Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

As Canada's forests become carbon bombs, Ottawa pushes the crisis off the books

By Barry Saxifrage, National Observer, March 30, 2020

Canada's managed forests, and the wood taken out of them each year, have become one of our country's largest -- and yet most confusing -- sources of climate pollution. This forest carbon explainer tells the story of:

• The climate crisis unfolding in Canada's managed forest lands, as they flip from much-needed carbon absorbers into super-emitters
• How unnatural surges in insect outbreaks and wildfires are fueling the crisis
• The troubling data showing that logging is now extracting more carbon than grows back, pushing our forests over the edge
• And finally, the government's scramble to push the crisis, and any responsibility for it, off the books

Today's letters: Advice about social distancing, suggestions for grocery stores

By Ginger Corbett, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, March 28, 2020

(...)We once had a day of rest for the planet

Re: Letter, Mother Earth, March 26:

The writer suggested that perhaps we could help slow down carbon emissions by stopping all work, businesses, schools and so on for one day a month. I remember the “olden days” when cities stopped virtually everything – most work, shops, banks etc. It was called Sunday.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/todays-letters-advice-about-social-distancing-suggestions-for-grocery-stores/wcm/c7518fca-adaf-4b68-98cd-0f6ee976633b/

Covid-19 economic rescue plans should be green, say environmentalists

By Fiona Harvey, National Observer, March 27, 2020

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration

The economic rescue packages to deal with the impact of the coronavirus must also be green, a growing chorus of environmental campaigners have urged, concerned that hasty measures will lock the world into a high-carbon future.

“Governments need to put huge amounts of money into trying to sustain jobs and livelihoods,” said Mary Robinson, a former Irish president and UN high commissioner for human rights, who served twice as UN climate envoy. “But they must do it with a very strong green emphasis. The threat from climate change is as real as the threat from Covid-19, though it seems far away.”

Coronavirus slows down the electric vehicle revolution

By Maddie Stone, National Observer, March 27, 2020

This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration

One of the starkest ways the coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life is its impact on transit: Simply put, we’ve stopped moving around. Flights and cruises are being canceled en masse, subways are losing riders, and highways have become eerily empty as commuter traffic peters out.

Far from just impacting transportation today, the pandemic and ensuing economic fallout could have big implications for the transit systems of tomorrow. Early signs suggest that the electric vehicle market, like the rest of the auto market, is taking a serious hit from COVID-19. For now, it appears to be a short-term stallout. But with the economy headed for recession and the price of oil reaching historic lows, bigger challenges could lie ahead for the EV industry unless governments take proactive measures to ensure a clean transit future.

Today's letters: The COVID-crisis – Mother Earth is sending us a message

By Mireille Church and Carol Harkness, Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, March 26, 2020

Mother Earth is sending us a message

Venice is reporting seeing crystal clear waters in its canals, and Beijing is reporting clear blue skies and birdsong. What does that say? One week of quarantine and the planet is breathing better.

We just about all agree that the Earth is sick, choking on the CO2 emissions we are throwing at it from all sides. What if we collectively decided that, once this health crisis is over, we take one day a month, let’s say the 30th of each calendar month, worldwide, to stop everything. Banks, airlines, coffee shops, restaurants, parties, church and gyms, class and work (unless it’s online). We would all stay at home to connect with our family members or play outside locally: biking and hiking, playing catch, throwing a frisbee, shooting baskets with our folks. Or, we could read a book, listen to birds chirping, lock eyes, hold hands.

Mother Earth would be happy her message had been heard.

Maybe intensification isn’t so smart, after all

City of Ottawa politicians and bureaucrats are in favour of – and have been pushing – intensification for years, i.e. cram as many people as possible into a limited space. Perhaps COVID-19 will give them pause and a chance to reconsider a municipal objective that might be flawed.

Today's letters: In era of COVID-19, don't forget Indigenous people in our jails

By Eric Schiller, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, March 27, 2020

(...)Coronavirus lessons for climate change

The global COVID-19 crisis is upon us. But there is an even bigger crisis coming: a global environmental breakdown. The same warning applies. We need to act early to avoid (or at least mitigate) the coming disaster.

The global response to the novel coronavirus epidemic shows that we can change global lifestyles dramatically and quickly. Those who resist the environmental changes that are needed often say these would be too disruptive and costly. But the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that when needed, money can be quickly forthcoming.

 

Start of reduced service on O-Train Line 1, weekend closure on Highway 174

By Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen, March 27, 2020

Expect less frequent train service on the O-Train Line 1 starting Friday as OC Transpo adapts to plummeting passenger volumes.

Trains will arrive every six to eight minutes at peak periods and every 10 to 16 minutes at other times of the day and on weekends.

The number of dedicated R1 buses is being reduced to align with changed service levels on Line 1 and there will be fewer red-vested O-Train ambassadors.

On Fridays, service will run until 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and overnight bus service will be available from that time. Otherwise, service start and end times will remain the same.

265 academics to Trudeau: No bail out for oil and gas in response to COVID-19

By Laurie Adkin and Debra Davidson, National Observer, March 25, 2020

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

RE: Economic Recovery Planning in response to COVID-19

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned are reaching out to you today in full acknowledgement of the tremendous challenges you are currently facing to navigate our country through the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we do not request your attention lightly. We are, however, gravely concerned about the potential for regrettable decisions to be made in such times of urgency. In particular, we would like to raise concerns regarding news that the Globe and Mail reported on March 19 that the federal government is preparing a $15-billion “bailout package” for oil and gas companies. Given that your government’s announcement seems imminent, we worked hard to prepare this letter collaboratively, in only two days, and in 24 hours we have gathered 265 signatures from Canadian academics at 33 universities, as well as 12 associations.

 

Morneau challenged to ensure COVID-19 aid won't bail out 'high-polluting industries'

By Carl Meyer, National Observer, March 25, 2020

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says Canada’s emergency COVID-19 legislation won’t “discriminate” between businesses, after he was challenged on Wednesday by a senator to ensure it wouldn't bail out "sunsetting, high-polluting industries."

Canadians must be able to afford food right now, Morneau told the Senate of Canada on Wednesday, and if a wide range of businesses, including those in the energy sector, aren’t offered immediate support, the country will experience even steeper levels of unemployment.

By repeatedly naming the oil and gas industry as a critical sector in need of support, however, the government has already tipped its hand, nonprofit Oil Change International told National Observer.

OC Transpo scales back service as ridership plummets during pandemic

By Laura Glowacki, CBC News Ottawa, March 24, 2020

Ridership on OC Transpo has dropped 70 to 90 per cent since the adoption of physical distancing and self-isolation measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a memo sent to Ottawa city council Tuesday.

The drop has led OC Transpo to start rolling out services changes to the transit system beginning this week, said John Manconi, the general manager for transportation services, in the memo to council.

"With reduced ridership and COVID-19 potential impacts to the workforce, an adjustment to our multi-modal transit system is required to sustain and continue to provide the service while at the same time ensuring levels of service that enable social distancing," said Manconi.

Gatineau Park closes to reduce COVID-1 risk

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen, March 23, 2020

The National Capital Commission announced that Gatineau Park would close as of 9 p.m. Monday to limit the spread of COVID-19 to employees and visitors.

The closing, which  includes parking lots and day shelters, will be in effect until further notice.

The decision comes follows updated public health warnings from the Province of Quebec discouraging non-essential trips and gatherings and concerns about ensuring physical distancing in parking lots, as well as the impact of visitors on the infrastructure and services of neighbouring municipalities, the NCC said in a statement.

“We know this news will come as a disappointment to many but, in light of COVID-19, the continued operation of Gatineau Park would risk jeopardizing public health, including the safety of users, NCC staff and personnel, and the residents of neighbouring municipalities.”

Not getting better: Many have embraced Vision Zero in Canada, so why aren't we achieving more?

By Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen, March 22, 2020

(...)Across Canada, 1,922 people die and 9,494 are seriously injured on the roads every year, according to the latest available figures, from 2018.

That amounts to more than five deaths and 26 serious injuries every day on average. Since 1950, those numbers have added up to more than 235,000 deaths.

They represent cyclists killed on their way to work, pedestrians killed crossing familiar roads, drivers killed in head-on crashes and thousands of people, like Croken, who live every day with the results of a traffic injury. The vast majority of those are preventable using technology perfected in countries like Sweden, which pioneered Vision Zero for road safety.