership by re-purposing underused streets for the health and safety of pedestrians and cyclists.” The group notes ensuring safe access to the streets would allow Ottawans to get outdoors while practicing effective physical distancing.

Ottawa's LRT wins engineering award

By Jason White, 1310 News, March 30, 2020

The first phase of the O-Train's Confederation Line, which was more than a year late opening and has serious reliability issues that have left city officials and transit riders fuming, has won a prestigious award for excellence in engineering.

The American Council of Engineering Companies has awarded the engineering companies involved in the project a Diamond Award for excellence in engineering.

The companies -- AECOM, McMillen Jabobs Associates, Morrison Hershfield, and STV -- will be celebrated at the 53rd annual Engineering Excellence Awards.

The judges included engineers as well as experts in government and academia, and they focused on things like uniqueness, originality, and technical innovation.

Petition asking Ottawa to designate under-used roads for pedestrians, gaining traction

By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, March 30, 2020

A petition, urging the City of Ottawa to shut down some of its under-used streets to vehicular traffic has gained several hundred signatures.

Ecology Ottawa launched its petition on Friday, asking the mayor and councillors to consider re-purposing underused roadways in order to provide safe outdoor access for pedestrians and cyclists during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I urge you to follow the lead of cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Bogotá, Toronto and Vancouver in making more streets accessible only to pedestrians and cyclists," the petition reads. "I urge you to follow through with ambitious, city-wide policy direction for safe street access, and to use general city funds for this initiative, rather than councillors' small office budgets."