City admits it let SNC-Lavalin through Stage 2 LRT bidding despite lower technical score

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, August 2, 2019

The City of Ottawa admitted on Friday that it allowed SNC-Lavalin’s bid to continue being considered during the contract competition for the Trillium Line expansion even though the company’s bid didn’t meet the minimum technical score threshold.

City manager Steve Kanellakos sent a detailed memo about the scoring to council. The memo was in response to questions filed last March by Coun. Diane Deans, who, along with a handful of other councillors, expressed concern about a lack of transparency in the Stage 2 procurement process.

SNC, under the project name TransitNEXT, won the $663-million construction contract to build the Trillium Line expansion. The contract value is $1.6 billion when a long-term maintenance agreement for the Trillium Line is included.

Boil water advisory in large area of Gatineau

By the Ottawa Citizen, August 2, 2019

More than 33,000 Gatineau residents are under a boil water advisory after a power outage interrupted activities at a city water treatment plant.

There was no estimate on how long the advisory would last.

The residents, mostly in the east end, are advised to boil any water for at least a minute before consuming.

Carleton fish expert skeptical of Quebec fish die-off explanation

By Luke Carroll, Ottawa Citizen, August 2, 2019

Despite assurances from Quebec authorities this week that they have found “the most likely cause” of multiple die-offs of fish in Masson-Angers, an Ottawa-area fish expert remains skeptical.

The Quebec ministry of environment posted on Facebook on Thursday that the death of hundreds of fish was likely related to operations of the Brookfield hydro plant in Gatineau, but Steven Cooke, a fish expert and professor at Carleton University, says he doesn’t believe that to be the case.

“I’m having a big issue on putting a finger on a mechanism in which this hydro power facility could be killing this fish,” Cooke said Friday. “On the surface, it makes no sense.”

Motorists mistakenly using new Donald Street bike lane

By Jean-Sébastien Marier, CBC News Ottawa, July 30, 2019 A new $1.2-million intersection designed to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Ottawa appears to be confusing some drivers. Several vehicles travelling east on Donald Street have been seen using a new segregated bike lane to turn south onto St. Laurent Boulevard. "It [happens] every day. Every day," said Ismael Awaleh, vice-president of the Overbrook Community Association.

City has since installed new flex posts to end the confusion

Sobeys aims to scrap plastic bags from all stores in 2020

By Anjuli Patil, CBC News, July 31, 2019

Sobeys plans to remove plastic bags from all its grocery stores in Canada by the end of January 2020.

The company, headquartered in Stellarton, N.S., said in a news release it's the first national grocery store to eliminate plastic bags.

Sobeys called it the first step in "removing unnecessary plastic from all retail."

Still more dead fish in Gatineau prompts fear of water

By Robyn Miller, CBC News Ottawa, July 31, 2019

Dead fish are smelling up the shorelines of the Lièvre and Ottawa rivers for the third time this month.

This time, there are an estimated 1,000 of them.

A spokesperson with Quebec's Ministry of Forestry, Wildlife and Parks said Tuesday that of the three events, this has been the most significant in terms of numbers.

Bégin said they still don't have the results back from the second event, where biologists found around 100 dead fish including pike, bass and carp.

After the first case was reported near the beginning of July, necropsies determined the fish likely died from a toxic spill. Bégin said that is what the ministry suspects killed the fish this time as well.

City of Ottawa to implement more 'protected intersections'

By Jean-Sébastien Marier, CBC News Ottawa, July 31, 2019

The city of Ottawa hopes drivers and other road users will get used to the layout of so-called "protected intersections" — such as the one at the corner of St. Laurent Boulevard and Donald Street — because it's planning to build more of them.

Those intersections include features such as painted bicycle crossings, concrete corner islands to segregate cyclists and pedestrians from turning vehicles, and dedicated bicycle signals.

Tanaka explained that each protected intersection is designed differently, based on its "context" and "the space available."

Other protected intersections are in the works, and "designs continue to improve and evolve based on the city's experience implementing these designs in the context of Ottawa's streets, which include requirements for transit service and winter maintenance," Tanaka wrote.

City to continue educating road users

Some cycling advocates agree that protected intersections are actually much safer than traditional ones. For example, the corner islands force drivers to make wider right-hand turns. It's supposed to help them better see cyclists and pedestrians crossing the road.

Pellerin: Healthy Ottawa – We don't really need to buy all that packaging

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen, July 29, 2019

Zero waste’ may be a bit extreme for most of us in our busy lives. But how about we at least aim for less waste? It’ll help make the city – and the planet – a better place.

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Do you remember when stores started charging us a nickel for every plastic bag? Very few people embraced the change. I hated it too. Then we all got used to it and much plastic was diverted from landfill. (Of course, Ottawa Council is now letting you use those plastic bags for your organics, so maybe we haven’t got the concept fully right just yet.)

But if we’re going to be as healthy a city as we can be, we’re going to have to start thinking about not just big-ticket problems like climate change and carbon taxes, but what we individual Ottawans are doing. We need to think about what we buy and whether we need all the plastic and other packaging that surrounds it.

Fireflies are flooding Ottawa with light this summer

By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, July 30, 2019

The wet spring that brought us bumper crops of mosquitoes and deer flies has also left us a kinder gift: This is an amazing summer for fireflies.

Everyone in town is noticing them as they flicker in parks and back yards after dark.

In Lanark County, former University of Ottawa ecology professor Paul Keddy said his home is surrounded by the little glowing bugs too.

The reason: They have more to eat this year. More food means more fireflies.

“Both young and adult fireflies feed on snails, slugs, worms and soft-bodied insects including the larvae of other bugs like mosquitoes. Some adults don’t feed while others eat pollen and/or nectar and are therefore considered a pollinator,” says the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

Cyclists gather at city hall to mourn Orléans teen, press for safety improvements

By the Ottawa Citizen, July 31, 2019

Several dozen cycling supporters gathered at Ottawa City Hall Wednesday morning to press officials for measures to protect cyclists.

The group held a minute of silence to honour Simon Khouri, a 13-year-old boy who was killed last week in a collision with a car on Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard in Orléans.

The vigil was also intended to pressure council to adopt Vision Zero, a Scandinavian program that aims to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians on urban roads.

Traffic: Cyclists to converge on city hall to urge safety measures

By the Ottawa Citizen, July 31, 2019

It’s looking more and more like summer on ByTown’s byways, as the thoroughfares were looking fast and smooth Wednesday.

However, there will be delays around city hall starting at 8 a.m., as cyclists gather to pay respects to Simon Khouri, the 13-year-old Orléans boy killed in a crash last week.

The groups Bike Ottawa and Ecology Ottawa have organized a vigil to remember Simon and to also urge the city to improve bike safety, including the implementation of “Vision Zero,” a road safety program aimed at making routes safe for all users.

Protesters take to the water against Chalk River nuclear disposal site

By CBC News Ottawa, July 28, 2019

People from both sides of the Ottawa River took to the water to protest the construction of a nuclear waste disposal site at the Chalk River power plant.

More than a dozen boats took part in the demonstration to say the federal government should heed their warnings about the potential dangers the dump presents for the health of the water.

The site, which has been described as a "near surface disposal facility," is located less than one kilometre from the Ottawa River.

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