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December 2007
New energy uses found for sun-drenched asphalt
Associated Press, December 31, 2007
SCHARWOUDE, Netherlands -- If you've ever blistered your bare feet on a hot road you know that asphalt absorbs the sun's energy. A Dutch company is now siphoning heat from roads and parking lots to heat homes and offices.
As climate change rises on the international agenda, the system built by the civil engineering firm, Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV, doesn't look as wacky as it might have 10 years ago when first conceived.
Solar energy collected from a 200-yard stretch of road and a small parking lot helps heat a 70-unit four-story apartment building in the northern village of Avenhorn. An industrial park of some 15,000 square metres in the nearby city of Hoorn is kept warm in winter with the help of heat stored during the summer from 3,300 square metres of pavement. The runways of a Dutch air force base in the south supply heat for its hangar.
And all that under normally cloudy Dutch skies, with only a few days a year of truly sweltering temperatures.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071231/asphalt/20071231?hub=SciTech
Famous New Year's Eve ball now eco-friendly
Toronto Star, December 30, 2007
Colleen Long/Associated Press
NEW YORK – The Times Square New Year's Eve ball is celebrating its centennial by going green.
The star of the world-famous holiday extravaganza was revamped this year with 9,576 energy-efficient bulbs that use about the same amount of electricity as 10 toasters.
Philips Lighting, which created the light-emitting diodes, or LED bulbs, specifically for the event, says they are smaller but more than twice as bright as last year's lights, which were a mix of more than 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs. And the new lights can create more than 16 million colours for a kaleidoscope of hues against the 672 Waterford Crystal triangles.
The ball was first dropped for the New Year's Eve celebration in 1907. Made of iron and wood, it weighed more than 300 kilograms and was lit with 100 25-watt incandescent bulbs.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/289716
Cornwall considering ban on cosmetic pesticides
Ottawa Sun, December 30, 2007
A city advisory committee is poised to ask council to pass a bylaw prohibiting the cosmetic use of pesticides early in the new year.
If approved, Cornwall would join Russell Twp. and Perth among the few Eastern Ontario communities which have such legislation in place.
The proposed bylaw would ban spraying pesticides anywhere in the city, including private property. The committee is still considering possible exemptions, such as golf courses.
The key component in making it work, said committee chairman John St. Marseille, would be education on alternatives, such as composting, fertilizers and natural pest management plans.
Committee member Coun. Glen Grant likened a pesticides ban to the smoking ban, with two sides to the story and a final judgement required.
Residents wishing to contribute input on exemptions, implementation and enforcement are invited to attend a committee meeting on Jan. 9.
Telcos get mixed signals about better reception
We want cell service, just don't build your tower near my home, residents tell phone companies
Toronto Star, December 29, 2007
Jack Lakey
Everybody wants crystal-clear reception for their cellphones, but a growing number of people are unwilling to allow the equipment necessary for optimum service into their neighbourhood.
With large numbers of people using cellphones, Bell Canada and other providers are erecting communications towers in places where the signal isn't as strong as it should be – often residential areas.
But there are concerns about the health effects of equipment that emits low-level electromagnetic radiation.
People who live near them are afraid of the consequences, especially when some scientific research suggests long-term exposure may contribute to cancer, electrohypersensitivity and other ailments.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/289422
Cell tower plans jammed
Planned wireless towers get a poor reception from many residents worried about health
Toronto Star, December 29, 2007
Phinjo Gombu
The ever-growing Canadian love affair with all things wireless means there's a good chance a cellphone tower will be coming to a neighbourhood near you.
And that's rubbing some people in the GTA the wrong way, as the desire for convenience collides with health concerns.
In Richmond Hill, residents are fighting a proposal to build a Rogers tower near Bathurst St. and Elgin Mills Rd. W. – across the road from an already approved Bell tower.
More than 200 residents flooded a community meeting last month to fight the plan.
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/289423
Solar power
Green-minded homeowners embrace energy from sun
CBC News, December 28, 2007
George Binks
Two years ago a 'sunshine' revolution started in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood.
Rather than waiting for the government or corporations to start pushing solar energy, resident Ron McKay called a meeting of like-minded homeowners who had not only 'seen the light,' but wanted to power their homes with it.
Inspired by Solar Pioneers, a 1999 Greenpeace solar energy pilot project, McKay figured if residents formed a group they could bargain a better volume price on solar roof panels. And that's how the Riverdale Initiative for Solar Energy (RISE) was born. The group sent out proposals to different solar energy manufacturers in Ontario saying they had potentially a large number of customers and asked for a discount deal. Initially, 180 people showed interest, and 70 signed up for a site inspection.
RISE chose the company Solera, which had been involved in Solar Pioneers, and work started. Solera installed photovoltaic solar panels (which generate electricity) on 35 residents' roofs. The cost was roughly $10,000 to $12,000 for a one-kilowatt system and $20,000 for the two-kilowatt system.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/energy/solar.html
Tritium levels in Pembroke landfill raise concerns
Ottawa Citizen, December 27, 2007
Neco Cockburn
A Renfrew County environmental group is calling for further investigation after elevated levels of radioactive tritium were found in groundwater at a Pembroke-area landfill.
Ministry of Environment officials conducted tests after a request from the Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County (CCRC), and found the substance in water sampled from the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre in September.
The discovery of tritium has not caused alarm in the ministry because the highest level found was about one-seventh the amount allowed in the province's drinking water.
"Based on all the information we have at this point, there's no threat to the environment or human health, but we will remain committed to inspecting the landfill and responding to any concerns from the community," said ministry spokeswoman Kate Jordan, adding that there was no evidence of leachate migrating from the landfill.
In a letter sent to the CCRC this month, a Ministry of Environment district manager wrote that the ministry does not intend to conduct further tritium assessments at the site.
But group members have since sent the ministry a letter asking for further investigation.
In an interview Thursday, spokesman Ole Hendrickson called for a "more thorough investigation of what's causing this, how extensive the contamination might be."
It's believed that the elevated tritium levels may have been caused by the disposal of glow-in-the-dark signs. The landfill is not licensed for radioactive waste, but tritium can be contained in garbage such as exit signs.
The CCRC, which in April asked the ministry to conduct the tests, has raised concerns that samples were only taken from five of a possible 50 monitoring locations. Ms. Jordan said the samples were representative of the site.
The tests found levels of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, ranging from 150 to 1,000 Becquerels of radioactivity per litre of water. (A Becquerel is the smallest measurable unit of radioactivity). A "background" sample taken in the vicinity of the site measured 9.5 Becquerels per litre.
The accepted amount of tritium in drinking water has long been a contentious issue in the province.
Ontario allows up to 7,000 Becquerels per litre of drinking water, although that standard is nearly 10 times more lenient than that enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1228c2cf-e885-4357-b631-0ba048e8a93c&k=71183
House dust: toxic and on your table
Globe and Mail, December 27, 2007
Carly Weeks
Ottawa — Forget lead paint in toys. Canadians may be exposed to a much wider variety of metals, chemicals and pesticides on a daily basis as the result of a seemingly harmless domestic nuisance: house dust.
It's a potential health hazard that scientists are only beginning to understand. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have embarked on a landmark four-year national study to determine levels of metals and chemicals in house dust across the country, and how health risks should be addressed.
Dust typically contains a variety of toxins released by common household products including plastics, electronics, furniture, garden soil and lead paint, which is common in older homes.
Scientists don't know for sure where all the toxins commonly found in dust come from. They also don't know the typical concentration of metals and other toxins in house dust.
Unlike lead paint on toys or chemicals in plastic, scientists say house dust presents a unique risk because the loose, free particles can be easily ingested by children crawling on the floor or may be inhaled when dust becomes airborne.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071227.wl_dust1228/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Ottawa hires trappers to catch pet-eating coyotes
CBC News, December 27, 2007
The City of Ottawa has hired trappers to capture coyotes after reports that family pets were being eaten by wild animals in rural outskirts.
Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources estimated that about 20 dogs and cats have gone missing in the Greely area in recent weeks, and suspects coyotes have killed them.
Among them, was Gillian Leyland's Lhasa Apso Kailis, which was attacked at night minutes after being let into the yard of the family's Greely home with another dog two weeks ago.
Leyland said she has now built a cage to protect her other dog and has hired a trapper.
But Gary Fischer, one of three trappers hired by the city, said there have been only two confirmed cases of pets being killed by coyotes in the area and he's not convinced coyotes are to blame for the other disappearances.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/27/ot-coyote-071227.html
Editorial: New look of garbage
Toronto Star, December 27, 2007
Toronto's streetscape will change in 2008 in a way that will be evident on every residential street, at least on garbage collection day.
How? New bins are coming.
In fact, in Scarborough, some are already here. Big-wheeled blue bins, with the largest model able to hold up to six regular blue boxes, will be a common sight. And so will mandatory garbage bins, of various sizes, to hold non-recyclable trash. If all goes according to plan, residents' existing blue boxes and garbage cans will largely disappear.
It's all part of a promising effort to divert 70 per cent of Toronto's garbage from landfill by 2010. Each household will have to choose a blue bin (medium, large or extra-large) and a city-issued garbage bin (coming in four sizes). Other trash cans will no longer be allowed.
Residents will not be charged for the new containers, but an annual garbage collection user fee will be imposed, based on the size of the garbage bin that a household selects. Final costs will not be known until city council sets next year's budget, but choosing an extra-large garbage bin will likely cost about $150 a year. Those able to fit their non-recyclables into the smallest model would pay no fee.
The program is controversial because many residents, especially those with a large family, will face much higher garbage fees. But city officials claim that is the point. Stuff put in the big blue bins will be collected free-of-charge, so will organic materials stashed in green bins.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/288557
Cities Enticing Residents to Go Green
Associated Press, December 27, 2007
Brian Skoloff
PARKLAND, Fla.—Free hybrid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels. Low-interest loans for energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscaping.
Frustrated by what they see as insufficient action by state and federal government, municipalities around the country are offering financial incentives to get people to go green.
"A lot of localities recognize they're going to get a lot more done using carrots and incentives rather than regulatory means," said Jason Hartke, director of advocacy for the U.S. Green Building Council.
In Parkland, where the motto is "Environmentally Proud," the city plans next year to begin dispensing cash rebates to its 25,000 residents for being more environmentally friendly.
"We will literally issue them a check," said Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz. "We're sick of waiting for the federal government to do something, so we've got to do what we can."
Residents who install low-flow toilets or shower heads will get $150. Replacing an old air conditioner with a more energy-efficient one brings $100. Buying a hybrid car? An additional $200 cash back. And the list goes on.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/12/27/cities_enticing_residents_to_go_green/
Uranium exploration plan stirs health fears
Globe and Mail, December 27, 2007
Kenyon Wallace and David Ebner
Central Ontario residents are weighing perceived health risks and potential economic benefits associated with uranium exploration after the signing of a $3-million financing deal by an American exploration company to redevelop a decades-old uranium project near Haliburton, Ont.
Fuelled by the recent rise in the world price of uranium, Arizona-based Bancroft Uranium Inc. is exploring 1,080 hectares in Highlands East, a small municipality with a population of 3,000 about two hours north of Toronto.
The area produced nearly 6.75 million kilograms of uranium in the 1950s and 1960s. The company's plan to start drilling in January has sparked fears of environmental destruction and water contamination tempered by the realization that any future mine could provide hundreds of jobs to an economically depressed area.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071227.uranium27/BNStory/National/home
La fonte des glaces dans l'Arctique est l'événement météo 2007
Presse Canadienne, le 27 décembre 2007
Alan Black
La fonte spectaculaire des glaces dans l'Arctique est l'événement météo de l'année 2007 au Canada, selon Environnement Canada.
Le 12 septembre dernier, des images satellites des eaux de l'Arctique ont révélé que les glaces y avaient diminué pour former une superficie d'environ 4 millions de kilomètres carrés seulement, une réduction de 23 pour cent par rapport au précédent record de 5,3 millions de kilomètres carrés établis en 2005.
«On peut imaginer le genre d'émotions qui a secoué les climatologues et les scientifiques quand ils ont examiné les images de la glace et qu'ils ont pu voir la glace disparaître sous leurs yeux, a déclaré le climatologue David Phillips. Cette immense morceau de glace de la taille de l'Ontario a disparu en un an.»
La menace d'inondations en Colombie-Britannique est arrivée deuxième sur la liste, devant les conditions météorologiques préhivernales chaotiques d'un océan à l'autre, l'été tropical dans les Prairies, l'été sec dans le sud de l'Ontario et les effets de l'ouragan Noël dans l'est du pays.
Le palmarès dévoilé jeudi est complété par le bas niveau de l'eau dans les Grands Lacs, le début tardif de l'hiver, des tempêtes records dans les Prairies et la première tornade de catégorie F5 au Canada.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071227/CPENVIRONNEMENT/71227218/6108/CPENVIRONNEMENT
'Shocking' Arctic ice melt year's top weather story: Environment Canada
CBC News, December 27, 2007
The top weather story of 2007 was about climate change, Environment Canada said Thursday in releasing its annual list of most important, widespread and newsworthy events.
"At the top of the world, the dramatic disappearance of Arctic sea ice … was so shocking that it quickly became our No. 1 weather story," the agency said in a news release.
Although the disappearance of the sea ice is not strictly a weather story, "it's one of the major climate controls" that has been linked to extreme weather, Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips told CBC News.
Other stories that made the Top 10 include the first Canadian F5 (most severe) tornado, which hit Elie, Man., on June 22, the shrinking Great Lakes and early summer flooding in British Columbia.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/12/27/weather-list.html
Météo
Année marquante pour le Canada
Radio-Canada, le 27 décembre 2007
Avec l'arrivée de la nouvelle année, Environnement Canada classe les dix événements météorologiques qui ont marqué le pays en 2007.
D'un océan à l'autre, les changements climatiques ont eu un impact sur les Canadiens.
Environnement Canada classe la disparition des glaces marines dans l'Arctique au premier rang des événements de l'année 2007. Cet événement a eu des effets sur les résidents du Nord ainsi que sur les plantes et les espèces sauvages.
L'agence canadienne note également la baisse des niveaux d'eau dans le réseau des Grands Lacs, notamment dans le lac Supérieur.
L'Ouest canadien a connu un nombre important d'intempéries. Les résidents des Prairies, par exemple, ont vécu 279 averses de grêle. Les pertes dans le secteur agricole en raison de la grêle sont évaluées à 200 millions de dollars.
Pour sa part, le sud de l'Ontario a vécu des conditions de sécheresse durant dix mois. L'été 2007 a été l'un des plus secs depuis un demi-siècle.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/27/003-Top10-meteo_n.shtml
Yellowknife's getting steamed up
The northern capital is looking at a plan to heat the town with geothermal energy from a former gold mine
Globe and Mail, December 27, 2007
Bob Weber
They say that even in the dead of a Yellowknife winter, workers at the old Con mine on the edge of the city used to come up from the depths dressed in T-shirts and shorts because of the bedrock's heat.
Now the northern capital is considering using that heat to extract a different kind of gold from the defunct mine - cheap, greenhouse-gas-free energy to warm its buildings on frigid Arctic nights. Early in 2008, Yellowknife will begin studying what could eventually become Canada's first large-scale geothermal heat plant.
"We've got heat resources below our community," said Mark Henry, the city's energy co-ordinator. "We just have to come up with a way to move it."
Yellowknife is ideally positioned to take advantage of geothermal energy, said Mory Ghomshei, a University of British Columbia engineering professor.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071227.LWGOLDMINE27//TPStory/Life
Pesticide ban on table
Cornwall Standard Freeholder, December 26, 2007
Kevin Lajoie
The practice of spraying pesticides on your lawn could soon become a thing of the past.
After much study and review, the city's pesticide use advisory committee will be asking city council to pass a bylaw which would prohibit the cosmetic use of pesticides in Cornwall. The committee's recommendation will likely be considered by council early in the new year.
If approved, the proposed bylaw would ban the spraying of pesticides throughout the city, including on private property. Factors like the implementation, enforcement and possible exemptions - such as golf courses - to the bylaw are still being considered by the committee. "We've heard from the public that they think the time is right for looking at a cosmetic
pesticide ban," said John St. Marseille, the chair of the committee.
A key to the bylaw, if approved, will be to educate the public about alternatives to pesticides such as composting, fertilizers and integrated pest management plans, St. Marseille said.
http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=832094&auth=Kevin+Lajoie
High levels of radioactive tritium found in Pembroke landfill
Globe and Mail, December 26, 2007
Martin Mittelstaedt
The Ministry of Environment has found elevated levels of radioactive tritium in ground water at the municipal dump serving Pembroke, Ont., and several other nearby Ottawa River valley communities.
The dump, the Alice and Fraser Township Landfill, is not licensed to receive radioactive waste, and it is not known exactly how tritium, used to make glow-in-the-dark lights, among other products, and nuclear weapons, got into the dump.
But the discovery, made earlier in December, is being played down by the ministry because the amount of radioactivity was well below Ontario's drinking-water limit.
Ministry spokesperson Kate Jordan said the Pembroke finding wasn't high enough to warrant further action. "While there was tritium in the ground water at the site, [it was] well below our ministry standards," she said. "We don't feel that they pose a risk to the community or to the environment."
The highest level - 1,000 Becquerel/Litre - is one seventh Ontario's drinking water standard. One Becquerel is a radioactive disintegration per second.
But Ontario's limit is lax by international standards and is currently under review by the government. The reading would have exceeded by wide margins California's goal of having no more than 15 Bq/L, and Europe's of having no more than 100 Bq/L, in water supplies.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20071226/TRITIUM26/TPNational/?query=environment
Greenpeace gift ideas
Metro News, December 24, 2007
For those looking for a last-minute gift, Greenpeace is offering Presents for the Planet — gifts that prevent global warming, protect oceans and save forests.
Presents for the Planet provide a carbon-free way of shopping at www.PresentsForThePlanet.ca. Once you have selected your gift, Greenpeace will send an electronic greeting card with a personal message telling your recipient about your gift.
Some of the gifts to choose from include:
* The $20 Sharing the Planet gift supports Greenpeace’s work for a livable planet for all.
* For $40, the Support our Ships gift equips Greenpeace’s renowned ships, enabling them to track polluters and chase whalers around the world.
* A $75 Gift of Tools helps indigenous people protect their land from exploitation.
* For $150, you can directly support the Greenpeace staff of close to 100 working hard to protect the environment in China.
http://www.metronews.ca/story.aspx?id=98846
There's still time to get into geothermal game
Toronto Star, December 24, 2007
Tyler Hamilton
The year 1984 is more than just a George Orwell novel. It's also when the federal government packed in its geothermal energy program, more or less taking one of Canada's best renewable resources off the radar screen of the public and investors.
In the 23 years that have passed, the world has become a different place. Drilling technologies have improved dramatically. The ability to detect geothermal hotspots deep below the Earth's surface has also gotten better. Climate change concerns have drawn much-needed attention to development of renewable energies such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and even wave power.
Around the world, including the United States, a great deal of investment – and in some cases, reliance – has been placed on the ability to tap the Earth's emission-free geothermal resources. Canada, however, isn't even on the map.
We remain the only country in the Pacific Rim to not generate electricity from the intense heat deep underground, and the federal government remains somewhat ignorant and uninterested in the potential. One company, Western Geopower, is trying to give it a shot on a 100-megawatt project in British Columbia, but operating alone without federal support hasn't been an easy endeavour.
"We're so far out of the game," says Alison Thompson, vice-president of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, based out of Calgary.
The organization has existed for three decades, but you'd never know it. No funding and no program over the years has gutted its profile, and limited its function to an academic exercise.
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/288357
Décorations de Noël: autant de puissance qu’Eastmain 1
La Presse, le 23 décembre 2007
Hugo Fontaine
Même si on pouvait lire hier dans La Presse que les Québécois se donnent moins la peine d’illuminer leur chez-soi à l’approche de Noël, il ne faudrait pas penser que ça n’existe plus.
La puissance installée totale des décorations de Noël au Québec est encore de 500 MW, soit à peu près la puissance installée à la centrale Eastmain 1, mise en service en avril dernier.
Selon des statistiques fournies par Hydro-Québec, les décorations de Noël consomment globalement quelque 3500 MW/h par jour, soit autant que 400 édifices à bureaux de 20 étages dont les lumières seraient allumées toute la journée.
Pendant 40 jours, à raison de sept heures par jour (la période de référence qu’Hydro-Québec utilise), l’électricité consommée par les décorations équivaut à la consommation résidentielle annuelle de la ville de Baie-Comeau.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071223/CPENVIRONNEMENT/71223022/6112/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Editorial: 'Tis the season to recycle
Toronto Star, December 22, 2007
With global warming threatening Santa's North Pole hideaway, it is important to promote the reuse and recycling of material that would otherwise be wasted, especially during this trash-heavy time of year.
The Ministry of the Environment has estimated that Ontarians toss about 900,000 tonnes of extra garbage over the holiday season, including about 288 million Christmas cards, 35,000 tonnes of plastic, and a staggering 23 square kilometres of wrapping paper – enough to blanket 3,000 football fields. For the sake of the future, we need to shrink our oversized environmental footprint.
Experts in the City of Toronto's recycling department have put together a list of useful steps to reduce holiday waste. Some modest "green" measures worth trying include:
Wrapping presents in colourful paper from the comics section of a newspaper, the pages of a magazine, or in photos from old calendars rather than in acres of newly printed gift wrap.
Giving gifts in holiday bags that can be exchanged or reused over the years, or putting them in some other reusable container such as a basket, wooden box, cookie tin or decorative jar.
Putting outdoor lights and electricity-driven decorations on a timer so they are not kept on throughout the night, wasting precious energy.
Crafting home-made ornaments for a Christmas tree, such as cookies, or strings of popcorn and cranberries rather than tinsel. When the holiday is over you can eat the cookies, and popcorn and cranberry strings can go outside to feed the birds.
Rather than using disposable – and wasteful – paper dishes and plastic utensils for a large party, consider renting dishes and cutlery.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/287910
Changements climatiques
Des érables dans le Nord
Radio-Canada, le 21 décembre 2007
Des chercheurs canadiens prévoient que les changements climatiques entraîneront une migration vers le nord des essences d'arbres du Canada et des États-Unis, de même qu'un rétrécissement de plus de la moitié des zones forestières.
Une étude menée par Daniel McKenney, un analyste du Centre de foresterie des Grands Lacs, a permis de constater que 15 % des 130 espèces d'arbres étudiés ont déjà commencé à pousser dans des territoires plus nordiques.
Selon les scénarios étudiés par les chercheurs ontariens, certaines espèces pourraient pousser de 300 à 700 km plus au nord d'ici 70 ans. C'est le cas de l'érable à sucre, du pin et de certaines variétés d'épinettes ou de chênes.
M. McKenney affirme que le réchauffement climatique anticipé pourrait permettre à des espèces d'arbres qui poussent plus au sud de s'implanter en Ontario ou au Québec.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Ontario/2007/12/21/012-migration-arbres_n.shtml
Environnement
Le sac de plastique au rancart
Radio-Canada, le 21 décembre 2007
L'organisme écologique le Festival mondial de la Terre souhaite changer les habitudes des consommateurs spécialement dans la période des fêtes en les incitant à faire leurs achats avec des sacs réutilisables.
Le 21 décembre a été décrété Jour sans sac par l'organisme. D'autres journées sans sacs sont aussi prévues dans l'année. Durant les activités de sensibilisation, des bénévoles postés devant les magasins invitent la population à ne pas prendre de sacs de plastique.
L'utilisation de sacs réutilisables est de plus en plus répandue dans les magasins d'alimentation, mais la pratique tarde à s'imposer dans les centres commerciaux.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/2007/12/21/008-jour_sans_sac_n.shtml
Transports en commun
Bombardier renforce ses acquis torontois
Radio-Canada, le 21 décembre 2007
La multinationale canadienne Bombardier complète une faste semaine, vendredi, par l'annonce d'un énième contrat pour sa division Transport.
Ainsi, l'entreprise qui se spécialise dans la fabrication et l'entretien de matériel ferroviaire a été chargée d'assurer l'entretien, pour les cinq prochaines années, du système de transport en commun de la banlieue de Toronto.
Le contrat, d'une valeur initiale de 124 millions de dollars, pourrait être reconduit subséquemment pour les quinze prochaines années, ce qui porterait sa valeur à près d'un demi-milliard de dollars.
Bombardier, qui assure l'entretien du réseau de la Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GO Transit) depuis 1997, a aussi remporté, en novembre dernier, un appel d'offres pour l'exploitation de ce même réseau. Ces deux contrats font en sorte que Bombardier aura l'entière responsabilité du parc de train de banlieue de la métropole canadienne au moins jusqu'à l'été 2013.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Ontario/2007/12/21/008-bombardier-to_n.shtml
Editorial: The right time for pesticide ban
Kingston Whig-Standard, December 20, 2007
The no-pesticides bylaw passed this week by city councillors was officially three years in the making.
In fact, the debate about the cosmetic use of lawn chemicals in Kingston goes back much longer than that. At last, the city joins a growing list of 100 or more municipalities across the country that have already imposed bans.
The 10-2 vote on Tuesday night - with councillor Sara Meers absent and councillor Joyce MacLeod-Kane and Mayor Harvey Rosen voting against it - demonstrated how this issue has permeated the consciousness of more and more Canadians from coast to coast.
What the 10 councillors effectively said with their votes is that there has been enough scientific doubt cast on chemical pesticides that their use should be restricted; that even though some people may feel it's OK to apply them to their own lawns, they have to be respectful of others who fear their general use.
Despite the resounding yes vote, the science around whether pesticides are safe or dangerous to human health had been debated both ways.
Studies have linked exposure to pesticides to childhood cancers, neurological diseases and other cancers.
Representatives of the lawn-care industry, arguing against the ban, say that as licensed regulators they apply lawn pesticides safely and within the guidelines established by government regulations.
Despite this conscientiousness, many citizens are concerned about the cumulative effect of the chemicals. Where do these compounds end up after many generations of use? Are humans paying the price with continuous exposure to them?
As of next fall in Kingston, pesticides can no longer be applied to lawns or to shrubs, plants, flowers and vegetables if they are located in the immediate vicinity of a lawn.
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=826402
Editorial: Just say 'no' to all those plastic bags
Ottawa Sun, December 20, 2007
Kerry Thompson
You're still not done your holiday shopping, are you?
Well, here's something to think about tomorrow -- and every day -- when you're running around trying to cross everyone off your list.
That is, take your own bags and say no to plastic.
Or at least turn down a few plastic bags during the day.
The decision is especially significant tomorrow, one of the No Bag Days that's part of the Worldwide Earth Festival. Organizers -- who are pushing for a law prohibiting the distribution of plastic bags -- note that if each citizen took part for just one day, 5.5 million fewer plastic bags would end up in the environment.
It's hard to think of such things when you're running from store to store, standing in line with dozens of people and trying to juggle bags and children.
But imagine the smaller mess you'd have at home if you put numerous purchases in one bag -- one you got from the first store you entered, or a reusable one.
Better yet, purchase a reusable bag at stores that stock them and use it as the wrapping for your gift, thus giving the recipient a bag he or she can use in future.
http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/Editorial/2007/12/20/4733236-sun.html
L'étude environnementale commence à presser
Le Droit, le 20 décembre 2007
Jean-Francois Dugas
Même si les gouvernements de l'Ontario et du Canada ont consacré des sommes importantes pour l'élargissement de la route 174/17 entre Ottawa et Rockland, le projet de réfection majeur avance à pas de tortue.
Chacun des paliers gouvernementaux a injecté 40 millions de dollars pour le dédoublement de la route.
Le gouvernement provincial a refilé ce montant à la fin de l'été, sans attache. En octobre, le fédéral a octroyé le même montant, précisant que plusieurs conditions devaient être remplies pour obtenir les fonds.
"Le financement est conditionnel à une entente entre la Ville d'Ottawa et les Comtés unis de Prescott-Russell (CUPR) pour qu'ils entreprennent le projet et qu'ils acceptent de couvrir les frais restants pour l'aboutissement du projet", précise le ministre des Transport, de l'Infrastructure et des Collectivités, Lawrence Cannon, dans une lettre datée du 30 novembre adressée à Jean-Yves Lalonde, président des CUPR.
M. Lalonde souligne que des membres des CUPR ont rencontré le maire d'Ottawa Larry O'Brien, il y a environ trois semaines. "Nous avons une entente verbale", signale-t-il.
Le projet de l'élargissement de la route 174/17 est évalué à 104 millions $. Ainsi, on estime que la quote-part de la Ville d'Ottawa et des CUPR s'élèvera à 24 millions $.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071220/CPACTUALITES/712200332/6790/CPDROIT
Holmes mousse l'eau du robinet
Le Droit, le 19 décembre 2007
La Ville d'Ottawa devrait encourager ses résidants à boire l'eau provenant du robinet plutôt que de l'eau embouteillée. C'est pourquoi la conseillère Diane Holmes prône l'interdiction de la vente de ces bouteilles dans les installations de la municipalité. Elle ne veut plus non plus qu'elles soient offertes lors de réunions et d'événements officiels.
"Nous devrions faire la promotion de l'eau provenant de notre propre réseau d'aqueduc. Nous devons donc changer radicalement nos habitudes et mettre en place un important programme d'information. Le public doit être mieux informé sur les désavantages de ces bouteilles de plastique mais je reconnais que cela prendra du temps", a-t-elle expliqué hier.
La conseillère Holmes a ajouté que la qualité de l'eau disponible dans les robinets de la capitale était de loin meilleure que celle qui est en vente sur les tablettes d'épicerie ou dans les machines distributrices. "Le marketing pour ces eaux embouteillées est très séduisant mais pourquoi ne pas favoriser l'utilisation des fontaines dans nos édifices. On doit penser à l'environnement."
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071219/CPACTUALITES/712190346/6790/CPDROIT
Pesticide bylaw approved; Lawn-care companies vow to launch lawsuit against city
Kingston Whig-Standard, December 19, 2007
Jordan Press
Residents will soon be unable to use cosmetic pesticides in Kingston.
Councillors voted last night to officially bring in a pesticide bylaw next year. The bylaw would come into effect next fall after this growing season and after a public education campaign is complete.
But the debate that has raged in committee meetings for months and even longer in the greater community is still not done.
A group of lawn-care companies in Kingston say they will take the city to court for alleged slander and defamation.
And the city's mayor said the bylaw may waste staff's time and taxpayer dollars if the province follows through on an election promise to bring in a provincewide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides.
"I had said some time ago I was certainly in favour of the control of cosmetic pesticides," said Mayor Harvey Rosen. "But if the province is going to do it, I'm concerned with the redundancy of the effort.
"After all this long, drawn-out, hard fight, this is going to pass this council, but I am going to be the only one here that doesn't support."
In the end, he wasn't. Councillors voted 10-2 with Rosen and Councillor Joyce MacLeod-Kane voting in opposition. Councillor Sara Meers was absent.
Councillor Leonore Foster, who chairs the environmental committee that penned the bylaw, responded to Rosen by saying it didn't matter what the province did.
"This is our legislation. It can be altered," she said. "It's an indication of what this community wants.
"It is a landmark law."
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=824519&auth=Jordan+Press
Assessing Municipal Lawn Care Reform:
The Case of a Lawn Pesticide By-Law in the Town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada
Electronic Green Journal, Issue #25
Clarine Lee-Macaraig
The Innovolve Group, Toronto, Canada
L. Anders Sandberg
York University, Toronto, Canada
There is an ongoing interest and debate about the effectiveness of an increased number of local initiatives to modify green consumer behavior; this is in light of the failure or ineffectiveness of global policies, such as, for example, the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of carbon emissions. As a result, many municipalities are creating their own climate, recycling and conservation policies (Ellison, 2006). In Canada, municipal by-laws restricting the aesthetic use of pesticides on lawns fall into this category. According to Christie (2007), over the last decade the number of such by-laws adopted nationally has increased to 123. These include large and small municipalities, ranging from the City of Toronto with a population of 2.5 million to Lac-Saint-Joseph, Quebec, with a population of 229. [...]
This paper reviews the empirical and theoretical context of the recent flurry of pesticide by-laws in Canada and then explores one pesticide by-law, passed in the Town of Caledon, Ontario, in 2003, in order to shed further light on the wider significance of the pesticide reform movement.
http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/index.php/egj/article/view/3201/3165
Convenient Resources for "An Inconvenient Truth"
Electronic Green Journal, Issue #25
Frederick Stoss
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Global warming is a controversial issue. Much like the controversies that were debated, studied, lobbied, and battled over decades on issues such as acid rain, ozone depletion, lead-paint poisoning (especially in children), the ecological damages related to the rampant and irresponsible use of pesticides (such as DDT), and perhaps most dramatically, the adverse health effects associated to smoking tobacco.
Readers and viewers of An Inconvenient Truth may be looking for sources from which to locate the science behind the issue. Provided here are some top-ten lists that might help individuals (teachers and librarians in particular), groups, and organizations lead the discussion on where to go for more information is search of their own Truths.
http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/index.php/egj/article/view/3205/3175
Cantley landfill to remain closed pending appeal, Quebec judge rules
Ottawa Citizen, December 19, 2007
Dave Rogers
A Quebec judge has ruled that a Cantley landfill site closed by the Quebec administrative tribunal in October because of toxic hydrogen sulphide gas emissions cannot reopen pending an appeal.
The tribunal closed the construction waste landfill on Highway 307 on Oct. 15, after the site had emitted hydrogen sulphide gas since 2001 and failed to complete testing for groundwater contamination.
People living near the landfill said the numbered company that operated the landfill did not properly cover the garbage and complained about breathing problems and headaches. The Quebec government recommended that residents leave their homes for two weeks during an underground fire in January 2005.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a50bcc3c-ab1e-4cd3-a9f8-0f08fab17286&k=27040
Cantley
Le dépotoir demeurera fermé
Radio-Canada, le 19 décembre 2007
Les résidents de Cantley pourront dormir sans crainte puisque le dépôt de matériaux secs restera fermé, du moins jusqu'à l'audition de la requête en révision. Le juge Louis Cormier a rejeté, mardi, la demande des exploitants de rouvrir le site en attendant la contestation de la révocation du permis.
Le procureur de la Ville de Cantley, Me Rino Soucy, se réjouit de la nouvelle. « C'est évident qu'on est très heureux de la décision puisque [...] le jugement maintient la décision du tribunal rendue le 15 octobre 2007, dans le sens que le sursis est rejeté. Et on sait maintenant que le dépotoir devra demeurer fermé », soutient-il.
Les exploitants sont de leur côté déçus de la décision. Ils espéraient reprendre les activités sur le site pendant la durée des procédures. Toutefois, les exploitants promettent de mener la bataille jusqu'au bout.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/19/007-cantley-depotoir.shtml
Changements climatiques
La Californie subit un important revers
Radio-Canada, le 19 décembre 2007
Washington vient d'infliger une importante défaite à la Californie au sujet de la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique.
L'Agence fédérale américaine de protection de l'environnement a rejeté une requête de la Californie pour une exemption à la loi fédérale antipollution, le Clean Air Act. Ce refus empêche ainsi la Californie de mettre en application ses mesures pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) sur son territoire.
En 2004, à l'initiative du gouverneur Arnold Schwarzenegger, la Californie a adopté un projet de loi imposant aux constructeurs automobiles de réduire dès 2009 les émissions de GES de leurs nouveaux véhicules. En vertu de cette mesure, l'État voulait réduire de 30 % ses émissions de GES d'ici 2016.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/environnement/2007/12/19/003-Californie-GES-pollution.shtml
Ottawa's snowplow priorities unfair to bus riders, group says
CBC News, December 19, 2007
Ottawa's practice of clearing roads first and sidewalks later is the opposite of how things should be done, says an Ottawa environmental group.
"If the city is putting clearing bus stops at the bottom of their list, in terms of priorities, that's reflective of a broader problem that we have in Ottawa right now," said Graham Saul, a spokesman for Ecology Ottawa.
The city seems to be putting car drivers ahead of public transit users by clearing snow off the streets quickly while bus riders are forced to wade through snowy sidewalks, then clamber over hefty berms of plowed snow to board and get off the bus, he said.
"When you have a major snowstorm, one of the things you're presumably trying to do is keep as many cars off the road as possible so you can clear it," he said Tuesday. "So the more people that are getting on the public transport system, the better off we are."
In order to do that, he said, the city should make public transit easily accessible by clearing snow from the transitway, bus routes and bus shelters first.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/18/ot-snowplow-071218.html
Streetcars to have 25 per cent Canadian content
Globe and Mail, December 19, 2007
Jeff Gray
Toronto's next generation of streetcars should be 25 per cent Canadian made, the Toronto Transit Commission decided yesterday, in an effort to squeeze some domestic job creation into the $1-billion contract, North America's biggest light-rail deal to date.
The move is also meant to avoid the controversy that dogged the TTC and Mayor David Miller last year, when the transit agency agreed to hand a $674-million subway car contract to Montreal-based Bombardier without competition in order to preserve jobs at the firm's Thunder Bay plant.
A report from a private consultant Booz Allen Hamilton had warned the TTC that a Canadian-content requirement any higher than 21.8 to 25 per cent for the new streetcars could result in the politically embarrassing event of all foreign bidders dropping out, leaving only Bombardier.
The nine city councillors that make up the commission held a special meeting yesterday, hearing from labour activists who called for a 60 per cent Canadian content provision, similar to a federal rule in the United States.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071219.wtransit19/BNStory/National/home
Rail line could put Alberta on green track, Premier says
Globe and Mail, December 19, 2007
Dawn Walton and Katherine O'Neill
CALGARY — A high-speed train linking Calgary and Edmonton could be a silver bullet in Alberta's overall strategy to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, Premier Ed Stelmach said yesterday.
Proposals for a 300-kilometre rail line have been around for three decades and rejected by former premier Ralph Klein, but in an interview, Mr. Stelmach expressed strong support for the multibillion-dollar project.
"It would go a long way," he said, referring to the potential to reduce carbon emissions by getting a lot of vehicles off a busy stretch of highway.
He said there is still "a lot of work to be done around transportation" in the province. The environment is increasingly being positioned as a key element in his government's re-election strategy as the oil-rich province prepares to head to the polls.
The talk of environmentally friendly transportation infrastructure builds on comments made last week when Mr. Stelmach announced his three main priorities for the next year included "greening our growth."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071219.walberta19/BNStory/National/home
Lululemon to stop selling bottles with bisphenol A
Ottawa Citizen, December 19, 2007
Lululemon is the second large Canadian retailer to stop selling water bottles containing bisphenol A.
The popular yoga and fitness apparel chain will stop stocking its shelves with hard plastic water bottles containing the chemical in January. Mountain Equipment Co-op has already pulled bisphenol A products.
"We have decided that starting in January all new water bottles arriving in our stores will be made of Acrylic and 100 per cent BPA free," said Sara Gardiner, a Lululemon Athletica Inc. spokeswoman.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/newsbriefs/story.html?id=a4d31727-3153-4a17-a9c7-c50941e229a6
Committee shelves bottled water ban
Ottawa Sun, December 19, 2007
Derek Puddicombe
A city committee is pulling the plug on a proposed ban on bottled water at municipal facilities.
Instead, the committee has directed staff to refer the issue to the city's Green Team, an environmental working group that will develop a water consumption strategy and bring their findings to the appropriate city committee next year.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes, a member of the planning and environment committee, raised the matter last spring, saying the marketing strategy the bottled water industry uses "undermines confidence in the municipal tap water system."
She said bottled water companies are making millions of dollars by arguing the water it sells is healthier than municipal tap water.
"People are afraid to drink city water," she said. "They are wiping the floor with us."
Andrea Harden, a bottled water campaigner with local interest group Polaris Institute, told committee members that plastic containers are a health risk because of the potential for toxins to leach into the water.
"These are legitimate public health concerns," she said. And because the bottles usually end up in city dumps, the plastic bottles also contribute to global warming.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/19/4731396-sun.html
Water bottle ban could be coming
Metro News, December 19, 2007
Should the city boot bottled water from municipal buildings and encourage people to use public fountains?
Ottawa’s planning and environment committee yesterday voted to direct city staff to look at the options.
Somerset councillor Diane Holmes put forward a motion that could eventually prohibit bottled water from being sold in all city-owned facilities, citing the impact of the bottles on the environment.
“We really have to look at bottled water from the creation of the bottle, to the transportation, to the fact that it only takes .5 cents to fill the bottle and then is sold for $1, and then it winds up in the landfill,” said Holmes.
She said big corporations are making huge profits, while their marketing undermines public confidence in tap water.
Richard Girard, a researcher with the Polaris Institute, said that beverage companies have directed their bottled-water marketing campaigns against tap water, making people think that it’s not as safe as bottled water. But he said that city water is tested far more frequently than bottled water, for more that 350 substances.
http://www.metronews.ca/story_local.aspx?id=97904
Une voie de covoiturage à deux passagers
Le Droit, le 19 decembre 2007
Patrick Duquette
Pour soulager la congestion routière à l'approche du pont Champlain, Frank Thérien souhaite réduire à deux passagers par voiture le minimum requis pour circuler sur la voie de covoiturage du chemin d'Aylmer.
Selon le conseiller municipal, cette mesure permettrait de mieux équilibrer la circulation automobile entre les deux voies du chemin Aylmer. Le minimum actuel - trois passagers par voiture - est trop strict au goût de Frank Thérien.
"Ça aiderait beaucoup à décongestionner la circulation. Pour le moment, le trafic bloque du pont Champlain jusqu'au chemin Vanier, autant sur le chemin d'Aylmer que sur le boulevard Lucerne", constate M. Thérien.
Il note que l'ouverture récente du boulevard des Allumettières, plus au nord, n'a pas atténué les bouchons de circulation aux abords du pont.
Sur le pont Champlain, la Commission de la capitale nationale (CCN) autorise déjà les véhicules de deux passagers et plus à emprunter la voie de covoiturage au centre du pont.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071219/CPACTUALITES/712190331/6790/CPDROIT
San Francisco to Adopt Global Warming Offset Plan
Reuters, December 19, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco will become the first US city to offer a program to offset the impact of global warming by funding local green activities, the mayor said in an interview on Monday.
Under the program to be announced on Tuesday, city officials would calculate the carbon cost of their travels and contribute to one of several city programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions -- or forego the travel altogether.
"What we are trying to do by this is to set high standards to show carbon offset programs that work," Gavin Newsom told Reuters, adding he was wary of offsets with little accountability that promise action in distant lands.
For official travel, that means a round-trip flight from San Francisco to New York would cost an additional US$80 to $90, officials say, to be paid into the city's offset programs such as converting restaurant grease into fuel, installing solar energy devices or investing in energy conservation.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46114/story.htm
Réacteurs CANDU
Mise en garde à l'Ontario
Radio-Canada, le 18 décembre 2007
Le gouvernement ontarien devrait y penser deux fois avant de choisir d'investir pour des réacteurs nucléaires CANDU, préviennent des observateurs du domaine nucléaire et des environnementalistes.
Cette mise en garde survient à la lumière du récent arrêt de production à Chalk River. Selon les critiques, les délais d'Énergie atomique Canada limitée (EACL) pour développer deux nouveaux réacteurs, censés produire des isotopes radioactifs pour des diagnostics médicaux, sont de mauvais augure pour l'Ontario.
Les nouveaux réacteurs Maple 1 et 2 sont huit ans en retard sur leur échéancier initial et leur coût serait trois fois plus élevé que les 140 millions prévus au départ. EACL refuse toutefois de dévoiler le montant des dépassements de coûts. Ce retard serait en grande partie responsable de la récente pénurie mondiale d'isotopes médicaux. Le réacteur actuel de Chalk River, qui a été arrêté le mois dernier pour des raisons de sécurité, aurait dû être remplacé par la technologie Maple.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/18/005-chalk-river-nucleaire_n.shtml
L'automne 2007 plus chaud et plus humide que la normale
La Presse Canadienne, le 18 décembre 2007
Sans battre de valeurs records, l'automne 2007 fut tout de même plus chaud et plus humide que la normale au Canada.
Le Bulletin des tendances et variations climatiques d'Environnement Canada note que l'automne fut le 19e plus chaud d'un bout à l'autre du pays depuis 1948, avec des températures de 0,7 degré Celsius au-dessus des normales saisonnières.
Les régions de l'Extrême-Arctique et des Grands Lacs ont connu des températures de plus d'un degré au-dessus des normales. C'est le cas des régions du sud de l'Ontario et du Québec où on a enregistré une température moyenne de 1,4 degré Celsius au-dessus des normales saisonnière, la cinquième plus chaude.
Par ailleurs, cet automne fut le douzième plus humide au Canada, avec des précipitations de 9,7 pour cent au-dessus des normales saisonnières. Il y a eu des variations considérables d'une région à l'autre, avec des taux d'humidité et de sécheresse plus élevés que ceux de la moyenne nationale.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071218/CPENVIRONNEMENT/71218146/6109/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Better transit service doesn't come cheap
Ottawa Sun, December 18, 2007
Susan Sherring
It is, as Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess describes it, a real conundrum.
How do you improve OC Transpo service, increasing the number of routes and frequency of buses in a bid for new users, yet try to keep fares within affordable reach of the entire population?
If you don't improve service, you can't attract new riders. If you raise fares, you'll lose riders. What to do?
During last week's budget deliberations, council wrestled with that very issue -- not for the first time -- and ended up increasing transit fares an average of 7.5% this budget for each of the next three years.
Compounded, that's a 30% fare hike over the next three years.
In previous votes, councillors agreed to follow a policy that would see the percentage of transit costs paid by actual transit users increase to 50%.
That, the council majority agrees, is the proper ratio for taxpayers versus bus users cost sharing.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/18/4730138-sun.html
Daimler Buses in deal to supply 1,052 hybrids
Toronto Star, December 18, 2007
Daimler AG says it has received orders from Ottawa and New York City transit operators for a total of 1,052 Orion diesel-electric hybrid buses, which reduce fuel use and pollutant emissions.
New York's transit authority will buy 850 and Ottawa 202 of the vehicles, the company's North Carolina-based Daimler Buses North America unit said yesterday. The company gave no estimate of the order value.
Cities across North America are under pressure to use cleaner, more fuel-efficient buses.
Including the order, the New York authority will have about 1,700 Orions, or almost 50 per cent of the total, for the world's largest fleet of diesel-electric buses, Daimler Buses said. The new vehicles will be delivered into 2010, while those for Ottawa will be provided by 2009. The buses were launched in 2003.
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/286449
A Green Holiday
CFRA, December 18, 2007
Josh Pringle
The City of Ottawa wants you to "Think Green" on Christmas morning.
Residents are being asked to resist the urge to buy unnecessary and disposable products, and to make better use of the blue and black-box recycling programs.
Ottawa's new Director of Solid Waste Services Albert Shamess suggests you use reusable boxes, bags, baskets and tin to wrap gifts instead of one-time use wrapping paper.
Any paper wrap you do use can be recycled.
The City of Ottawa will collect and compost cut Christmas trees the week of January 14th to 18th.
http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=54217
Transit gets gas-tax influx
Provincial money trickling down to municipalities
Metro News, December 18, 2007
Ottawa will put the bulk of its 2008 gas tax dollars into improving the city’s transit services.
Provincial gas tax funding is flowing to municipalities — $314-million worth — and Ottawa’s share is almost $36 million. The city will put towards improving and expanding local transit, said director of transit services, Alain Mercier.
Although Mercier said the sum was in accordance with what Ottawa receives every year, he said the money was important because it will help “avoids service cuts to the existing bus systems,” he said.
Some transit improvements the city has planned, which money from the gas tax will help to fund, are:
* $16.1 million to meet transit demands, including growth on mainline routes 94, 95, 96, 97 and 84 buses along the Transitway;
* $12.8 million to replace the OC Transpo’s radio system;
* $12.1 million to purchase buses to relieve congestion in the west, east and south ends of the city;
* and money for a new Strandherd station in Barrhaven, to acquiring property for future development.
http://www.metronews.ca/story_local.aspx?id=97586
Transit upgrades get $36M funding boost
Ottawa Sun, December 18, 2007
Khairoon Abbas
The provincial government is giving Ottawa transit a push, investing an additional $36 million locally through to September 2008.
Transportation Minister Jim Bradley announced yesterday the province has launched the fourth year of the gas tax program, providing $314 million in gas tax funds to civic public transit in 108 municipalities.
The funds are to improve service and accessibility and entice more people out of their cars and on to transit.
"The money is going towards the construction and extension of the transitway and the purchasing of new buses," said Ottawa transit committee chairman Alex Cullen.
Current extension projects include the west transitway from Pinecrest to Bayshore, Bayshore to Moodie and Moodie to Terry Fox.
"$12 million will be allocated to bus purchases," said Alain Mercier, director of Transit Services. Mercier said Ottawa will have 99 new buses, including three double-deckers by the end of 2008 and 40 new buses, most of which will be the new hybrid buses, for inner-city routes by the end of 2009.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/18/4729716-sun.html
Britain: New policy puts climate change at the heart of planning
The Guardian, December 18, 2007
Ashley Seager
The government will today publish a new planning policy designed to boost the use of renewable energy and community heating schemes in new buildings as it gears up for the introduction of carbon-free homes from 2016.
It is thought that the new planning policy statement (PPS) addresses the concerns of the renewables industry and many local authorities, who had feared the Department for Communities and Local Government was about to water down the so-called Merton rule requiring new commercial buildings to produce at least 10% of their energy from on-site renewables.
More than 100 local authorities have already adopted the Merton rule, named after the London borough of Merton which launched it in 2003. The new PPS will require all councils to plan with renewables such as wind power as well as local energy schemes, such as combined heat and power plants running on biomass.
The Greater London Authority took the Merton rule and raised the share of renewables required on new buildings to 20%.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/18/climatechange.energy
Home of reactor harbours no fear
Toronto Star, December 18, 2007
Tyler Hamilton
DEEP RIVER, Ont.–Vance Gutzman stands on the frigid shoreline of the Ottawa River as a spooky mist rises from the water, partly masking the scenic backdrop of low-lying mountains that assert Quebec's border with Ontario.
He takes a drag from a cigarette and pauses. "There is no concern at all," says Gutzman, 40, as tranquil as the Laurentians behind him and the community he calls home.
The "concern" in question centres on a nuclear research reactor – hidden and fortified about 15 kilometres down the river – that produces most of the world's medical radioisotopes. These include the Molybdenum-99 isotope that's crucial to detection and treatment of serious diseases such as cancer.
The National Research Universal, or "NRU," reactor was shut down Nov. 18, creating a worldwide shortage of isotopes and putting Canada under the spotlight of an international controversy.
The federal nuclear watchdog said the NRU was unsafe, and had been operating that way for 17 months in violation of its licence. It argued the local community would be put at "significant risk" if an earthquake or some other disaster struck.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/286550
Critics urge against AECL reactor purchase after isotope crisis
CBC News, December 18, 2007
The Ontario government should think twice about buying nuclear reactors from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. after the company's delays in building two new reactors helped create a worldwide shortage of isotopes for medical diagnosis, nuclear critics say.
The province announced in June 2006 that it plans to build two new nuclear power plants, and it hired consultants in May to study the available options, including one of AECL's reactor models.
AECL, a Crown corporation, was recently in the spotlight after the House of Commons went against the advice of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and passed emergency legislation on Dec. 11 to reopen AECL's Chalk River reactor.
The reactor usually produces two-thirds of the world's medical isotopes, but had been shut down for repairs, causing a worldwide shortage of the isotopes, which cannot be stored for very long.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/18/ot-aecl-071218.html
Ottawa seeks expert advice on banning phosphates
Toronto Star, December 18, 2007
Steve Lambert, Canadian Press
WINNIPEG–The federal government is considering banning phosphates in a wide variety of household and industrial products.
Environment Canada plans to hire experts to analyze the "socioeconomic and environmental impacts" of proposed new restrictions on phosphates, according to a call for proposals issued yesterday by the department.
The consultants will examine "several possible control scenarios, including a total ban on phosphorus in detergents and cleaning products" and report by next May.
Manitoba and Quebec have already announced plans to limit phosphate concentrations in dishwasher detergents to 0.5 per cent by 2010, and have called on Ottawa to follow suit.
"When someone puts soap in their dishwasher in Edmonton, that makes its way into Lake Winnipeg," Manitoba Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick said. "We really need the sort of interjurisdictional co-operation that a national strategy would bring about."
Phosphates are concentrated phosphoric acids that lead to algae growth in water. They have been blamed for choking lakes and rivers in several provinces.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/286535
Bombardier clinches big deal for new commuter trains
CBC News, December 18, 2007
Bombardier has landed a $386-million contract with the Province of Quebec to build bi-level commuter trains for Montreal's public transit system.
The contract includes an order for 30 trains and options on an additional 130 cars, in what Transport Minister Julie Boulet called the "most important investment in commuter trains in Quebec's history."
The stainless steel passenger cars will allow an additional 43,000 people to commute from bedroom communities around Montreal's east end, Boulet said at a press conference Tuesday.
It will also help the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) increase suburban ridership by as much as 16 per cent, the agency said.
The trains will feature two levels of seating zones with 142 seats, and an overall capacity of up to 200 passengers. The cars will also include storage room for bicycles, and will be equipped with GPS technology that will allow two-way communication between passenger and crews.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/12/18/qc-comjuterytrain1218.html
What transit costs?
Ottawa Citizen, December 18, 2007
Randall Denley
This was to be the year of the great transit debate, but city councillors only did half the job. They get full marks for agreeing to raise transit fares by 7.5 per cent in each of the next three years. That addresses the transit revenue problem in a way that will eventually lead to a 50-50 split of costs between riders and taxpayers. Unfortunately, councillors chose to ignore the bigger issue of rapidly escalating service cost, and that's OC Transpo's biggest problem.
Transpo is the largest and most costly service the city runs. The kind of cost increases the bus service has experienced and is projecting make it difficult for the city to contain taxes at the rate of inflation. OC Transpo spent $282 million in 2006, but the bill will rise to $326 million next year. That's more than 15 per cent in just three years. In that same period of time, compensation and benefits have grown 25 per cent. The number of Transpo staff will rise from 1,819 in 2006 to 2,142 next year.
While all this has been going on, ridership has been slowly creeping ahead. Transpo projects a ridership of 97.6 million next year, up 6.3 per cent over 2006.
Despite the rising costs, city councillors had only been willing to raise fares by the rate of inflation. The result was that taxpayers bore an escalating share of the total costs. This year, the farebox produced only $4 million more than the year before, but taxpayers forked over $20 million extra.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=b4684414-15da-4ac1-af83-193f8137f29e
Taxe sur l'essence
314 millions pour le transport en commun
Radio-Canada, le 17 décembre 2007
Le ministre des Transports de l'Ontario, Jim Bradley, a annoncé lundi les montants que recevront les municipalités de la province pour améliorer leurs services de transport en commun.
Au total, 108 municipalités se partageront 314 millions de dollars, une somme qui provient du partage de la taxe sur l'essence.
Les sommes sont réparties selon le calcul suivant: 70 % en fonction du nombre d'usagers et 30 % en fonction de la taille de la population de la région desservie.
C'est évidemment Toronto qui obtient la part du lion: la Ville Reine touchera plus de 161 millions de dollars. Ottawa obtient quant à elle 35 millions, alors que Windsor touchera 3,75 millions.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/17/006-tranport-commun-ont.shtml
Ottawa songe à limiter les phosphates dans les produits d'entretien
Presse Canadienne, le 17 décembre 2007
Le gouvernement fédéral envisage de nouvelles restrictions sur les phosphates présents dans divers produits de nettoyage domestique ainsi que des produits industriels.
Un appel d'offres diffusé lundi par le ministère de l'Environnement indique que le ministère compte embaucher des experts pour analyser les impacts «socioéconomiques et environnementaux» de mesures visant à restreindre ou à interdire les phosphates dans les détersifs pour lave-vaisselle et divers autres produits nettoyants.
Ces consultants examineront «plusieurs scénarios possibles, dont celui d'une interdiction totale du phosphore dans les détergents et produits de nettoyage», et devront remettre leur rapport d'ici le mois de mai 2008.
Le Québec et le Manitoba se sont déjà engagés à bannir la vente de savons liquides pour lave-vaisselle contenant plus de 0,5 pour cent de phosphates, d'ici 2010, et ont appelé Ottawa à les imiter.
Les phosphates favorisent la croissance d'algues dans les lacs et les rivières, et ont été pointés du doigt en rapport avec la mauvaise qualité de l'eau des lacs au Québec, notamment.
Plusieurs États américains ont déjà adopté des lois limitant la teneur en phosphates des détergents pour lave-vaisselle d'ici 2010, et l'Association canadienne de produits de consommation spécialisée, qui représente 86 pour cent des manufacturiers de détergents, a volontairement accepté d'appliquer ces restrictions au Canada également.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071217/CPENVIRONNEMENT/71217177/6638/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Britain: All new schools to be zero-carbon by 2016
The Guardian, December 17, 2007
Schools will install wind turbines and solar power systems in a multi-million pound drive to reduce carbon emissions, Ed Balls detailed today.
The schools secretary wants all new school buildings to be zero-carbon by 2016.
In a statement to MPs, Balls announced the details of about 200 energy-saving projects that will cost about £110m over the next three years.
"We are taking action now to reduce carbon emissions in new school buildings while we work towards the zero-carbon goal," Balls said.
A typical secondary school will receive about £500,000 under the scheme to reduce carbon emissions in new school buildings.
Projects will focus on making buildings more energy efficient and using renewable energy sources.
Efficiency measures could include using low-power computers, energy-saving lighting and better insulation.
Renewable energy sources could include biomass-fuelled boilers - usually using wood - and large wind turbines.
Solar energy could be harnessed to heat water and provide electricity.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2228937,00.html
Starry Night, circa 2007
If you live anywhere near a big city it’s likely you can’t see much through the fog of light pollution. Now, a movement of activists and scientists are taking up the cause of darkness
Toronto Star, December 15, 2007
Peter Gorrie
``Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze..."
Imagine if Vincent Van Gogh was in modern downtown Toronto when he attempted to paint the night sky.
Much would be altered. For one thing, folk singer Don McLean would have had to adjust those lyrics to his early 1970s hit that was inspired by Van Gogh's masterpiece.
With apologies, the song might open something like:
Vacant, vacant night.
Deathlike black on murky glow,
Too much glare from down below...
Luckily for art, Van Gogh didn't have to contend with light pollution. Most of us now do: Humans switch on so many bulbs and lamps that, in many parts of the world – including here – the heavens are obscured by their radiance.
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Environment/article/285432
Ontario uranium protester ends 66-day hunger strike
CBC News, December 14, 2007
An eastern Ontario woman has ended the hunger strike she started more than two months ago in a bid for a provincewide moratorium on uranium mining.
Donna Dillman, 53, decided Thursday to start eating — something she hadn't done since Oct. 8 — even though her protest didn't result in the moratorium she had hoped for.
The Lanark County grandmother's decision came after an eastern Ontario coalition announced it will fight for her cause by holding public hearings into the health and environmental effects of uranium.
"I'm happy that there's a decision made," said Dillman, who lives a short distance from a prospective uranium mining site at Sharbot Lake, about 60 kilometres north of Kingston.
The Community Coalition against Mining Uranium announced Thursday that its series of public hearings will be held throughout the region in February and March.
A spokesman for Greenpeace, one of the groups that supported Dillman's efforts and is supporting the upcoming hearings, said the hunger strike brought a new level of awareness about the environmental problems associated with uranium mining.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/14/ot-uranium-071214.html
Bottled water to keep flowing
Ottawa Sun, December 14, 2007
Derek Puddicombe
Bottled water will continue to flow at City Hall.
After a seven-month investigation into whether the city should ban bottled water at municipal facilities, staff have concluded that Ottawa should continue to permit bottled water.
The report was in response to an inquiry made last May by Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes, who wants bottled water outlawed in city buildings. The report findings will be tabled at next week's planning and environment committee meeting.
The Business Transformation Services office consulted with every city department during the probe of a possible ban on the sale of bottled water in plastic containers.
The city's public health department says there are "no potential public health risks in drinking bottled water" as long as it's stored properly.
CHEMICAL CONCERNS
Holmes' inquiry arose after concerns about the possibility of chemicals leaching from the plastic bottles into the water.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/14/4723791-sun.html
Looking beyond gridlock
Toronto Star, December 14, 2007
Christopher Hume
Whatever the appeal of the car may be, mobility has little to do with it.
The truth of this lies not just in the extreme congestion and epic commutes documented this week by Star correspondents, but as they also made clear, in our mind-boggling capacity to put up with it.
That's why efforts to control car use are doomed to failure as long as they're based on attempts to replace it with alternate forms of transportation, especially public transit.
Of course, subways, streetcars and buses are important, even crucial, but the majority choose not to use them despite the fact they're cheaper, more efficient and sustainable. The better way is, don't forget, the better way. The fact remains, however, that there's nothing rational about why people in the hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, hop into their vehicles every morning and evening for the daily commute.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/285524
Les décorations de Noël passent sous la loupe
La Voix de l'Est, le 14 décembre 2007
Claudia Timmons
Plusieurs options sont proposées par les sites internet d'Environnement Canada et de l'organisme Équiterre pour emballer des cadeaux tout en gardant un esprit écolo. Récupération et créativité sont les mots d'ordre des deux organismes.
Ainsi, on suggère de réutiliser tout ce qui nous passe par la main... que ce soit des vieux circulaires, des calendriers expirés, des pages de magazines ou de journaux, de vieilles boîtes métalliques ou à chaussures, des paniers. Les sacs bruns d'épicerie peuvent quant à eux être décorés au pochoir. Même l'intérieur des sacs de croustilles peut remplacer un papier métallisé, une fois bien nettoyé.
En plus de donner une deuxième vie à ces matières, il s'agit d'une bonne façon de personnaliser nos cadeaux en fonction des personnes qui les recevront.
Les sacs cadeaux en papier constituent une bonne alternative au papier d'emballage traditionnel étant donné que, d'une année à l'autre, les gens peuvent les réutiliser.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071214/CPACTUALITES/712140737/7118/CPVOIXEST
Archipel de Montréal: les écologistes récoltent des appuis
La Presse, le 14 décembre 2007
Sara Champagne
Le projet d'un parc écologique de l'Archipel de Montréal vient d'obtenir un solide coup de pouce, avec l'appui d'une majorité de partis politiques provinciaux et fédéraux. Ce projet, s'il voit le jour, prévoit la protection d'au moins 12% d'un territoire qui s'étend de l'Estrie aux Laurentides, et mettrait un frein aux ardeurs des promoteurs qui veulent bâtir sur les îles privées.
Au Québec, les groupes écologiques ont reçu l'appui du Parti québécois, du Parti vert et de Québec solidaire. L'Action démocratique du Québec propose une rencontre début 2008. Et le Parti libéral du Québec se limite à un accusé de réception, dans lequel il rappelle les efforts faits par le gouvernement du Québec pour la mise en place «d'un réseau d'aires protégées».
Tommy Montpetit, porte-parole des partenaires écologiques pour le projet d'Archipel, explique que la prochaine étape consiste à obtenir une rencontre avec la ministre de l'Environnement, responsable du dossier, Line Beauchamp. Jusqu'à maintenant, les groupes écologiques se sont heurtés à des portes closes, explique-t-il.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071214/CPACTUALITES/712140929/6641/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Kelly unveils green vision for UK homes
Guardian Unlimited, December 13, 2007
Matt Weaver
The communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, set out a timetable today for making all new homes "zero carbon" within a decade, as builders warned the plan would hamper a government building programme aimed at solving the housing crisis.
Under the proposed scheme, from 2008 all new homes will be given star ratings to reflect their energy efficiency, and the building regulations will be progressively tightened to force the construction of environmentally friendly homes.
Ms Kelly also proposed changes to the planning system to instruct councils to have a more positive attitude to projects such as wind farms that cut carbon dioxide emissions.
She said: "Building the homes we need for future generations whilst meeting our climate change goals is one of the most complex environmental challenges facing the country."
She added: "We can only meet this challenge by transforming the quality of new homes, changing the way we plan new developments and galvanising the nation to play their part."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/dec/13/energy.greenpolitics
Website aims to get light-rail talk rolling
Ottawa Citizen, December 13, 2007
Jessey Bird
The non-profit group LRT Now has launched a website in the hope it will rejuvenate public interest in a possible light-rail transit system for Ottawa.
Greg Ross, president of the citizen-based group, called the city's transit system "overburdened."
"The LRT should be the backbone of our urban public transit system," said Mr. Ross.
He said the website, located at www.ottawalrtnow.ca, will provide a much-needed forum for Ottawans to have their say about not just the need for LRT, but how it should be designed and what parts of the city it should serve.
The website provides an overview for what light-rail transit is, proposals for five LRT plans, and an interactive chat function. There is also an option for visitors to vote on whether they support surface or tunnel rapid transit.
"We were so close to getting light rail," said Mr. Ross, referring to the city's cancellation of the plan last winter.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=0546ebdc-a051-4ec2-bae0-1af76add3e48
Uranium hunt in Gatineau Park is a 'shadowy situation': lawyer
Ottawa Citizen, December 13, 2007
Dave Rogers
A lawyer for an environmental law organization has asked the Quebec government how one of its Crown corporations can explore for uranium on the edge of Gatineau Park and still fulfil its responsibility to protect the area's environment.
William Amos, a lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund, said SOQUEM, the Société québécoise d'exploration minière, has filed 37 mineral exploration claims on more than 5,000 acres in La Pêche, west of Wakefield.
SOQUEM is a subsidiary of the Société générale de financement du Québec, the investment arm of the Quebec government.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=66722f69-8ddc-4774-8079-7dd4ab4a34b6&k=18249
Comment: Rethink this transit hike
Ottawa Sun, December 13, 2007
Kerry Thompson
Since council is so fond of reconsiderations -- remember that whole Albion Rd. debacle -- I'm going to make a simple request: Reconsider the OC Transpo fare hike.
In their attempt to hold the line on property taxes, council members decided that user fees were fair game for astronomical hikes. They voted to increase transit fares an average of 7.5%, to take effect in July. A regular adult monthly pass will rise to $81 from $73 and an express pass will jump to $101 from $90. The ticket fare will rise to $2 from $1.90, while the cash fare will remain $3.
The study may be a little old, but I would like to direct council's attention to a comprehensive review of OC Transpo operations prepared by KPMG in 1998. The report recommended that annual fare increases fall in line with the rate of inflation. A decline in ridership in the 10 years preceding the report was tied to average fare levels that rose 22% faster than the rate of inflation.
http://www.ottawasun.com/Comment/2007/12/13/4721771-sun.html
Lingering toxins continue to cause cancer: study
Research looks at human cases to determine what the risks are
Vancouver Sun, December 13, 2007
Pamela Fayerman
Banned pesticides and other toxic chemicals lingering in the environment put people at an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a B.C. Cancer Agency study.
The study -- the largest of its kind ever done on the link between the illness and contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and agricultural products such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides -- will be published in the International Journal of Cancer this week.
Researchers found people with the highest levels of a certain type of insecticide in their blood had 2.7 times the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma as those with the lowest amounts.
That strong link involved a metabolite of the insecticide chlordane.
People with PCBs in their blood, meanwhile, had twice the risk of developing the disease as those with the lowest exposures.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=3b61b6a7-1f29-4b41-8f40-f2752a474a60
Un lien possible entre le cancer et l'exposition à des polluants
La Presse Canadienne, le 13 décembre 2007
Anne-Marie Tobin
Des personnes atteintes du lymphome non hodgkinien montrent une plus forte concentration de polluants environnementaux dans le sang que les membres d'un groupe-témoin, ce qui laisse croire que ces polluants peuvent jouer un rôle dans l'apparition de la maladie. C'est ce qu'affirment des chercheurs de la Société du cancer de Colombie-Britannique.
Dans ce qui constitue la plus vaste étude du genre, l'organisme a recueilli des échantillons de sang auprès de 900 résidants de la province et vérifié les patients des deux groupes (cancéreux et non cancéreux) pour établir leur degré d'exposition aux biphényles polychlorés, ou BPC, et aux pesticides organochlorés.
L'auteur de la recherche, John Spinelli, scientifique à l'emploi de la Société du cancer, précise que les chercheurs ont évalué la présence de différents types de BPC et d'organochlorés, certains ayant une toxicité plus importante que d'autres.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071213/CPSCIENCES/712121823/6109/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Wetland going down drain, group argues
Ottawa Sun, December 13, 2007
Khairoon Abbas
Plans by a developer to drain water in the area of a sensitive wetland has environmental groups concerned about the ecosystem.
Developers of Findlay Creek Village in south Ottawa last month submitted an application to the Ministry of the Environment for a permit to drain up to 17 million litres of water a day for the next 10 years for a new housing development near the Leitrim Wetland.
Pierre Dufresne, vice-president of land development at Tartan Land Corp., said that they will not exceed 2 million litres per day, adding that the groundwater will be taken periodically and from outside the wetland boundary.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/13/4721794-sun.html
Plastic meltdown
What we can do about the chemical stew leaching into our healthy lifestyle
Ottawa Sun, December 13, 2007
Ann Marie McQueen
Andrew Stern, owner of the Byward Market shop Paper Papier, has been stocking his store's shelves with Sigg's stylish stainless steel bottles since early September.
He is one of the few stores in the city offering them and can't seem to keep them in stock. There is a near-constant waiting list, and most of the designs he wants from the distributor are sold out.
But Sigg bottles aren't one of the more sought-after Christmas gifts this year just because they look good.
They are also safe to drink from, when it seems almost everything else out there is not.
Remember that line from the 1967 film The Graduate, when Dustin Hoffman's young character gets advice about his career path?
"Plastics."
It seemed obnoxious in the movie.
But who could have known then what it seems we are just waking up to now?
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/13/4721777-sun.html
Ontario not keeping close enough watch on hazardous waste: auditor
CBC News, December 12, 2007
A "significant" amount of toxic and radioactive waste is likely being dumped illegally in Ontario because the province isn't keeping a close enough watch on generators of hazardous waste, Ontario's auditor general said Wednesday.
Jim McCarter told the Canadian Press that 900 hazardous waste generators haven't officially reported any dumping in three years, but ministry inspectors haven't followed up to see where this toxic waste has gone.
"Hazardous waste is basically being dumped some place where it shouldn't be dumped and it's not being treated," McCarter said a day after his annual report was released. "That certainly is a risk to the environment."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/12/hazardous-ont.html
Ottawa thwarts nuclear watchdog
Nuclear Safety Commission warns of possibility of serious accident at Chalk River, but PM says there's no safety issue in restarting reactor
Globe and Mail, December 12, 2007
Martin Mittelstaedt and Gloria Galloway
A Three-Mile-Island-type of nuclear accident could occur at Canada's Chalk River reactor unless a backup power supply system, capable of withstanding natural disasters such as earthquakes, is installed, according to an assessment by the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
It is "essential" that the safety equipment be installed on two crucial pumps before the reactor, which makes more than half the world's nuclear medicines, is restarted, Linda Keen wrote in a blunt letter to two federal government ministers.
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. voluntarily took the 50-year-old reactor out of service on Nov. 18 for routine maintenance. Then shortly afterward, the CNSC discovered that the safety equipment hadn't been installed as promised by AECL.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071212.wreactors12/BNStory/National/home
Tories face more heat over handling of isotope shortage
CBC News, December 12, 2007
The federal government's decision to restart an Ontario nuclear reactor that produces most of the world's supply of medical isotopes drew praise Wednesday from physicians struggling with a shortage, but also fierce criticism from opposition parties over the handling of the situation.
The government passed emergency legislation Tuesday night to reopen the Chalk River nuclear facility for 120 days, overriding the advice of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Passing the bill so quickly required all federal parties in Parliament to agree.
"Last night this House had to clean up the government's mess and pull us back from a medical catastrophe," Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told question period on Wednesday. "When will the government get our nuclear house in order?"
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/12/isotope-reax.html
Ottawa intervient
Radio-Canada, le 12 décembre 2007
La centrale nucléaire de Chalk River en Ontario, qui est arrêtée depuis trois semaines, sera remise en marche sur l'ordre du Parlement fédéral.
Tard mardi soir, tous les partis ont approuvé un projet de loi du gouvernement conservateur minoritaire de Stephen Harper. Le Sénat, à majorité libérale, devrait voter mercredi sur le projet de loi conservateur. La mesure prévoit le redémarrage du réacteur pour une période de quatre mois.
Le gouvernement Harper court-circuite ainsi la Commission canadienne de sûreté nucléaire (CCSN) selon laquelle la centrale ne répond pas aux normes de sécurité en cas de catastrophe naturelle.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/12/002-chalk-river-ottawa_n.shtml
Transpo requests 30% hike
Ottawa Sun, December 12, 2007
Derek Puddicombe
City council went on a user fee spree yesterday, meaning citizens will take a big hit in the wallet next year -- before any property tax increase.
So far, transit users are the biggest losers in the 2008 budget debate.
OC Transpo officials asked for a 7.5% increase in transit fares every year until 2010 to raise more than $4 million annually. Compounded over the three years, that equals an almost 30% increase in transit fares.
The increase would allow the city to reach a 50% cost recovery based on the operational costs of the city's public transportation system.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/12/4719840-sun.html
Une hausse de tarifs
Radio-Canada, le 12 décembre 2007
Les élus d'Ottawa, qui poursuivent les délibérations budgétaires 2008, ont décidé, mardi, de hausser plusieurs tarifs. Ainsi, le transport en commun, le stationnement et les activités de loisir coûteront désormais plus cher dans la capitale.
OC Transpo augmentera ses tarifs de 7,5 % par année pendant trois ans, et ce, à partir du 1er juillet 2008. D'ici 2010, on prévoit une hausse de près de 30 % pour les usagers du transport en commun.
Le stationnement dans la capitale coûtera plus cher. Les automobilistes qui garent leur voiture près d'un parcomètre devront y mettre de l'argent en soirée et les fins de semaine près des zones commerciales.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/12/005-budget-2008-ottawa_n.shtml
Council OKs average 7.5% bus fare hike
Ottawa Citizen, December 12, 2007
Patrick Dare
City council approved an average bus-fare increase of 7.5 per cent yesterday in an attempt to chip away at a big tax increase that is looming.
The fare increase, which is to take effect in July, was the most contentious budget item discussed as council entered its second day of discussion on the 2008 budget.
Some councillors argued that OC Transpo needs to recover closer to half of the cost of its operations by increasing fares by an average of 7.5 per cent.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=029844ea-0fd8-401b-8f21-30799841fa2d
Hausses de tarifs à prévoir à Ottawa en 2008
Le Droit, le 12 décembre 2007
Caroline Barrière
Le transport en commun, les loisirs et le stationnement coûteront plus chers à Ottawa en 2008. Le conseil municipal a accepté hier, après une journée de discussions, de hausser plusieurs tarifs afin de renflouer ses coffres.
Les contribuables devront donc dépenser plus pour plusieurs services avant même de savoir de quelle hausse d'impôt foncier ils hériteront au cours des prochains mois.
Les usagers du transport devront débourser 7,5 % de plus pour monter à bord des autobus d'OC Transpo pendant trois ans jusqu'en 2010 ce qui représente des hausses totalisant 30 %. Mais en contrepartie, Ottawa a ne coupera pas certains circuits jugés moins rentables.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071212/CPDROIT/71211231/6784/CPDROIT
City reduces greenhouse gases
The City of Ottawa is doing a better job of reducing greenhouse gases than it expected. But we are struggling to make the same improvement across the community.
In 2004, the City set itself a target of reducing gases and air contaminants by 20 per cent below 1990 levels. Wednesday it revealed it actually reduced them by 24 per cent that year.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1a73cd1a-c1b4-463f-8b23-a4f174483a59&k=85545
Ottawa GHG Emissions Down 24%
CFRA, December 11, 2007
The City of Ottawa's Greenhouse Gas Emissions are down 24 per cent.
A recent study of 2004 levels of air contaminants and greenhouse gases shows emission reduction surpassed the target of 20 per cent reduction below 1990 levels.
The city emitted just over 75-thousand tonnes of GHG in 2004.
The largest sources of emissions were from city facilities and fleet.
The city will set new corporate Greenhouse Gas Emission reduction targets in 2008.
http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=54052
A New Year's Resolution
6 tonnes of per capita emissions are directly attributable to our own personal lifestyle.
Straight Goods, December 10, 2007
Hugh Robertson
The Kyoto Protocol requires Canada to reduce its 1990 greenhouse gas emissions of 600 megatonnes by 6 percent, to a total of 563 megatonnes. Our present emissions stand at 750 megatonnes, which is 35 percent above our Kyoto commitment.
To simplify these stratospheric statistics, we have converted our present greenhouse gas total in megatonnes to an average per capita figure for each Canadian. The latest estimate from Environment Canada places our overall per capita greenhouse gas emissions at approximately 24 tonnes per individual Canadian.
Roughly one quarter, about 6 tonnes, is directly attributable to activities that are an integral part of our personal lifestyles. These activities include heating and cooling our homes, appliance use, heating water, lighting, food consumption, water and sewage, waste disposal, and driving.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=635
Mayors work across the border to reduce emissions
Straight Goods, December 10, 2007
David Suzuki, with Faisal Moola
Do you remember the old axiom "think globally, act locally"? These words are truer today than ever before, especially when applied to Canada's battle against climate change. To see real action on climate change in Canada and the US, it is best to look at what is taking place at the municipal and provincial levels in both countries.
I was recently in Seattle with former US President, Bill Clinton and via-teleconference, Ex-Vice-President Al Gore, as part of a US mayors' conference. The mayors of the two largest American cities, New York and Los Angeles joined the more than 150 mayors who attended the gathering. What makes this so special? Those participants represented more than 700 mayors who have signed an agreement promising to meet or beat the Kyoto targets of 2012. All of them together represent over one-third of that country's population.
Those mayors want to reduce their cities' greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, but say they cannot do it alone. Although mayors from both countries need help from their federal governments, they are already joining forces to take action.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=634
La construction verte très en vogue
La Presse, le 10 décembre 2007
Le développement durable et les technologies vertes en matière de construction ont volé la vedette lors du 23e salon professionnel Événements bâtiment Contech, qui s'est tenu à Montréal, la semaine dernière. Le même esprit «écologique» a largement teinté la vingtaine de conférences, ateliers et démonstrations techniques de l'événement.
«Environ 80% des conférences avaient un contenu écologique, cette année, alors qu'il y a cinq ans, cette portion n'était que de 10%», estime Yves Forté, président de Compendium Contech, l'entreprise propriétaire de Contech, un salon largement fréquenté par les gestionnaires de parcs immobiliers, les architectes et les entrepreneurs généraux.
La conférence la plus courue? Celle offerte par la SCHL et qui portait sur les techniques solaires passives pouvant être intégrées dans les projets de construction ou de rénovation. La salle débordait.
http://montoit.cyberpresse.ca/habitation/articles/6453-La-construction-verte-tres-en-vogue.html
Proposal to take billions of litres of water imperils
ancient Leitrim Wetland
Friends of Leitrim Wetland, December 9, 2007
OTTAWA – Developers of the controversial Findlay Creek Village in south Ottawa have filed an application with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for a Permit To Take Water, proposing to remove as much as 17 million litres of water per day from the site for the next 10 years – more
than 60 billion litres in total, or the equivalent of nearly 50 Olympic-size swimming pools each week.
Not content to wait for the Permit to be granted, between September 10 and October 25 the developer, Tartan Homes, illegally removed water during 29 out of the 43 days. "Here is an example of what the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario warned about in his Annual Report last week," says Carol Gudz, one of the Friends of Leitrim Wetland. "Wetlands are critically important ecosystems, but development and large water-takings are a major threat to their survival."
This summer, Dr. Clarke Topp, one of Canada's leading soil physicists, made measurements of soil permeability in seven locations at Leitrim Wetland. He concludes unequivocally that further drainage will – within months, not years – result in rapid lowering of the water table and bring about degradation of the wetland.
http://greenspace-alliance.ca/files/media_release_Leitrim_PTTW_9Dec2007.pdf
L'huile des frites comme carburant
Le Droit, le 9 décembre 2007
La Presse Canadienne
Trois investisseurs ont trouvé une façon de réutiliser l'huile de patates frites pour fabriquer du carburant.
L'entreprise Bio-Diesel Québec investit environ un million de dollars pour installer une usine de transformation à Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, en Mauricie. Dès février, elle se spécialisera dans le recyclage des huiles de cuisson. Au moyen d'un procédé chimique, on réussit à produire un diesel utilisable pour les véhicules. Etant donné que le biodiesel se cristallise par temps froid, on peut s'en servir l'hiver pour chauffer des édifices.
«Il y a six entreprises de biodiesel au Canada et on est la septième. Ce qui n'existe pas au Canada, c'est qu'on est une usine où on ramasse, on transforme et on revend en région», illustre Michel Cordeau, le président de Bio-Diesel Québec, qui embauchera entre 10 et 12 employés.
Ce dernier et ses associés Michel Potier et Thierry Sarny ont la préoccupation de limiter au minimum les déplacements pour aller cueillir les huiles usées et livrer le carburant afin de donner un coup de pouce à l'environnement.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071209/CPENVIRONNEMENT/71209121/6641/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Chalk River reactor violations to blame for nuclear medical test crisis, official says
Ottawa Citizen, December 7, 2007
Neco Cockburn
The head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission yesterday blasted Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. for violating licence requirements at its Chalk River research reactor -- a situation that has led to an extended shutdown and worldwide shortage in radioactive medical materials.
"You are and were in violation of your licence that was granted, in the eyes of the commission, in August '06," commission president Linda Keen told company officials at a public meeting.
Ms. Keen's comments came after AECL official Brian McGee explained why the company has extended a planned shutdown of its 50-year-old National Research Universal reactor -- possibly until next month -- to go ahead with upgrades including connecting reactor cooling pumps to an emergency backup power supply.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=740c1754-e272-491e-9a7e-78513d914005
Mountain Equipment pulls water bottles off shelves
Globe and Mail, December 7, 2007
Martin Mittelstaedt
Mountain Equipment Co-op, the country's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer, says it has pulled most food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves, citing concern over possible health risks.
The Vancouver-based firm been one of the largest sellers of such products as polycarbonate Nalgene water bottles, and probably has done more than any retailer to make the distinctive, brightly coloured containers an iconic product everywhere from backcountry campsites to urban offices and university campuses.
The retailer didn't issue a public announcement that it removed the containers, but made a decision to take action Monday and instructed staff to cart polycarbonate products out of stores Wednesday.
The plastic in question is made mostly from bisphenol A, which mimics estrogen and is derived from petrochemicals.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071207.COOP07/TPStory/Front
Mountain Equipment Co-op pulls plastic water bottles
Ottawa Citizen, December 7, 2007
Mountain Equipment Co-op has become the first major Canadian retailer to stop selling products that contain the controversial chemical bisphenol A.
It joins Patagonia as the only other major retailer in North America to take this action. Canada's largest outdoor-goods retailer has pulled off its shelves most food and drink containers made from polycarbonate plastic which is made mostly from bisphenol A.
The company, concerned over possible health risks associated to bisphenol A, has not issued an official press release but instructed staff to take action on Wednesday.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=30a492b7-4378-41dc-8cad-4caf982a2a07&k=6103
Méga-usine de traitement des matières résiduelles
Gatineau opte pour le site de l'aéroport
Le Droit, le 7 décembre 2007
Patrick Duquette
Gatineau construira un nouveau complexe environnemental de plusieurs millions $ dans l'Est, au sud de l'aéroport exécutif. C'est là que seront traités la majeure partie des déchets de la population.
La municipalité prévoit y acheminer le contenu des bacs de recyclage à compter de 2011, de même que les restes de table et de résidus verts des Gatinois.
Le complexe comprendra notamment la nouvelle usine de compostage. Le compost sera produit dans des installations fermées, afin d'éviter la propagation de mauvaises odeurs dans les environs.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071207/CPACTUALITES/712070324/6784/CPDROIT
Gestion des déchets
Un plan bien reçu
Radio-Canada, le 7 décembre 2007
Le nouveau plan de collecte des déchets et des matières recyclables de Gatineau, adopté jeudi, reçoit un accueil généralement positif des environnementalistes. Il prévoit l'implantation, dans trois ans, d'une cueillette hebdomadaire des déchets de tables.
« C'est bien, parce que finalement, il y a quelque chose de concret qui va se faire, avec des délais », souligne Nicole Desroches, du Conseil régional de l'environnent et du développement durable de l'Outaouais (CREDDO).
Mme Desroches s'inquiète toutefois de l'incapacité de la Ville à trouver une solution à long terme pour les déchets ultimes, soit ceux qui ne peuvent être ni compostés, ni recyclés. La Ville se donne dix ans pour régler ce problème.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/07/005-dechets-gat-reactions_n.shtml
Ottawa mayor a 'laggard' on environmental issues: report
CBC News, December 6, 2007
Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien's voting record on environmental issues shows a lack of leadership in that area, according to a report card issued by local environmental groups.
O'Brien got a C from Ecology Ottawa and the Sierra Club of Canada on a report that assigned members of Ottawa city council grades from A+ to D. The grades were based on the way they voted during the past year on eight issues such as a ban on idling and incentives for green buildings.
"Almost two-thirds of Ottawa city councillors received a better grade on this report card than the mayor did," said Graham Saul, a spokesman for Ecology Ottawa.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/06/ot-environment-071206.html
Gatineau
Du compostage dès 2011
Radio-Canada, le 6 décembre 2007
Gatineau met en branle son programme de compostage. La Ville a adopté, jeudi, son plan de gestion des matières résiduelles. Elle se donne trois ans pour implanter trois collectes distinctes, soit celles des matières recyclables, des matières compostables et des autres déchets.
La Ville espère ainsi réduire de 65 % la quantité de déchets envoyés dans les dépotoirs. Cette nouvelle façon de faire pourrait toutefois coûter beaucoup plus cher. Les résidents verront leur facture municipale pour la collecte des déchets passer de 110 $ à 190 $.
À partir de 2011, les résidents seront équipés de bacs spéciaux pour y jeter leurs déchets de tables, qui seront ramassés chaque semaine. La collecte des matières recyclables et des autres déchets se fera aux deux semaines, en alternance.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/06/011-compostage-gatineau_n.shtml
Gatineau to expand recycling, composting citywide
CBC News, December 6, 2007
Residents throughout the City of Gatineau will be able to compost their kitchen scraps and recycle a full range of materials by 2011, but it will be costly.
Citywide recycling and composting will boost the cost of garbage disposal 70 per cent over the next four years, from $111 to $189 per household, under a new waste policy unanimously passed by Gatineau's city council Thursday.
Right now, different parts of the city have a different range of recycling and composting options, and composting includes only yard waste.
To make the expansion possible the city plans to build a composting and recycling plant just south of the Gatineau airport, said Patrice Martin, who heads the city's commission on the environment and sustainable development.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/06/ot-garbage-071206.html
Gatineau has plan to divert 65% of its waste
Composting, recycling project set to meet ambitious goal by 2011
Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 2007
Dave Rogers
Starting in 2008, Gatineau will phase in an ambitious composting and recycling program expected to divert 65 per cent of the city's garbage from landfill sites by 2011.
If the plan succeeds, the city would become a national leader in diverting its garbage from landfill.
The city plans to build a plant south of the Gatineau executive airport for composting, sorting recyclable material, and shipping garbage that can't be recycled or composted to Lachute, halfway to Montreal. Each household will receive a free waist-high 360-litre wheeled plastic recycling bin by the spring of 2008. Free 45-litre containers for table scraps will be available starting in 2009.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=63882d8c-b18e-474d-a8f2-bd58aa6acb14&k=19693
Environmental report card misses mark
Ottawa Sun, December 6, 2007
Susan Sherring
It's cool to be green -- now more than ever.
And according to a report card released yesterday, Mayor Larry O'Brien and much of his council just aren't green enough.
The report card, prepared by Ecology Ottawa and the local chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada, gives marks to O'Brien and his 23 councillors based on eight votes on environmental issues taken since last November's election.
The votes range from funding the Citizens for Safe Cycling organization to the idling bylaw and a fare increase for OC Transpo.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2007/12/06/4710178-sun.html
Green Building: Peer, market pressure expected to drive conversions
Ottawa Business Journal, December 5, 2007
Roman Zakaluzny
Experts say government should step up with incentives
With a growing number of buildings in Ottawa being built to LEED standards or being retrofitted to meet BOMA's GO GREEN certification, the pressure is increasing for other landlords of existing buildings to follow suit.
"Once you're outed as a greenie, there's a lot of people that follow," said Richard Williams, a LEED-accredited vice-president at architecture firm HOK Canada.
Mr. Williams kicked off an HOK-organized panel discussion on sustainable development, a panel and social event put on to celebrate HOK's tenth year of doing business in Canada, last week at the National Gallery.
New buildings are more and more likely to meet some sort of "green" standard these days, and that fact is trumpeted with plaques and advertisements. It's what's in vogue now, and likely for the long term, the panel agreed.
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/319512439625544.php
Green Building: Green by any other name ...
Ottawa Business Journal, December 5, 2007
Roman Zakaluzny
This one or that one? When it comes to environmental standards, the answer can be 'yes'
So you are considering renovating or constructing a building to an environmental standard. But which accreditation system do you go for?
Some are world famous and deliver instant credibility, but are packed with red tape and expensive. Others, while cheaper, don't carry the same weight as their more pricey counterparts. Which is the best? Should firms opt for more than one to prove to tenants that they're on the environmental ball?
Many new buildings under construction in Ottawa are pledging to go the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) route.
Canada's LEED program, administered by the Canada Green Building Council and adopted from its U.S. counterpart, has converts in town with its platinum, gold and silver ratings for new buildings, existing buildings and commercial interiors. Everything from Minto's newest tower at 180 Kent St. to Algonquin College's proposed Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences have pledged to meet LEED criteria.
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/319512439714105.php
Green Building: Going green, one bale at a time
Ottawa Business Journal, December 5, 2007
The choice of a single building material can have huge impacts on lifecycle costs
"It's not easy being green."
The Muppet Kermit the Frog's 30-year-old lament about the problems caused by his skin colour had little to do with the current focus on environmental concerns. But the cry can be applied to the current focus on greenness, particularly in the case of commercial buildings.
"There is a huge disconnect with commercial buildings because the person who builds and the person who occupies tends to be different," points out Bill Kemp, a consulting electronics/software designer who develops control systems for low environmental impact hydro-electric utilities worldwide. "There is no incentive for the builder as capital costs are higher (in green building)."
A longtime sustainable living and clean-energy advocate, Mr. Kemp and his wife have lived off the grid near Almonte for a number of years. The renewable energy expert, whose work is recognized worldwide, points out that "we need to get our priorities right. If everybody looked at life-cycle costs and much lower operating costs rather than first costs, it would be better for individuals, commercial operations and the planet."
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/319512439802666.php
Building green just makes economic sense, developers say
Ottawa Business Journal, December 5, 2007
Minto, TELUS buildings illustrate practical advantages of meeting high environmental standards
It pays to go green, according to Minto Developments, Ottawa's largest builder. Telecom company TELUS agrees, and has packed many energy-saving devices into its handsome new building at the corner of Bank and Slater streets.
Sure, it costs more to construct office buildings that are friendly to the environment, use less energy, and give workers a healthier place to work.
But this increased cost more than pays for itself, proponents say, by lowering energy bills and making workers more content and productive.
A new Minto office tower, now under construction at 180 Kent St., and the recently-opened TELUS building, will be among the first in Ottawa to carry a LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, designation from the Canada Green Building Council.
The council also claims that buildings constructed to LEED standards use from 30 to 70 per cent less energy than standard buildings. The council claims carbon savings of 35 per cent, and reduction in water use in toilets and washrooms of 30 to 50 per cent.
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/348569961113847.php
Ottawa council gets bad environmental report card
Ottawa Citizen, December 5, 2007
Jake Rupert
The mayor and city councillors are doing a better job on environmental issues than the last council, but they are still doing poorly overall, say report cards produced by two environmental groups.
Ecology Ottawa and the Sierra Club of Canada's Ottawa chapter issued report cards Wednesday on the voting records of municipal politicians.
Nobody failed this time around, unlike last year when 10 municipal politicians got failing grades. But the groups say many passed because council didn't do much on the environment this year and many of the decisions they did make, like starting an organics recycling program, were "no-brainers."
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=8a4c05b0-37be-49de-b9d0-5fe17ce3f6e3&k=54497
Council looks to delay tax rates
Ottawa Citizen, December 5, 2007
Jake Rupert
A consensus is developing on city council to break the 2008 budget process into two stages and delay setting the property tax rate until April.
The move is designed to allow more time for several cost-saving ideas being proposed by the mayor and councillors to be examined.
The two-stage plan is being developed by Alta Vista Councillor Peter Hume, Mayor Larry O'Brien and other councillors this week as councillors hear submissions from the public on the budget.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=87d938c4-a17d-4b48-9322-01fec31ccb69
Algues bleues: Québec adopte deux règlements
Le Droit, le 5 décembre 2007
Jocelyne Richer
La lutte aux algues bleues franchit une nouvelle étape avec l'adoption de deux règlements visant à assainir l'eau des lacs du Québec.
Au cours de sa dernière séance, mercredi, le conseil des ministres a adopté un règlement prévoyant l'interdiction de la vente de détergents pour lave-vaisselle contenant plus de 0,5 pour cent de phosphates.
Un autre règlement vise à permettre aux municipalités d'empêcher les embarcations à moteur de polluer les lacs avec leurs eaux usées.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071205/CPACTUALITES/71205147/6108/CPENVIRONNEMENT
Budget d'Ottawa
Scinder pour simplifier
Radio–Canada, le 5 décembre 2007
Des conseillers municipaux d'Ottawa suggèrent de diviser le processus d'adoption du budget de la ville en deux étapes. Ils veulent ainsi atteindre l'objectif du maire Larry O'Brien de geler les impôts fonciers.
Les discussions sur le budget durent depuis des mois. Le conseiller Peter Hume propose d'adopter le budget ce mois-ci, mais de reporter à avril l'établissement du taux d'impôts fonciers. Ce délai permettrait, selon lui, de réviser l'allocation des ressources pour tous les départements et de déterminer qu'elles sont les économies possibles.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/05/005-budget-Ottawa_n.shtml
Environment report says urban sprawl strangling southern Ontario
CBC News, December 4, 2007
The governing Liberals must have a new vision for Ontario's north and crack down on urban sprawl in the south by cutting down on highway expansions, Ontario's environmental commissioner said Tuesday.
In his annual report being released Tuesday, Gord Miller said southern Ontario is too car-centric with one vehicle for every two residents.
The government encourages that by spending more than $6 billion a year on highways while spending slightly more than $4 billion on public transit, he added.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/04/enviro-report.html
Éoliennes
Un bon potentiel dans la région
Radio-Canada, le 4 décembre 2007
L'Outaouais, comme beaucoup de régions du Québec, possède un potentiel éolien intéressant. Dans la région, c'est derrière la montagne de ski à Lac-Sainte-Marie qu'on trouve le plus grand potentiel éolien, qui s'élève à 93 mégawatts.
Le gouvernement du Québec lancera bientôt un nouvel appel d'offres pour développer l'éolienne. Il permettra de développer des projets issus des municipalités et des communautés amérindiennes.
Si le gisement éolien de Lac-Sainte-Marie était exploité, on pourrait installer de 50 à 60 éoliennes sur la crête rocheuse entre Lac-Ste-Marie et Denholm.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/04/001-eoliennes_n.shtml
Interest groups line up to vie for city funding
Proposed budget cuts face opposition
Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2007
Jake Rupert
City council kicked off its 2008 budget process yesterday listening to the pleas of public delegations urging them not to sacrifice services to keep property tax increases low.
The city is facing a $76.6-million shortfall that needs to be covered through a property tax increase, program cuts or internal savings or more likely a combination of the three.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b39e4e68-e035-42a5-9782-588238096982&k=83354
Cortège de plaidoyers en faveur des services
Le Droit, le 4 décembre 2007
Charles Thériault
La promesse du conseil municipal d'Ottawa de ne pas couper dans le budget des bibliothèques, des centres communautaires et des piscines, ne rassure pas tout le monde.
Hier, le public était invité à s'adresser directement aux membres du conseil municipal au sujet du budget 2008. La journée a été marquée par de nombreux témoignages de citoyens en faveur du maintien des services que la Ville menace de couper.
Plusieurs citoyens ont exprimé de la méfiance face aux décisions du conseil municipal qui adoptera son budget annuel la semaine prochaine.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071204/CPACTUALITES/712040334/6784/CPDROIT
Councillors join mayor for 'One Cent' campaign
Parliament Hill protesters call for municipalities to get share of GST
Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2007
Patrick Dare
The need among Canadian cities for federal help with money is prompting some unlikely alliances.
Yesterday, as city councillors and supporters gathered outside Ottawa City Hall for a march to Parliament Hill to demand a share of the GST, Mayor Larry O'Brien posed for a protest picture and started a chant: "One cent now." Then, as the protesters began to march on the Hill in the blustery weather, a member of the Ecology Ottawa community group said he never thought he'd be taking part in a political march started by Larry O'Brien. Mr. O'Brien, a businessman, won his office on a conservative campaign platform of tax freezes and restrained spending at City Hall.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=94a92702-0c6c-4fd1-a80e-85a68287a4d2
Cut road salt use, says Ontario watchdog
Toronto Star, December 4, 2007
Canadian Press
Ontario's environmental watchdog says the Liberals should curb the use of road salt on the province's streets.
In his annual report released today, environmental commissioner Gord Miller says widespread use of road salt used to be justified because people argued it saved lives.
But he says today's modern technology could help reduce the use of road salt and use it more efficiently.
Miller says an alternative might cost a bit more, but road salt is harmful to the environment – especially to aquatic life.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/282389
Government shelves damaging report
Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2007
Mike De Souza
A new federal report is warning of an international scramble for oil and minerals under melting Arctic ice and water scarcity in the Great Lakes, but the Harper government is keeping the study on the shelf, the Citizen has learned.
Authors of the Natural Resources Canada report, called From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007, say many of the findings are consistent with recent international reports. They are baffled that the government has delayed its release, which was expected last month.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=bd398169-6f27-42f5-b84c-cf500d7f5365
Editorial: Watson talks sense on cities
Ottawa Citizen, December 4, 2007
It is refreshing to hear someone talking common sense on municipal politics. Too bad that city wisdom seems to be confined to Queen's Park.
Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson administered some tough medicine to those in the municipal sphere over the weekend and it's about time. Mr. Watson said what many Ottawans have been thinking: that is, our municipal government is horribly confused on its transit priorities. This community was so concerned about the cost of the original north-south plan at $919 million that it voted out the mayor last year. Then the new council came forth with a new plan with tunnels, extended Transitways and light rail at a cost of $2 billion.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=3c6093fa-1e33-4970-a6ca-f57891f6dcc9
TTC turning to green power
Globe and Mail, December 4, 2007
Jeff Gray
The TTC hopes to buy 25 per cent of its electricity from green sources by 2012, according to its environmental plan, to be debated at a meeting tomorrow.
The Toronto Transit Commission, whose $45-million power bill is second only to the water department's, says it plans to work with Toronto Hydro to get a quarter of its power from green sources, such as wind or solar, by 2012. The added cost could be up to $2.6-million, the TTC says.
The overall plan, drawn up as the transit commission's contribution to Mayor David Miller's greenhouse-gas reduction targets, contains no overall cost estimate, but will run in the millions.
It also calls for green retrofits at TTC stations and for a policy of "green procurement" that would scrutinize all TTC purchases for environmental problems. The TTC is already committed to buying, with federal and provincial funding, hybrid diesel-electric buses, which cost $750,000, compared to a $500,000 conventional bus.
"Ultimately we hope to set an example for other large companies in the city, and also to begin to reduce the environmental footprint of operations," TTC chairman Adam Giambrone told reporters yesterday.
Fight urban sprawl, environmental czar says
Toronto Star, December 3, 2007
Canadian Press
The Liberal government should make the environment a top priority by addressing urban sprawl in southern Ontario and protecting the boreal forest in the north, the province's environmental commissioner said today in advance of his annual report.
While environmentalists have high hopes that Gord Miller will push green concerns to the top of the government's agenda, Miller told The Canadian Press today that he will lay out a "bold" long-term plan tomorrow that he hopes the Liberals will heed in their new mandate.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/282132
Garnering green gigawatts from garbage
Globe and Mail, December 3, 2007
Shawn McCarthy
Ottawa high-tech entrepreneur Rod Bryden is pursuing the alchemist's dream of turning the dross of municipal waste into the pure gold of clean power that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Bryden, best known as former owner of the Ottawa Senators, two years ago became chief executive officer at Plasco Energy Group, which has a patented, low-emissions system for converting municipal waste into electricity.
This morning, Plasco is due to announce the $35-million purchase of common shares by First Reserve Corp., a Greenwich, Conn.-based private equity fund that specializes in the energy sector.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071203.RPLASCO03/TPStory/Business
Consommation
Un crédit de taxes à l'approche des fêtes
Radio-Canada, le 2 décembre 2007
L'exemption de la taxe de vente au détail (TVD) sur les bicyclettes et les accessoires de sécurité est en vigueur en Ontario depuis le début du mois. Le gouvernement libéral réalise ainsi une promesse électorale.
Le ministre de la Promotion de la santé, Margarett Best, souhaite que ce programme permette aux Ontariens d'utiliser davantage le vélo comme mode de transport et d'être plus actifs. Dans un communiqué, elle a déclaré qu'elle était « ravie que le gouvernement McGuinty élimine les obstacles susceptibles d'empêcher les familles ontariennes de participer de façon sécuritaire à des activités récréatives. »
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2007/12/02/005-velos-taxe.shtml
Despite our good scores, local experts worry about what's not measured
Ottawa Citizen, December 2, 2007
Jessey Bird
An Environment Canada water quality study set to be released this week gives reasonably high marks to Ottawa-area rivers. But local environmentalists warn that the study doesn't take all factors into account and that residents shouldn't be complacent about the health of their rivers.
THE MISSISSIPPI
The top scoring river in the area was the Mississippi, which received an "excellent" rating of 100.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=66ef4077-32f8-4eeb-8c38-3ac0a1d30d22
Grave Waters
Remember last summer's toxic algae blooms? A new report reveals that their cause -- phosphates in manure, sewage and fertilizer -- is a nationwide scourge. Kate Jaimet finds out why critics say the federal government's plan to tackle sewage is not enough
Ottawa Citizen, December 2, 2007
Urban sewage and runoff from farm fields are driving down the quality of water in lakes and rivers across southern Canada, according to a report to be published this week by Environment Canada.
And while federal Environment Minister John Baird is promising tough new rules and an $8-billion plan to build sewage treatment facilities, the draft regulations won't solve the biggest problem identified in the report: an excess of phosphates that has led to blooms of toxic blue-green algae in lakes from Quebec to Alberta.
"The standard they're setting will not have a big impact in central Canada," said Elaine MacDonald, senior scientist with the environmental organization Ecojustice Canada.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=2df7b611-1702-42d8-aebb-1a992e3a8742
Don't relax yet, group warns public
Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 2007
Jake Rupert
With public health, transit, and social services still on the chopping block leading up to the city's 2008 budget debates, a coalition of community groups is warning citizens not to be fooled by political promises.
People for a Better Ottawa issued the warning yesterday after a group of councillors and the mayor pledged not to cut specific programs.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=d7b88aec-878d-4a22-a584-ce4a7b19966e
Be wary of quick fixes
Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 2007
Randall Denley
Don't be misled by the efforts of Mayor Larry O'Brien and some city councillors to persuade you that service cuts won't be included in this year's city budget. Councillors have pre-emptively ruled out some cuts that wouldn't have got majority support anyway, but there are plenty more left on the list. If city councillors are saying they can deliver a reasonable tax increase without service cuts, they either haven't crunched the numbers yet or they intend to rely on dubious financial practices, again.
Let's assume that city councillors raise taxes 4.8 per cent, as they almost certainly will. Once two percentage points of the increase are directed to an infrastructure fixup fund and another 1.4 per cent go to the police, it doesn't leave a lot of cash for the rest of the city's spending. To balance the books, councillors will have to find $28.3 million in service cuts or increased fees.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=9be85f5a-e2db-4740-a44e-dd8258f93dc8
City's bungling on transit plan costing nation's capital: Watson
Ottawa has basically shot itself in foot, leading minister says
Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 2007
Mohammed Adam
The handling of Ottawa's troubled transit plan is giving the nation's capital a reputation at Queen's Park as a city that doesn't know what it is doing or where it is going, says the new minister of municipal affairs.
Jim Watson says the provincial government is frustrated with the City of Ottawa's failure to come up with a credible plan that can be funded like other cities in Ontario.
In a candid interview yesterday with the Citizen, Mr. Watson said the Ottawa contingent at Queen's Park has watched with dismay as billions of dollars are poured into other cities for transit projects, but can't do anything for their own city because they have no plan to fight for. Mr. Watson said Ottawa has basically shot itself in the foot with its tardiness and is losing credibility on the issue.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=2eef59c5-d1ce-4dd0-ad84-78f1a96b0fa7&p=1
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