Ecology Ottawa

News Clippings

Pellerin: Ottawans can live with a garbage bag-tag policy. So let's have one

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, June 9, 2023

...The City is proving to be a spineless blob on garbage. Three propositions to deal with trash overflow were debated during a six-hour session of the environment and climate change committee on June 5. They were all defeated in tie votes. We’re stymied for the moment, with no plan and no willingness to even pretend to be serious about the problem.

We are running out of room to stash our trash. And even if we weren’t, there’s very little that’s appealing about a dump. It smells; attracts all kinds of critters of which really annoying seagulls are probably the least obnoxious; it’s unsightly to say the least; and — oh yeah — it’s terrible for the planet.

Find the whole article here.

 

City of Ottawa looked at these garbage policies before proposing a bag tag program

By Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa, June 3, 2023

The city of Ottawa looked at four short-term measures to help extend the life of the Trail Road Landfill before proposing a bag tag program, but staff said the other options would either be difficult to enforce or would have a lower impact on waste diversion.

The environment and climate change committee will vote Monday on the proposed "partial-pay-as-you-throw" program for garbage collection, with council having the final say on June 14.

... The bag tag program was the preferred option for a curbside waste diversion policy, according to the report.

Staff say 40 per cent of respondents to a survey and 31 per cent of participants in panel discussions said a partial pay-as-you-throw program was their preferred option.

Find the whole article here.

Councillor’s Corner: Recovering our urban tree canopy

By Jeff Leiper, Kitchissippi Times, May 26, 2023

Spring has truly sprung, Kitchissippi! I hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful weather IN OUR ward’s beautiful outdoor spaces. 

As we recover and take stock following the ice storm in April, I’ve heard concerns from many of you about the impact on our tree canopy. We lost many big branches across the ward, and our friends at Ecology Ottawa have already begun thinking about how we can support the recovery of our urban forest. You can read more about it on the Ecology Ottawa website, and keep an eye out for news about the possible return of their tree giveaway program this year. 

Find the whole article here.

Ford government pauses proposal to build housing on dwindling farmland Social Sharing Facebook Twitter Email Reddit LinkedIn

By Desmond Brown, CBC News

Premier Doug Ford's government has hit the brakes on a proposal that would allow more housing to be built on Ontario's dwindling farmland.

Steve Clark, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said Wednesday that the government is not moving forward with the proposal that would have allowed the owners of agricultural land to carve out up to three housing lots on each farm parcel, a policy known as severance.

...The contentious proposals formed part of the government's overhaul of Ontario's land-use guidelines, floated by Clark last month. At the time, Clark called his plan "housing-focused" and said it would create more homes in both urban and rural communities.

Find the whole article here.

Bury and Whittaker: A garbage bag-tag system is essential to reducing Ottawa's waste

By Duncan Bury and Alice Irene Whittaker, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed

Ottawa faces a looming waste crisis, with the city’s Trail Road Landfill expected to close as early as 2036, just over a decade from now, before it overflows. Fortunately, our city can make the choice to reduce waste, and we individually and collectively can play a powerful role in reducing the harmful emissions that come from excessive consumption and waste generation.

...One proven, effective way to reduce waste in households is a “bag tag” user-pay system, a well-established program in other cities in which unnecessary and excess waste has a price, and where composting and recycling are free. This incentivizes residents to reduce waste in the first place, and to recycle and compost instead.

Find the whole article here.

Tree-planting efforts questioned 1 year after highly destructive derecho storm Social Sharing

By Kristy Nease, CBC News ottawa, May 20, 2023

Some critics say the city isn't doing enough to get replacement trees in the ground a year after a derecho windstorm destroyed thousands of trees across Ottawa, and after Mayor Mark Sutcliffe campaigned on a promise to plant a million in his term.

In a typical year the city plants about 100,000 trees. They cool urban heat deserts, shade houses and sequester carbon, and they increase property values and improve quality of life, among other benefits.

Sutcliffe said during last year's election campaign that he would get 250,000 trees planted annually.

In 2023, his first full year in office, the city will continue to plant somewhere around 100,000.

Find the whole article here.

Natural shorelines emerge victorious at Last Duel Park in Perth

By InsideOttawaValley, May 20, 2023

Staff and volunteers duelled thick grass, invasive species and hardened shorelines last weekend as they planted nearly 1,200 native trees, shrubs and wildflowers along the Tay River in Last Duel Park.

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) partnered with the Town of Perth to implement the major shoreline naturalization project at the former campground. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund provided funding

....Natural shorelines also help to reduce erosion as deep-rooted native plants and trees hold the soil in place in the face of wake, wind and runoff. They also slow stormwater so it has time to soak into the ground, filtering contaminants in the process and improving local water quality. 

Find the whole article here.

Up to 900 electric scooters on Ottawa streets in fourth season of pilot project

By Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 2023

Electric scooters returned to Ottawa’s streets this past week following the City of Ottawa’s approval this spring for the fourth season of a pilot project.

As many as 900 scooters from operators Neuron Mobility and Bird Canada will be available for commuters to rent.

Complaints about sidewalk riding and haphazard parking dogged the program in previous seasons. 

.... Also, riding on sidewalks carries a fine of $150.

In a media release, Neuron Mobility said it was launching new “augmented reality parking assistant technology” to increase parking compliance and the use of designated parking stations.

Find the whole article here. 

Pellerin: It's time to demand safe-cycling spaces, Ottawa

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, May 12, 2023

Not a day goes by without near-hits happening between pedestrians and cyclists on the one unprotected hand, and big, bulky private vehicles on the other. Just last week, in one day, three such incidents threatened me personally. It’s time to stop begging for safe cycling space and demand it instead.

...There’s a “critical mass” community bike ride happening May 20 to demand better infrastructure for cyclists. ...starts at the War Memorial at 10 a.m. and will eventually end up at Dow’s Lake. As I understand it, the route will include Wellington Street, which was unaccountably made friendly to cars again, and Queen Elizabeth Driveway,..

... We are entitled to the space and safety that our numbers warrant. We have the right to insist on getting it. Hope to see you on May 20.

Find the whole article here.

 

Lawes: Ottawa needs a wildlife plan that is humane and effective

By Debbie Lawes, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed,

This past year has been a particularly deadly one for wildlife in Ottawa. In April, residents watched helplessly as a police officer shot and killed a two-year-old black bear in Kanata.

Late last year in the Riverside Park South area, three coyotes were trapped and killed. Residents witnessed a fourth coyote dragging a leg-hold trap, while a fifth animal was found in a horrifically cruel neck snare.

Even in cases where an animal is tranquilized and relocated (as happened this week to a bear in Nepean), there are concerns that the animal will be dumped in an unfamiliar area where food sources may not be available.

...We need leadership from our elected representatives to ensure past mistakes are not repeated. This starts with councillors, notably the Environment and Climate Change Committee, standing up to city bureaucracy and challenging a culture of secrecy, control and obstruction.

Find the whole article here.

Ottawa veut classer le papillon monarque comme espèce en voie de disparition

Par Valérie Boisclair, ICI Radio Canada, le 16 mai 2023

Pressé par des citoyens, des élus et des organisations environnementales de protéger le monarque, le gouvernement fédéral a annoncé son intention de modifier son statut pour en faire une « espèce en voie de disparition ». Cette désignation, inscrite dans la Loi sur les espèces en péril (LEP), permettrait une protection accrue de l'habitat naturel de ce rare papillon migrateur.

Dans la Gazette du Canada du 13 mai dernier, Ottawa a détaillé son projet de décret visant à modifier l'annexe 1 de la LEP pour faire passer le monarque d'espèce préoccupante – statut qu'on lui reconnaît depuis 2003 – à espèce en voie de disparition.

Lisez l'article au complet ici.

Ottawa needs a new Wildlife Strategy

By Anita Utas, Stittsville Central, May 14, 2023

With the recent killing of coyote in Riverside South and a young black bear in Kanata, it has become even more apparent that the City needs a progressive and humane Wildlife Strategy. The Wildlife Strategy falls under the City’s Environment and Climate Change Committee. The Chair of this committee is Councillor Shawn Menard, but so far he has been silent about wildlife and biodiversity. We are facing a biodiversity crisis, and a Wildlife Strategy is a critical part of this crisis. Ottawa, as the nation’s capital, must ensure that it takes this situation seriously.

Find the whole article here.