June 2008

Firm to resume use of radioactive material
Pembroke residents slam nuclear agency ruling, saying tritium represents serious health risks

Ottawa Citizen, June 30, 2008
Thulasi Srikanthan

Pembroke activists slammed a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission decision that allows an Ottawa-area company to resume making glow-in-the-dark signs using a radioactive substance.

The decision, announced late last week, gives SRB Technologies Canada a two-year licence to restart processing operations with tritium, a radioactive substance. For the last year and a half, the company had been able to possess, but not process, the substance due to the commission's concerns over the company's provisions to protect the environment.

The commission's decision came following two days of public hearings in Ottawa on April 3 and June 12.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=26d7f5dc-ff17-4efb-99ca-95fe4ae70501

Wind power a dilemma for Ontario

Toronto Star, June 30, 2008
Tyler Hamilton

KINGSTON-The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the water calm as a boatload of visitors to Kingston, guests of budding offshore wind developer Trillium Power, embarked last week on a three-hour tour of Lake Ontario.

The cruise was timed to coincide with a global wind power conference at St. Lawrence College.

Trillium's goal was simple: Show people, rather than just tell, how much stronger and consistent the wind is when venturing offshore.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/451466

Today's suburbs, tomorrow's slums?
'Peak oil' theorists say house prices outside cities will collapse as the cost of gas rises, forcing people to choose urban living

Globe and Mail, June 30, 2008
Jeff Gray

According to some doomsday scenarios, spiking gas prices could turn the cul-de-sacs and two-car garages that surround North America's cities - built over the past 60 years and designed for the convenience of people with cars - into tomorrow's slums.

The predictions for the most part come from subscribers to the theory of "peak oil," which holds that crude prices will shoot permanently upward as global demand outstrips dwindling supply, ruining the economy. But their predictions are getting a second look now, as suburbanites, especially in the United States, grumble at the rising price of a fill-up.

Some warn the cost of gasoline will make the most sprawling U.S. suburbs so unattractive that housing values there will collapse, forcing many people to abandon their homes for urban areas better served by public transit and leaving only squatters, criminals and those who can't afford to leave the outskirts.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080630.wsuburbs30/BNStory/National/home

We all need to get smart, save energy

Toronto Star, June 30, 2008
Joe Fiorito

The end of the month means it's time to play catch-up on some recent columns.

You recall Marcelo da Luz and his plans to set a distance record with his solar car. Seems he took off on the journey while I was away. He is aiming for Inuvik, N.W.T., land of the midnight etc.

He started in New York State and so far has passed through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Why is he taking the long way round? He is not allowed to put his car on the road in Ontario.

Stupid dumb ON.

http://www.thestar.com/GTA/Columnist/article/451574

Firm to resume making glow-in-the-dark signs
Tritium emissions from plant in Pembroke, Ont., to be scrutinized closely under new, two-year licence

Globe and Mail, June 28, 2008, page A6
Martin Mittelstaedt

Federal nuclear regulators are allowing SRB Technologies (Canada) Inc. to resume making radioactive glow-in-the-dark signs, after ordering the company to stop production 1½ years ago over concern about its tritium emissions.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved a new two-year operating licence on Thursday.

The commission said that based on a two-day hearing with company officials, it believes SRBT, which makes emergency exit signs that glow without the need for electricity, can operate safely, although it will continue to receive close scrutiny.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080628.NUCLEAR28/TPStory/?query=SRBT

Waste-to-energy firm seeks tax break

Ottawa Citizen, June 27, 2008

Plasco Energy wants an exemption from some of its property taxes. The company is running a test waste-to-energy plant on city-owned property at the Trail Road landfill and the municipality is a partner of the company's. Recently, the city signed an agreement with the company stating its garbage-disposal technology, which eliminates the need for new landfills, will be used to handle all city garbage if the company wins approval from the provincial Environment Ministry. According to a report being tabled next week at the city's economic affairs committee, during these negotiations Plasco officials requested to be exempted from paying property taxes of about $72,000 per year. The city staff report recommends municipal politicians grant the request.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=893fb61c-9bab-40fa-b772-dbf8d479d007

Byward merchants launch system to label local produce

CBC News, June 26, 2008

Vendors at Ottawa's Byward Market have introduced stickers aimed at distinguishing locally grown produce from imports, but critics say the system only creates more confusion.

The Byward Market Standholders Association presented its new labelling system to reporters Wednesday. It uses four colour-coded, circular stickers:

* Red means Canadian.
* Blue means imported.
* Green means from within 100 kilometres of Ottawa.
* Yellow means organic produce from anywhere.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/26/ot-labels-080626.html

Council tells staff to draft list of cuts
Plan to save as much as $57M threatens services, 500 city jobs

Ottawa Citizen, June 26, 2008, page C2
Jake Rupert

City council instructed municipal financial staff yesterday to develop a long list of possible cuts and fee hikes for the 2009 budget debates later this year, including a move being pushed by Mayor Larry O'Brien to cut 500 jobs from the city's payroll.

As it stands, council will have to cut between $19 million and $57 million out of the 2009 operating budget just to keep to a 4.9-per-cent property tax increase next year.

The moves set the stage for a nasty budget debate, with the mayor now saying he's prepared to cut city services, something he didn't champion in the first two budgets of this electoral term.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=05e6efb7-a3b4-40df-810f-22fbb72033d1

Close roads in a one-day trial

Ottawa Citizen, June 26, 2008, page C4
Richard Bercuson

There is only one surefire way to discover if this city's denizens are up to the task of ditching their cars.

Create a crisis.

This is reminiscent of a bygone era. John Snobelen, the first of many ignominious provincial education ministers in the Mike Harris regime, once declared that the solution to education issues was to create a crisis. And he did. Just inventing the crisis became the crisis.

Our transportation woes, particularly out east, require a little more creativity. For instance, a rumour was, um, floated recently that Capital Councillor Clive Doucet had been investigating water taxis for the Rideau Canal.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=585bbec2-b258-430a-9693-c93a9b0cbfc6

Panel backs review of Kanata West plan
Controversial 725-hectare project includes floodplain lands

Ottawa Citizen, June 25, 2008, page B1
Patrick Dare

City council's planning committee voted to go ahead with a $300,000 review of the huge, controversial Kanata West development yesterday after a marathon meeting.

The 725-hectare Kanata West project has become a giant planning headache for the city because of questions about whether it should allow building on 28 hectares of floodplain, major provincial delays in development approvals, errors in modelling for potential flooding and concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

The city responded to the problems with the promise of an independent review of the development, but that didn't get an easy ride at planning committee, as some councillors said the review didn't go far enough and others said the whole process had gotten out of hand, with much too wide a scop.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=1640401d-0d04-41cb-af8a-af0c4e52ebac

Councillors agree to sewage leak study
Solutions can't come soon enough, staff told

Ottawa Citizen, June 25, 2008, page B1
Jake Rupert

Visibly frustrated councillors on the city's planning and environment committee approved spending $400,000 yesterday to study the municipality's impact on the water quality of the Ottawa River.

Then they demonstrated their impatience by giving a directive to city staff that they expect a costed plan to stop polluting the river as soon as possible.

"Just to be clear," committee chairman Peter Hume said, "we and the public are looking for solutions, and you can't move fast enough on this."

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=3a58b7a9-bc49-4ba7-bee3-fcb812e3f6d7

Stop uranium mining until study is done on impact: coalition
Group cites effects on environment, health, land claims

Ottawa Citizen, June 25, 2008, page B3
Thulasi Srikanthan

Uranium exploration should be suspended in Ontario until its impact on health, the environment and aboriginal land rights is properly addressed, said a report released yesterday by the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium.

The report emerged from a series of public meetings in Ottawa, Sharbot Lake, Kingston and Peterborough in April. It also called for a royal commission to review Ontario's Mining Act, deeming it out of date.

The meetings were part of a citizens' inquiry conducted by the coalition of concerned citizens from the greater Ottawa Valley and the Kingston areas.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=a2f4070d-ae87-4aba-8d86-f7e7ec30765c

Composting firm rankles residents
Meeting with no agenda about organic recycler in Gloucester a 'joke'

Ottawa Citizen, June 25, 2008, page B5
Matthew Pearson

Attila Korosi called it a "joke," but he certainly wasn't laughing.

Mr. Korosi and about 75 other people attended an open house last night in Gloucester hosted by Orgaworld Canada, the company that plans to build an organic compost processing facility on Hawthorne Road in the south end.

According to Mr. Korosi and others, they were expecting the meeting to include a presentation from the company followed by a question-and-answer session. What they got instead was a open-concept meeting in which four company representatives circulated through the room and spoke to residents in small clusters.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=a39aa805-16a9-4ff5-9d4e-ee2175fb2038

Mayor's remark can't faze Bryden

Ottawa Sun, June 25, 2008
Susan Sherring

Plasco's Rod Bryden says he's reassured that his waste-to-energy project won't be stalled at city council today.

Concerned over comments made by Mayor Larry O'Brien published in the Sun, Bryden met with both the mayor and city manager Kent Kirkpatrick yesterday.

During an editorial board meeting on Monday, O'Brien told the Sun that he hadn't changed his mind about supporting Plasco, but had some concerns about the project, some of which came after a meeting with representatives of the Sierra Club, which pushed for the city to divert more garbage.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Columnists/Sherring_Susan/2008/06/25/5977256-sun.html

Toronto: Hydro eyes new wind farm on Bluffs

Toronto Star, June 25, 2008
John Spears

After a two-year delay, Toronto Hydro hopes to have a device moored on Lake Ontario this fall to test the breeze for a wind farm 2 kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs.

The goal, says Toronto Hydro chief executive Dave O'Brien, is to establish a 60-turbine offshore wind farm capable of generating 100 megawatts.

It should take two years of collecting and analyzing wind-speed data to learn whether the project makes economic sense, O'Brien told councillors is a briefing yesterday. The City of Toronto is the utility's sole shareholder.

Toronto Hydro first proposed the idea two years ago, but the Ontario government placed a moratorium on offshore wind projects. The moratorium was recently lifted.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/448799

Bikers beware
Cops handing out tickets, warnings to cyclists not following rules of the road

Ottawa Sun, June 25, 2008
Beth Johnston

Ottawa police are stopping outlaw cyclists after an elderly man was knocked down by one who was riding illegally on a Pretoria Bridge sidewalk last week.

Constables Steven Lewis and David Zackrias were downtown yesterday handing out warnings, fines and information pamphlets to cyclists breaking a myriad of rules.

Bicycle courier Jon Watt was riding on a Queen St. sidewalk chatting on his cellphone just after noon, when Zackrias waved him over.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/25/5977246-sun.html

New wetlands designations anger property owners
1,500 across Ottawa face strict land-use rules under MNR map update

Ottawa Citizen, June 24, 2008, page C1
Jake Rupert

The fight over wetlands designations on privately owned land in the city is on again after the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources tagged 3,600 hectares as new wetland last week.

This affects about 1,500 property owners across the city, almost all in rural areas. A large proportion of the properties are southwest of Stittsville, an area represented by Rideau-Goulbourn Councillor Glenn Brooks, where the battle over wetland designations has been centred since 2004.

Terry Hale, president of the Goulbourn Landowners Group, said he and many others in the area thought this issue was put to bed two years ago by a deal brokered with the city, and last night at a meeting of his board, he suggested legal action against the city and the province.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=57c8bb41-2e7a-4994-b2d9-8669bb820f65

A real cycling network

Ottawa Citizen, June 24, 2008, page C4
Elizabeth Payne

In the winter we skate, in the summer we cycle. That is the tourist-eye view of Ottawa, but is it accurate? Sure, many Ottawans like to lace on skates occasionally, but their biggest contact with the sport is probably from in front of their television set watching Hockey Night in Canada.

And cycling? The picturesque view down the Rideau Canal of happy Ottawans peddling their cares away on Sunday mornings is misleading. Ottawa is blessed with a well-kept network of cycling paths through some beautiful scenery and its system of on-road bike lanes is coming along, slowly, but those things don't make Canada's capital a cycling mecca.

Far from it.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=5fcff927-0a87-4b7c-a1c1-e3376654f5dd

Mayor cool to marketing role for Plasco waste project

Ottawa Sun, June 24, 2008
Susan Sherring

Mayor Larry O'Brien says he's not trying to pull the plug on the city's agreement with Plasco Energy Group, but he wants to make sure support for the project isn't used as an endorsement for the new technology.

"I don't think (the deal) is going to be in trouble. There's some very positive potential here. I want to make sure Ottawa's role is exactly the right one," O'Brien said yesterday. "Plasco has the opportunity for success and we can benefit from that. I want to make sure we don't have any potential liability in the future from over-promoting the potential."

He added there are still several hurdles for Plasco to pass.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/24/5967416-sun.html

Intensification versus 'uglification'
A group of Old Ottawa South residents hope their appeal to a developer to revise a proposal for a pair of massive townhomes on a slice of riverfront property will create a discussion about what is appropriate infill, and result in benefits for both parties, Maria Cook writes.

Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 2008
Maria Cook

Hundreds of Old Ottawa South residents are hoping to persuade a developer to change the design of a pair of large townhouses set to replace a 1,200-square-foot home at 35 Brighton Ave.

Not only is the project about five times bigger than the existing building, but it introduces two double-car garages facing the street, and virtually eliminates the lawn.

"There is very deep concern about the inappropriateness of the proposed development," says next-door neighbour Kristen Ostling, who has collected 409 signatures on a petition. "It's going to stick out like a sore thumb."

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=57f7a703-2a12-4de0-95e9-d452b6f15100

Energy savings on councillors' minds
City asked to create policies for conservation, cost reduction

Ottawa Sun, June 23, 2008
Derek Puddicombe

Two councillors want the city to come up with a plan to use less energy.

In the face of rapidly rising energy costs, councillors Marianne Wilkinson and Steve Desroches want city staff over the next three months to draft an eco-driving policy that should include the most fuel effective uses of city vehicles, "including items such as planning the route, using air conditioning sparingly, proper tire inflation, driving within speed limits, not having jackrabbit starts and hard braking."

In the meantime the pair want management to encourage employees to use the fuel efficiency practises and that city manager Kent Kirkpatrick instruct staff to "immediately undertake measures to reduce fuel usage and other use of petroleum based products by at least 25%."

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/23/5964256.html

Canadian schools tap out water bottles

Canwest News Services, June 22, 2008
Tiffany Crawford

First the ubiquitous single use plastic bag, now bottled water. Canadian municipalities and schools have targeted the latest environmental foe and are courting bottled water bans.

Bottled water could be removed from hundreds of school vending machines as early as next year as school boards raise concerns about the environmental impact of all those billions of disposable flasks that don't end up in the recycle bin.

The Toronto and Ottawa-Carleton school districts are following the example recently set by the Waterloo Region District School Board and will vote this year on whether to phase out the bottles by 2009. In Toronto 104 secondary and 106 elementary schools have vending machines. Last year, schools sold about 8,545 cases of water.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=982a4ef6-da72-4cec-80f7-feead6dff6b7

Money down the river

Ottawa Sun, June 20, 2008
Susan Sherring

City staff are recommending it's time to figure out what effect all the varied pollutants going into the Ottawa River are having on the historic waterway.

Once that information is collected, the next question will be how it can be used to improve the river's quality.

On Tuesday, a report going to the city's planning and environment committee recommends an outside consultant be hired to determine the impact on the river from storm water, creek discharges and effluent discharges from the R.O. Pickard sewage treatment plant.

The pricetag for the work is set at $400,000.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/20/5931731-sun.html

«Dictature écolo» ou progrès? L'Allemagne teste le solaire obligatoire

Agence France-Presse, le 20 juin 2008
Aurélia End

«Dictature écologique» ou geste courageux pour l'environnement? Les habitants de Marburg seront à l'avenir obligés sous peine d'amende de se doter de panneaux solaires, une expérimentation qui fait débat en Allemagne.

Vendredi, le conseil municipal de cette ville universitaire de quelque 80.000 habitants, dirigée par une coalition sociaux-démocrates/Verts, doit adopter officiellement sa controversée «charte solaire.»

Le texte prévoit que toute nouvelle maison construite dans la coquette cité médiévale devra être dotée de panneaux solaires à raison d'un mètre carré de cellules solaires pour 20 mètres carrés de surface, pour le chauffage et l'eau chaude.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080620/CPENVIRONNEMENT/80620095/6638/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Bike paths need help now, say councillors
More money needs to be spent over a shorter period to keep up with other cities

Ottawa Citizen, June 19, 2008, page C6
Patrick Dare

Ottawa should go ahead with its new cycling infrastructure plan in five years, rather than 10, city council's transportation committee said yesterday.

The $24.6-million plan includes about $8 million for more bicycle lanes, $9 million for paved shoulders and $6 million for multi-use pathways.

Bay Councillor Alex Cullen proposed spending $5 million a year on cycling, rather than the proposed $2.5 million as a modest acceleration of the plan, given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on roads each year. He said the city needs to improve conditions for commuters and recreational cyclists as a safety measure and to encourage more residents to cycle.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=0e2c36e7-1acc-4fac-a30d-26af3083d1f1

City accelerates cycling plans
First phase of 20-year plan fast-tracked

Metro News, June 19, 2008
Tim Wieclawski

Ottawa's cycling plan is shifting to a higher gear.

The timeframe for implementing the first, $26-million phase of Ottawa's 20-year plan to improve its cycling amenities - including more bike lanes and multi-use pathways - should be completed in five years rather than the original 10-year schedule, a committee decided yesterday.

"Cycling is an important part of the city, and we are under tremendous pressure to improve and expand our facilities," said Coun. Alex Cullen.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/71619

Disabled protest reduced service

Metro News, June 19, 2008
Tracey Tong

Reduced Para Transpo services this summer will hinder the ability of disabled transit users to live their lives, a group of residents with disabilities said yesterday.

Starting Sunday, OC Transpo's scaled back summer schedules, including those for Para Transpo, come into effect. For people with disabilities, Para Transpo is a lifeline that can't afford any other cutbacks since the service is already stretched, said Catherine Gardner, who organized a demonstration by transit users with disabilities who are concerned over reduced service.

"The cuts are just for the summer, but they can't meet the demand now," Gardner said. "We need our drivers on the road."

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/71617

Ontario eyed for wind turbine factory
German company considers province for first North American facility, thousands of jobs possible

Toronto Star, June 19, 2008
Tyler Hamilton

A German maker of offshore wind turbines is targeting southern Ontario as the location for its first North American manufacturing plant, a venture that would create thousands of local jobs and inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the province's struggling economy.

Multibrid, majority owned by French nuclear giant Areva SA, made the announcement this morning alongside officials from Trillium Power Wind Corp., a local renewable-energy developer that plans to build a massive wind farm in Lake Ontario, about 15 kilometres offshore from Prince Edward County.

Trillium, which sees its Lake Ontario project as the beginning of a new industrial strategy for the province and a creator of high-value "green-collar" jobs, has established a wind-turbine buying consortium called Tai Wind committed to placing orders with a manufacturer that locates in Ontario.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/445983

Push on pedaling
Committee urges council to speed cycling network plans

Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2008
Patrick Dare

Ottawa should go ahead with its new cycling plan in five years, rather than 10, city council's transportation committee said Wednesday.

The city's $24.6-million plan for cycling includes about $8 million for more bicycle lanes, $9 million for paved shoulders and $6 million for multi-use pathways.

Bay Councillor Alex Cullen proposed spending $5 million a year on cycling, rather than the proposed $2.5 million, as a modest acceleration, given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on roads each year. Mr. Cullen said the city needs to improve riding conditions for both commuters and recreational cyclists as a safety measure and to encourage more residents to cycle.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=736ae133-edaa-401b-b918-326f52b4b994

Hands off Greenbelt
Baird pours cold water on Greenbelt development proposal

Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2008, page A1
Mohammed Adam

Environment Minister John Baird warned yesterday that the federal government has no interest in developing the Greenbelt, dismissing suggestions that its development would enhance environmental sustainability.

His warning, a day after a City of Ottawa white paper laid out three development options for more than 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt, casts serious doubts on any future plans to develop the city landmark.

"The Greenbelt was first conceived by William Lyon Mackenzie King and finished by John Diefenbaker ... and I just don't think that from the position of elected representatives -- Liberal, Conservative, NDP -- there is any appetite to develop this treasure," Mr. Baird said in a Citizen interview.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=f2394ba9-975b-4a81-8fe7-cdcf679a816d

Ontario joins Quebec in banning pesticides across the province

Canadian Press, June 18, 2008

Ontario joined Quebec in banning the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides on Wednesday but critics say the move will actually weaken existing anti-pesticide rules across the province.

The legislation was the last government-backed bill to be rammed through the legislature before it adjourned for the summer and it passed over the objections of health groups and municipalities.

More than 80 ingredients and 300 pesticide products will be prohibited once the ban is fully implemented next spring, which supporters say will give Ontario the toughest rules in North America.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5glUjD4gyYyerSU2ACAeo63WwW0Ag

Energy versus recycling
Retired chemistry professor challenges the wisdom of implementing the Plasco process

Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2008, page C1
Tom Spears

Two experts, two opposing views on how Ottawa should use garbage as a resource.

Businessman Rod Bryden wants to burn it for energy, while chemistry professor Paul Connett wants to mine it for materials to use again, and burn nothing.

Last night, the two men were in a Kanata school auditorium to debate whether Mr. Bryden's company, Plasco Energy Group, should build a plant using plasma arc technology to heat Ottawa's residential garbage until it releases burnable gas, and use that to generator electricity.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=0b60ba86-9b33-435a-98a9-3b2145abd3e0

River report calls for focus on waste
Sewage spills, treatment deemed key factors

Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2008, page C1
Cassandra Drudi, with files from Jake Rupert

Transparent reporting of sewage spills and innovative thinking about waste treatment are necessary to maintain the health of the Ottawa river system, says Ottawa Riverkeeper.

At the organization's 2008 general meeting last night, Meredith Brown, the riverkeeper and executive director of the group, offered Ottawa Riverkeeper members and the public a preview of the 2008 river report to be released this fall.

The report will focus on municipal waste water, a major issue facing the Ottawa River system, she said. More than 90 municipalities have some treated sewage running into the Ottawa River, but Ottawa and Gatineau sewers release untreated waste into the river after heavy rain.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=9f0ed498-57c9-4a1e-921a-3e563ab4fad1

Editorial: Report river sewage leaks

Ottawa Citizen, June 18, 2008, page C4

When the accidental spill of 960,000 cubic metres of raw sewage into the Ottawa River in 2006 became public last month, something interesting happened. For the first time in years, people throughout the area began talking about the river, about what goes into it and what can be done to improve its water quality.

Meredith Brown, executive director of the Ottawa Riverkeeper, believes that the more people know about what gets dumped into the river, the more likely they are to press for change.

She is right. As part of a report to be released in the fall, she is recommending that every municipality along the river report every time raw sewage is dumped into the river. Such action would continue to keep the river at the forefront of public debate. And that is a good start in improving water quality in the historic river.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=ebda1c30-4045-4f94-a651-fef6e1d8414f

Greenbelt development under review

Ottawa Citizen, June 17, 2008
Mohammed Adam

For the first time, the City of Ottawa has identified more than 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt, worth about $1.6 billion, that could be developed without damaging the integrity of the capital's most treasured natural landmark.

The land, about a quarter of the 49,400-acre (20,800-hectare) belt, is enough to provide more than 20 years of urban land for housing and employment if the National Capital Commission decides to open it up for development, says a white paper released by the city last week.

It is the first time since the Greenbelt was created in the 1950s that a government body has put out a serious proposal on developing property that has been kept immune to development. It is also the first time that anyone has put a figure on its value. Assembled for $40 million (in 1966 dollars), about 85 per cent of the belt, made of up of farms, woodland, wetland, trails and scrubland, is undeveloped. Today, shorn of the environmentally sensitive lands that are virtually untouchable, the Greenbelt has about 21,500 acres (8,746 hectares) of theoretically developable land.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=dddf03f6-dca3-4b22-b093-37cfc92497e8

Centre aims for heat treatment
Congress Centre's energy efficiency goal 'breaking new ground'

Ottawa Sun, June 17, 2008
Derek Puddicombe

Ottawa's new Congress Centre is going green.

If all goes according to plan, when the new state-of-the-art convention opens its doors in three years it will be the most environmentally efficient convention centre in the country.

In order to meet the special Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the leading edge convention centre must measure up to specific criteria.

From the outset the new OCC board has challenged the companies bidding on the $160 million project their designs must be environmentally innovative as well as exceed current environmental standards.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/17/5898146-sun.html

La voiture électrique à basse vitesse bientôt sur les routes

La Presse Canadienne, le 17 juin 2008
Pierre St-Arnaud

Le Québec arrive à l'ère de la voiture électrique... ou presque. A compter du 17 juillet, deux véhicules électriques à basse vitesse, la voiture ZENN construite à Saint-Jérôme et la camionnette NEMO assemblée à Sainte-Thérèse, seront autorisées sur les routes où la vitesse maximale est de 50 kilomètres à l'heure ou moins.

La ministre des Transports, Julie Boulet, a annoncé mardi, à Montréal, la mise en oeuvre d'un projet pilote de trois ans qui servira à expérimenter l'usage de ces véhicules, à élaborer des règles de circulation sécuritaire et des normes d'équipement taillées sur mesure.

La ministre a toutefois clairement indiqué qu'il s'agit d'une étape préliminaire qui mènera à une présence permanente des véhicules à basse vitesse, ou VBV, au Québec.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080617/CPENVIRONNEMENT/80617103/7127/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Let information flow
Ottawa Riverkeeper wants waterway's waste problems to be an open book

Ottawa Sun, June 16, 2008
Susan Sherring

The public has a right to know every time raw sewage is leaked into the Ottawa River.

That's according to Meredith Brown, the executive director of the Ottawa Riverkeeper, which is calling for a bill to enforce the public's right to know.

"There should be mandatory reporting. Municipalities should tell the general public each and every time. I personally don't swim in the river for 24 hours after a rainfall, that's when all the crap goes in, and not just sewage, but storm water too," Brown told the Sun.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/16/5888096-sun.html

A thousand days of spin

Ottawa Citizen, June 16, 2008, page C4

Why has Mayor Larry O'Brien appointed a Task Force on Governance when he already knows what he wants?

Last week, Mr. O'Brien called for two-term limits for councillors and the mayor, an executive committee, a full-time deputy mayor, and a budget chief who heads a finance committee independent of staff.

What is left for the task force to do? Perhaps Mr. O'Brien should take his proposals to council for a vote and forgo the bother of the task force. Is the task force just a public-relations exercise? If so, there are some very good people on that committee who are just wasting their time. The mayor shouldn't have said what he did before the ink on the document creating the task force had even dried.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=3d18b886-25cc-4358-accc-37b75d243b2d

How I quit work and joined the chain gang
Ottawa's scenic bike paths win over a new spokeswoman

Ottawa Citizen, June 14, 2008
Janice Kennedy

What did you do? Believe it or not, I got out on my spiffy new bicycle and went for a thoroughly enjoyable 25-kilometre ride through Ottawa.

Whoa, back up there. New bike? Yes, my friend Susan Riley made me buy it. When we both retired last winter, Susan, a relentlessly active person, decided we should schedule regular excursions -- from snowshoeing to cycling -- for companionship and exercise. (Well, exercise for me. By the time I join Susan for one of our outings, she's already hiked, biked and scaled two mountains before breakfast.) With winter finally over, she insisted I get a decent new pair of wheels for cycling expeditions. Her favourite bike shop outfitted me with a beaut, a Trek "fitness" model. I thought "fitness" sounded a bit punishing, but in fact it just refers to the kind of bike that suits my needs, tootling along mostly urban bikepaths. It rides like a dream.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=047851c6-2350-49dd-8b63-08f9446e1bd4

Councillor pushes for sleeker public recycling bins

CBC News, June 13, 2008

An Ottawa city councillor who doesn't allow public recycling bins in his ward because he considers the current model too ugly and bulky is pushing for a slimmer, advertising-free design.

Clive Doucet, who represents Capital ward, unveiled his prototype Thursday, placing several samples around Ottawa city hall.

"These are much smaller, they're much more community friendly," the councillor said.

Equipping the whole city with the new bins would cost $2 million, he estimated.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/13/ot-recycling-080613.html

Advocates hope to speed up cycling plan

Metro News, June 12, 2008
Tracey Tong

A cycling advocacy group here supports the proposed Ottawa Cycling Plan, except it wants to see it implemented more quickly.

After five years of studies, a final draft of the Ottawa Cycling Plan that contains four recommendations to improve and encourage cycling in Ottawa will be presented to the Transportation Committee for approval on Wednesday.

The 20-year plan is designed to triple bicycle use by making riding safer, easier and more convenient - largely through a cycling network that connects communities, said Wilf Koppert, program manager of the Cycling and Pedestrian Facilities Unit.

"That's the heart of the plan."

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/68571

Federal government to confirm $200M for rail
Transport minister to reassure Ottawa transit money is there

Ottawa Citizen, June 12, 2008
Andrew Mayeda

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon will reiterate the Harper government's commitment to provide $200 million in funding for the city's light-rail transit plan in a speech Friday.

It will be the first public confirmation of federal support since city council approved a new $4-billion light-rail plan late last month.

The issue of federal support has been highly politicized since the 2006 municipal election, when then-Treasury Board president John Baird said he would withhold federal light-rail funding until after the election.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b4f9c7ce-2422-4844-9318-9a6a1132e40a

Council to tackle bicycling plan

Ottawa Citizen, June 12, 2008

A new plan to promote cycling, especially for commuters, is on City Hall's agenda after five years of study and work.

City council's transportation committee is to debate the plan at a meeting next Wednesday at 9 a.m.; the committee is moving from its regular meeting room to City Hall's large council chamber to make room for all the public delegations expected.

The plan, which the Citizen reported on in May, is posted to the city's website.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=3cfa0de7-7a97-4bf4-9763-b9f5749c7b61

Building a better garbage can...

Ottawa Sun, June 12, 2008
Derek Puddicombe

One city councillor wants to beautify Ottawa streets by giving them new trash and recycling bins.

Capital Coun. Clive Doucet unveiled today what he hopes will become Ottawa's newest receptacle for refuse and recyclables.

The resin containers have a granite-like finish and are about half the size of the 300 steel containers that currently sit on streets across the nation's capital waiting for people to deposit garbage and recyclable materials.

One bin is for garbage only while the second attached bin is for glass, plastic bottles and paper.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/12/5857546.html

Council searching for a better trash can

Ottawa Citizen, June 12, 2008
Patrick Dare

Ottawa's streets need a better trash can, says Capital Ward Councillor Clive Doucet.

Thursday morning Mr. Doucet unveiled a garbage and recycling bin that's about half the size of the current bins which are located in some parts of the city.

Mr. Doucet says the existing garbage and recycling bins, paid for with advertising, are unattractive and far too large, crowding out pedestrians on sidewalks. Business owners and residents don't want them in their neighbourhoods, so some streets have no garbage bins at all.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=bde159d4-7b38-4f34-8b93-a882f28923d3

$85M plant helps city clean up act

Ottawa Sun, June 12, 2008
Susan Sherring

Testing has finally begun on an $85-million waste collection system at the city's water purification plants; one small step toward keeping the Ottawa River cleaner.

"Wet water" testing began yesterday, several years after both the provincial and federal governments ordered the city to clean up its act.

Between May 2003 and July 2004, the two levels of government ordered the city to ensure it had taken all the necessary precautions to stop the discharge of waste from the Britannia water purification plant into the Ottawa River by Sept. 30, 2007, and from the Lemieux Island plant by Dec. 31, 2007.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/12/5849096-sun.html

Le vélo libre-service à Montréal en 2009

La Presse, le 11 juin 2008
Sébastien Rodrigue

Il coûtera moins cher qu'un taxi. Il sera en aluminium, pèsera 20 kg et disposera de trois vitesses. Il y en aura 2400 disponibles à 300 endroits au centre-ville de Montréal dès le printemps 2009. Et il se cherche un nom.

Montréal a dévoilé hier l'allure de son futur vélo en libre-service conçu par le designer Michel Dallaire, bien connu pour avoir créé le flambeau olympique de 1976. Stationnement de Montréal n'a toujours pas déterminé le coût pour l'enfourcher, mais le prix sera abordable, promet son président, Roger Plamondon.

Ce service s'inspire, entre autres, de ceux de Paris et de Stockholm. Ce système permet de louer un vélo pour un court trajet. Il sera possible de laisser la bicyclette dans n'importe quelle station peu importe son lieu de départ. «Nous voulons que Montréal devienne la ville cyclable par excellence en Amérique du Nord. C'est un titre que nous avons déjà occupé, mais que nous avons perdu», a souligné le responsable du transport collectif au comité exécutif, André Lavallée.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080611/CPACTUALITES/806110727/7127/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Tramway on track in Montreal

CBC News, June 11, 2008

Montreal will have a tramway system up and running by 2013, Mayor Gérald Tremblay said Wednesday.

The tramway lines are part of Montreal's new transportation policy, which hinges on expanding public transit to take cars off roads and highways, Tremblay said.

"Gridlock is more and more present every day. People are spending over two hours in their car to come to work ... it creates major problems, stress problems, asthma problems, respiratory problems," he said.

"As a result of that, citizens are saying, they told us very clearly: Priority? Public transit."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/06/11/qc-tramwaymontreal0612.html

Plan de transport de Montréal: priorité au tramway

La Presse, le 11 juin 2008
Éric Clément

Après un an de consultations, l'administration Tremblay a décidé d'enclencher les études de faisabilité pour la réalisation de la première ligne de tramway à Montréal d'une longueur de 20 km.

Ce mardi matin, le maire de Montréal, Gérald Tremblay, a annoncé l'adoption par le comité exécutif du Plan de transport de Montréal. Le tramway est la priorité de son administration.

Le maire, accompagné d'André Lavallée, conseiller responsable du Transport collectif à la Ville, ont lancé les analyses du réseau initial de tramway et des études de faisabilité de la première ligne.

L'appel d'offres pour ces études sera lancé dans quelques jours. Les études dureront en 2008 et 2009.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080611/CPACTUALITES/80611091/6638/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Controversial EcoDensity charter passes in Vancouver

CBC News, June 11, 2008

Vancouver city councillors have approved the EcoDensity charter, but many members of the public made it clear they are not yet on side.

Dozens of protesters turned up at city hall Tuesday wearing black gags, arguing their views had been ignored, as council voted to pass the new regulations.

EcoDensity is a set of principles that councillors say will allow environmentally sustainable management of inevitable population growth in the city.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/06/10/bc-eco-density-vote-protest.html

City OKs organic waste program, stumbles over diapers

Ottawa Sun, June 11, 2008
Katie Daubs

Organic waste collection is slated to start next year in Ottawa, but already, several details are causing a stink.

On Wednesday, city council approved an October 2009 start for the long awaited curbside organics collection, with weekly pick-ups in the warm months and bi-weekly pick-ups in the winter.

What councilors have yet to approve is a reduced garbage pick-up schedule, which is to accompany the organics program after a year-long transition.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a9b5229c-b285-4074-b29a-17f5d79cfb8f

City faces dirty diaper dilemma

Ottawa Sun, June 11, 2008
Derek Puddicombe

Keeping dirty, smelly diapers out of the city's green box recycling program stinks, one city councillor says.

Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans says the city is making a big mistake not including soiled diapers in its curbside organics waste pickup program, expected to roll out in the fall of 2009.

"Dirty diapers will be the Achilles heel of the biweekly garbage collection," said Deans.

When the city introduces the green box program it will reduce regular garbage pickup to once every two weeks. Organics recycling will be collected every week from April to November and every two weeks from December to March.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/11/5843776.html

Rivers flooded with Ottawa's sewage
Report reveals the equivalent of 265 Olympic pools was dumped in the Ottawa and Rideau in 2007

Ottawa Citizen, June 11, 2008, page C1
Andrew Thomson

The equivalent of about 265 Olympic swimming pools full of overflow sewage entered the Ottawa and Rideau rivers from the City of Ottawa during last year's above-average rainy season, according to a city report

The report, which was sent to Ontario's Ministry of the Environment last month and released yesterday, said an estimated 730,000 cubic metres of sewage mixed with stormwater overflowed from 18 pipes between April 15 and Nov. 15. That represents two per cent of all sewage in the part of downtown served by combined sewers. Elsewhere in the city, storm sewers and sanitary sewers are separate systems.

The information was released as four probes continue into a massive 2006 sewage leak that spilled the equivalent of 350 Olympic pools into the Ottawa River that only recently became public knowledge.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=c1537f9f-e3ae-46a7-8c34-d982186883c1

Full-size Plasco plant gets OK
Will take up to 2 years for all approvals

Ottawa Citizen, June 11, 2008, page C3
Patrick Dare

The City of Ottawa is going ahead with its partnership with businessman Rod Bryden to move from testing its garbage-to-power technology to building a full commercial-size plant.

Yesterday, after a closed session with the city's lawyer, the planning committee authorized city manager Kent Kirkpatrick to proceed with a detailed legal agreement with Mr. Bryden's Plasco Energy Group to build a commercial-scale plant on four acres the city owns next to its Trail Road landfill.

The deal must still go to full council, but is expected to be approved.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=35d44a97-8f01-4dfb-9d5b-15539f8793a3

Commuter train gathers steam
Make Chelsea line a transit route: Backers

Ottawa Citizen, June 11, 2008, page C5
Dave Rogers

Supporters of the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train say the train should be relaunched with more equipment and new stations and track so the line can be used for a commuter train linking Wakefield to Ottawa's light rail network.

John Trent, a spokesman for Friends of the Steam Train, said yesterday the federal and Quebec governments should help pay for improvements that would be too expensive for Gatineau, Chelsea and La Pêche, the track owners.

Train owner Jean Gauthier decided in May to sell the 1907 steam locomotive and passenger cars because he said he was frustrated by frequent demands for improvements from the three municipalities and had lost confidence in their ability to manage the line.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=b1babe55-6123-4486-92ca-b918e552c29c

Gawkers face naked truth

Metro News, June 10, 2008
Tracey Tong

I'm an awful cyclist. So when I get on my bike, I usually concentrate on things like balance and not cracking my head open - not on how my butt looks.

But last weekend, I added the latter to my list as I stripped down and pedalled - in my underpants and a tiny tee - around the busiest part of the city with other cyclists in the fourth annual Ottawa World Naked Bike Ride.

First, let me make clear that public nudity's not usually my thing. Maybe it's something that my old-fashioned Asian parents instilled in me, but normally, I'm the kind of girl who balks at baring even the thinnest slice of midriff.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/comment/article/67314

Editorial: Hooked on asphalt

Ottawa Citizen, June 9, 2008, page C4

City staff certainly has an asphalt addiction. It's worse than a heroin junkie on the third day of cold turkey.

Some members of staff get it. They were the people who brought us the urban boundary, intensification and light rail. Then there are the asphalt addicts. Maybe they've missed the news about urban sprawl, high petroleum prices (and asphalt is a petroleum derivative), greenhouse gases, the aforementioned intensification, and a city budget that looks like a drunken sailor's wallet the day before payday.

And maybe, just maybe, if there were an outside chance that a widened Prince of Wales Drive could keep pace with the traffic from Ottawa's south end, well, then widening the route might be a thought. But then we want an intensified community don't we? So why do we build roads to encourage sprawl? When will the city planning department speak with one voice?

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=c0c34a8a-b8f3-4531-b467-dac62164153f

Plasco plant awaits serious testing
It could be two years before the city and its waste-to-energy partner get the go-ahead for a full-scale facility, ministry official says

Ottawa Citizen, June 8, 2008

Jake Rupert

OTTAWA - Provincial environment ministry officials say it's far too early for them to know if a proposed waste-disposal technology for the city will be a success because serious emissions testing has not yet begun.

In fact, it may take two years before a full-scale waste-to-electricity plant of the kind the city wants to build will get approval, said Steve Burns, ministry district manager for Eastern Ontario.

Last week, the city announced plans to enter into a conditional agreement with Ottawa-based Plasco to build a plant that could handle all of the city's non-recyclable residential garbage. The company is running a pilot project at the city-owned Trail Road dump, partly so the ministry can test its process for converting waste to energy and assess how much pollution it emits.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=88c0da08-51ca-4954-a4de-910b5b1c0684

Énergie
Le nucléaire dans ma cour

Radio-Canada, le 8 juin 2008

C'est cette semaine que le gouvernement ontarien devrait préciser l'emplacement de sa future centrale nucléaire.

Deux localités sont pressenties pour accueillir le projet de 40 milliards de dollars. Les nouveaux réacteurs remplaceront les centrales au charbon de la province qui doivent fermer d'ici six ans.

Des résidents de Kincardine, à 250 km au nord-ouest de Toronto, et de Clarington, à l'est de la métropole, souhaitent obtenir la prochaine centrale de la province.

Certains environnementalistes croient cependant que l'Ontario devrait s'inspirer de certains pays européens qui réduisent leur dépendance au nucléaire. Shawn Patrick Stencil de Greenpeace cite notamment l'exemple de l'Allemagne qui est chef de file en matière d'énergie éolienne et renouvelable.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2008/06/08/002-nucleaire-Ontario.shtml

Taking the commuter challenge
Fresh air and exercise outweigh the hazards of cycling to work

Ottawa Citizen, June 7, 2008, page F4

Dirt, bugs, unpredictable dogs and cars, and cyclists who don't obey the rules of the road -- those are some of the things that bother Ottawa residents who use their bicycles to get to work.

So why do they bike? For the fresh air, the wind in their hair, the feel-good endorphins and the conversations with friendly cows.

As Canada's Commuter Challenge winds to an end today, we share some of their the stories.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/life/story.html?id=36c51d15-03e7-4db7-bb5e-b19f715f67c7&p=1

Ban-tastic!
Baird's plan to stop sewage dumping great start

Ottawa Sun, June 7, 2008
Susan Sherring

Environment Minister John Baird is calling for an outright ban on the practice of municipalities dumping raw sewage into the Ottawa River.

Finally, this issue is getting some of the attention it deserves.

And that is a very good thing.

As an influential minister in the federal government, Baird, a hometown boy, is shining the spotlight on the Ottawa River.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/07/5800411-sun.html

Équiterre demande à Montréal d'implanter le péage le plus tôt possible

Presse Canadienne, le 7 juin 2008

Pour être en mesure d'offrir une alternative de transport en commun efficace à Montréal, le péage doit être implanté le plus tôt possible sur le territoire de la métropole, estime le coordonnateur général d'Équiterre, Sidney Ribeaux.

D'accord avec la proposition de la Ville de Montréal de mettre en place un système de péage régional, M. Ribeaux croit que si l'implantation de ce système tarde, il sera difficile de convaincre les automobilistes de délaisser leur voiture.

En dépit de la hausse du prix de l'essence, le coordonnateur d'Équiterre croit que les automobilistes seront d'accord avec le projet de la Ville de Montréal, si des services alternatifs de transport sont implantés rapidement.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080607/CPENVIRONNEMENT/80607031/6108/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Ontario's smog causes 9,500 deaths per year, medical association says

CBC News, June 6, 2008

Air pollution causes 9,500 premature deaths a year in Ontario, new research suggests.

Data from the Ontario Medical Association says that smog causes a worsening in respiratory and cardiac illnesses and contributes to earlier mortality as a result.

The OMA's Illness Costs of Air Pollution model finds that of the 9,500 premature deaths from air pollution, 1,000 occurred immediately after times of intense pollution. The model uses air pollution levels, rates of illness and demographic data to project air-related premature deaths for 2008.

The areas with the highest numbers of smog-related deaths in Ontario were Toronto, with 2,130, Peel Region, with 700 and York Region with 590.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/06/06/smog-deaths.html

Dozens of trash cans but not a single recycling bin on downtown Bank St.

CBC News, June 6, 2008

Pedestrians in downtown Ottawa determined to recycle their empty bottles and cans should prepare for a long walk.

There are no recycling bins on the bustling sidewalks of Bank Street between Holmwood Avenue in the Glebe and Queen Street in the downtown core, but there are 57 garbage cans along the same road.

That's partly because Clive Doucet, the city councillor for the Glebe, doesn't allow the city's public recycling bins in his ward.

"They take up so much room on the pavement," he said. "They take up advertising space, and they're destructive to local commerce."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/06/ot-recycling-080606.html

Battle to widen Prince of Wales heats up
Councillors set for a showdown as city considers expanding road to serve Barrhaven, Riverside South

Ottawa Citizen, June 6, 2008, page F1
Patrick Dare

It seems an unlikely public project for Ottawa at a time of hyper-concern about traffic congestion, air quality, urban sprawl and the unaffordable car commute.

The City of Ottawa is planning a big road project: widening Prince of Wales Drive for the 10.3-kilometre span between Woodroffe Avenue and Fisher Avenue.

It's a project that would cost big money. The city has already earmarked $15 million just for the property acquisition and design for the project. A smaller project, to widen Limebank Road, cost $44 million.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=ea59c65b-ef6d-437f-9859-ce70f826fdb6&p=1

Light-rail project carries heavy cost

Ottawa Citizen, June 6, 2008, page F4
Ken Gray

When the current light-rail proposal is completed in 2031, Mayor Larry O'Brien will be 82 years old. No word yet on how he will celebrate. Maybe some puréed prunes through a straw, a bit of bran, a spot of cocoa.

For the rest of us, only people aged 42 or less will use the completed system during part of their working and high-commuting years. Nevertheless, non-commuters will pay the cost of the hugely expensive $4-billion program on their property taxes well into their retirement years. That's a very rough guess because if three of the councillors who voted against the plan, and at least one who voted for it, are correct, a proper costing of the project has not been conducted. And has there been a ridership study? There has been some "analysis," as the city puts it. But a proper ridership study showing the passenger uplift of light rail over the Transitway? No. That's not good.

Post-2031, some on Laurier Avenue have proposed building a rail line to Scotiabank Place. Given that stadiums have about a 50-year life expectancy and the Ottawa arena was built in 1991, will Scotiabank Place be there by the time rail reaches it?

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=ac495029-3d1a-401d-a740-75cc24690bd2

Editorial: Downtown's core values

Ottawa Citizen, June 6, 2008, page F4

Since the City of Ottawa amalgamated in 2001, planners, politicians, academics and even a few garden-variety residents have said the new municipality presents an opportunity to mold the shape of the urban area.

In other words, stop wasteful sprawl and intensify development in the core. Not that the city actually did that. It just seemed like a good idea.

While the municipality drew the urban boundary around the community beyond which development could not pass, it still allowed monotonous tract housing, unimaginative big-box stores with even bigger parking lots around them, and new, long roads. Pedestrians were but an after thought.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=87538fc4-acc2-42e3-90f8-ea0bb6825140

New air monitor to identify sources of Ottawa's air pollution

CBC News, June 5, 2008

The City of Ottawa publicized its new portable air quality monitor for measuring harmful pollutants in Ottawa's air on Thursday.

The air monitor, a squat grey box attached to a balcony at City Hall, measures the levels of three types of nitric oxides, harmful gases emitted by burning fossil fuels. It has been operational for about a month, transmitting hourly reports on pollutant levels outside City Hall.

"You really see the peak of traffic in the morning and in the evening," said Birgit Isernhagen, an environment planner with the city.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/05/ot-airpollution-080605.html

Qualité de l'air
Un nouvel outil pour la capitale

Radio-Canada, le 5 juin 2008

Le service de santé publique de la Ville d'Ottawa et l'administration de l'aéroport international ont investi conjointement 50 000 $ pour l'achat d'un nouvel appareil portatif de mesure de la qualité de l'air.

Environnement Canada prend déjà de telles mesures, mais Ottawa a besoin de plus de précisions. Cet appareil pourra être installé un peu partout dans la ville pour y effectuer des relevés horaires des niveaux d'oxyde d'azote.

« Jusqu'à date (sic), nous n'avons aucune façon de mesurer la qualité de l'air juste dans un petit quartier, sur quelques kilomètres. C'est une grande mesure à travers la province, on parle même de tout l'Est de l'Ontario. Ça n'aide pas beaucoup si vous avez par exemple une situation très difficile dans votre quartier, mais pas ailleurs. Et ce système, avec le satellite, nous donnera ça, une grande différence », souligne le conseiller municipal Clive Doucet.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2008/06/05/009-qualite-air-ottawa_n.shtml

City takes air quality sampling to neighbourhood level

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008

Armed with a new machine to measure air quality, the city is planning neighbourhood-level policies to reduce pollution.

"These could be things like parking or not allowing parking, or adding bus-only lanes at particular times," says Birgit Isernhagen, an environmental planner with the City of Ottawa. The goal is to tailor policy and design strategies to solve particular local air-quality problems, she says.

"That way, we're not wasting our money on citywide things we don't necessarily need," she says. Ms. Isernhagen says her department hopes to have specific options to present to city council by November.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=dba00ab7-659a-48de-8870-02f7cd9855f2

Unbuckling the Greenbelt

Ottawa Sun, June 5, 2008
Derek Puddicombe

The city is beginning to think about the future of the Greenbelt.

As part of its review of the transportation, infrastructure and official plans, the city plans to publish a series of white papers aimed at engaging residents in discussing the pros and cons of developing limited areas of the strip of greenspace created in the 1960s.

The city realizes the Greenbelt is outside municipal jurisdiction and controlled by the National Capital Commission, but a report expected to be tabled at next week's planning and environment committee meeting says the Greenbelt does influence the "current and future form of urban development in Ottawa" and the NCC needs to hear from residents about the possibility of developing parts of the land.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2008/06/05/5776096-sun.html

World Environment Day (WED)

Ottawa XPress, June 5, 2008
Sara Falconer

Thought you could rest on your laurels until Earth Day 2009? Not so fast - June 5 is World Environment Day (WED), and it's also Canadian Environment Week. WED 2008 will be hosted in Wellington, New Zealand, honouring one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality.

Canada, on the other hand, has abandoned its Kyoto Protocol commitments, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper refuses to take on new commitments unless developing countries like China and India are forced to do the same. That didn't stop the PM from lecturing European leaders on climate change in May. His visit produced 400 tonnes of C02 emissions - as much as 100 cars produce in a year.

"To be honest, it was laughable," says Jean Langlois, national campaigns director for the Sierra Club of Canada. "It's clear that Canada is not going to be a leader on climate change... For the current federal government, we'd be happy if they simply learned to follow."

http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=14824

Appeal halts plans to build on Jock floodplain
City, developer scrap seven lots in subdivision

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008, page C2

The City of Ottawa and a developer have agreed to scrub plans for building houses on seven lots in the floodplain of the Jock River.

Ted Cooper, the city water resources engineer who has challenged development in Kanata West, yesterday successfully appealed the zoning bylaw for development at Half Moon Bay, along the Jock River, to the Ontario Municipal Board. He took half a day of his holidays to appear at the hearing that settled the issue.

Plans for an urban development in south Nepean have been around since the early 1990s and always included a substantial greenspace along the Jock River. When the city approved its zoning bylaw for the subdivision in 2007, the plans included housing development that encroached on some of that parkland, which is in the floodplain. Mr. Cooper compared the original plans with the approved bylaw and found they didn't match, so he filed the municipal board appeal to stop construction.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=6bf67256-6d7f-41c8-8475-955ee18e922a

Miller will chair global group of 40 eco-cities

Toronto Star, June 5, 2008

Mayor David Miller has been named chair of an international group of cities fighting climate change.

Miller's appointment was announced yesterday as he attended the rollout of hybrid, diesel-electric pop delivery trucks that Coca-Cola Bottling Co. says will lower fuel consumption and emissions by one third. Coke plans to run 22 hybrids across Canada, 10 of which will become a part of its 65-truck fleet serving Toronto.

"We think it's terrific," said Miller. "You can have heavy-duty delivery trucks in this city that are hybrids."

Miller has repeatedly touted city council's unanimous approval of a climate change action plan last summer as Toronto's "green" leadership, but so far, there's little to show for it.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/437324

Too early to judge waste plant technology, province says

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008

Provincial environment ministry officials, who will either bless or reject a new waste disposal technology for the city, say it's way to early for them to know if the project will be a success or not because serious emissions testing has not yet begun.

"We're really in the beginning stages," said Steve Burns, ministry district manager for Eastern Ontario. "We have really limited data for us to look at right now. It's way too early to pass judgement."

This week, the city announced plans to enter into a conditional agreement with the owner of the new waste disposal technology, Plasco, to possibly build a plant that could handle all of the city's residential garbage that isn't recycled.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=39a89180-d6d9-49de-b451-0f2c7e16e3e9

No one can prove pesticides are 'safe'

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008, page A15
Neil Arya

The Ontario government has recently concluded that we must ban cosmetic uses of most pesticides, for the health of Ontario's children. It made the right decision.

Dan Gardner missed the point, in suggesting that the recent Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) decision to re-register the weed killer 2,4-D should derail this legislation ("You read it here first ... but you shouldn't have," May 28).

Following the release of the 2004 Ontario College of Family Physicians report on the number of serious health problems associated with exposures to pesticides, the PMRA was taken to task for failing to take into account human exposure studies. As a result, I was appointed to represent the OCFP on the federal Pest Management Advisory Council. In 2005, we advised the PMRA to not say "safe" when referring to the pesticides that they registered for use in Canada as all pesticides have inherent hazards, as well as benefits when used in prescribed circumstances.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=790717ca-eb7c-43fb-8dd0-61f5532dfba6&p=1

Committee approves changes to bus routes

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008, page C3
Jake Rupert

Councillors on the transit committee yesterday approved changes to two inner-city bus routes designed to improve service, but deferred changes to two others -- including one voted the worst in the city, after concerns were raised about a proposed downtown turnaround loop.

The changes would have seen each of the heavily used 2, 3, 85, and 98 routes split in two. Transit staff said the splitting would improve reliability by making the routes shorter and less prone to delays and traffic congestion.

"By separating the operations, it allows service on the half that isn't experiencing delays to function without delay," transit co-ordinator Pat Scrimgeour said.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=d66e5799-eef7-407b-b661-075342fa2102

Worker grieves firing over sewage spill

Ottawa Citizen, June 5, 2008, page C3
CanWest News Service

A city staffer who was fired last week for not reporting a massive sewage spill into the Ottawa River to the Environment Ministry has filed a grievance against the municipality. Jean-Pierre Boisseau was terminated after the city manager said Mr. Boisseau admitted he lied when he said he reported the August 2006 spill of roughly 350 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of raw sewage into the river following a rainstorm. The city is required by law to report such incidents immediately, but it now says the incident was first reported in May 2007, and it was only in the past month that senior officials, council and the public learned of the spill.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=df17be3c-9692-4f72-a1bf-63cbd7ef50fb

Amsterdam veut se mettre au vert

Agence France-Presse, le 5 juin 2008
Gerald de Hemptinne

Eoliennes, panneaux solaires sur les toits... Amsterdam veut réduire d'ici 2025 ses émissions de CO2 de 40%, et ambitionne d'exporter dans le monde ses solutions en matière d'énergies renouvelables, a annoncé la municipalité jeudi.

«La concurrence entre les villes est forte. Je suis sûr que les villes qui ne se développent pas de manière durable seront larguées d'ici quelques années», a dit le maire de la capitale néerlandaise, Job Cohen, à l'ouverture de trois journées de réflexion intitulées «Amsterdam durable».

Il trace la voie : d'ici 2015, la consommation d'énergie des pouvoirs publics de la ville doit être «climatiquement neutre», c'est-à-dire à base de sources renouvelables, ou être compensée par des projets écologiques.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080605/CPMONDE/80605149/6108/CPENVIRONNEMENT

Firm scraps flood plain development after Ottawa engineer files challenge

CBC News, June 4, 2008

A developer has shelved plans to build seven houses on a flood plain in Barrhaven after a City of Ottawa engineer brought his concerns about the project to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The board approved a deal Wednesday between Taggart Construction and engineer Ted Cooper concerning a development at Half Moon Bay.

Under the agreement, Taggart won't go ahead with the waterfront homes on Greenbank Road, instead leaving them as green space within the development. In return, Cooper has agreed to drop his appeal.

When water levels are high, the Jock River overflows onto the land formerly slated for the seven homes.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/04/ot-challenge-080604.html

Rural mayors go it alone to plan commuter rail line

Ottawa Citizen, June 4, 2008, page C1
Cassandra Drudi

A recommendation made last June by Mayor Larry O'Brien's task force on transportation continues to gather steam even though council has shifted its focus from regional transit to transit within the city.

The task force's final report recommended region-wide rail service, mostly on existing tracks, that would include service to the city's surrounding regions, covering more distance with each of three separate service expansions in 2010, 2017 and 2037.

On June 13, Mr. O'Brien is to meet with regional mayors for a followup to last year's transportation summit. Yesterday, the mayor's office would not disclose what the city hopes to achieve at that meeting.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=1a11911d-f683-4b12-9e56-f69ac913b7fc

Plasco offers to build $125M plant to handle city trash
City would pay $8M a year, Plasco would convert most non-recyclables into energy

Ottawa Citizen, June 4, 2008, page C3
Patrick Dare and Jake Rupert

Rod Bryden's Plasco Energy Group will build a $125-million plant to take all of Ottawa's residential garbage that cannot be recycled, if city council approves the deal.

The City of Ottawa, which has been in a joint venture with the technology company for a demonstration project for the garbage-consuming, power-generating technology, could almost eliminate the landfilling it does with residential garbage under a proposed deal with Plasco Energy.

The plant would be located on city-owned land next to the Trail Road landfill site. Plasco would cover the cost of construction and the city would have a long-term deal to feed the plant with garbage, paying Plasco about $8 million a year in fees.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=7b53596b-e62c-489c-a996-b48c94d1c69d

Turns out commute is a challenge

Metro News, June 4, 2008
Tracey Tong

By some strange coincidence, it always rains on the rare days I take public transit.

I'm sure I made a sorry sight yesterday as I schlepped, Sherpa-like, to the bus stop near my house.

Perpetually scatterbrained in the morning and without the benefit of a car trunk catchall, I juggled my backpack, wallet, iPod and keys, all while trying to keep my umbrella from blowing inside out. I was trying to eat my breakfast, which was difficult since I held bus tickets in my teeth.
Still, it was all for a good cause.

In a bid to do my part to save the planet, yesterday I joined tens of thousands of people across Canada in the annual Commuter Challenge, which runs during Environment Week (June 1-7) and encourages participants to use Earth-friendly modes of transport.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/comment/article/63599

‘Green' garbage plant to grow?
Waste-eating, power-producing tech has its fans

Metro News, June 3, 2008
Tim Wieclawski

A super-sized plant capable of processing 400 tonnes of garbage each day should be built in Ottawa, based on "waste-to-energy" technology being demonstrated at a test site here, city staff recommend.

Plasco Energy Group chief executive Rod Bryden yesterday presented a plan for his company to build a $125-million plasma gasification plant, in return for a 20-year commitment by Ottawa to supply waste to feed the plant, at a cost of up to $8 million per year.

"We need a contract that will ensure there is going to be waste to process, otherwise we end up with a $125 million facility and nothing to put in it," Bryden said.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/63678

Waste-to-energy Plasco plant should go big: Ottawa staff

CBC News, June 3, 2008

A full-scale plant capable of handling more than 400 tonnes of waste a day should be built using waste-to-energy technology being demonstrated at Ottawa's Trail Road landfill, city staff have recommended.

City manager Kent Kirkpatrick and Rod Bryden, CEO of Plasco Energy Group, the company that sells the plasma gasification technology, presented their plan to the media on Tuesday.

Under it, the full-scale plant would be built entirely at Plasco's expense at the Trail Road site. In return, the city would pay the company $8 million a year to take its garbage.

The plan will go to city council for approval on July 1.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/03/ot-plasco-080603.html

Ottawa's Jane Jacobs walks

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page B4
Phil Jenkins

"If the public realm, where the buildings meet the sidewalk, is activated, this demonstrates that a New World city can remain alive despite the formal idiocies of Modernist urban theory and practice."

-- Jane Jacobs, 2000

A couple of weeks ago, on a cool, cloudy, drizzly day, I had the honour of being a walking, talking part of an event called Jane's Walks, which saw hundreds of people over a weekend walking parts of the city with a guide.

The Jane in that title refers to Jane Jacobs, and she was a sort of existential patron saint of North American cities. A quick sketch of her theory to do with city streets will get us to the point of understanding why her name should inspire a bunch of walks, not just in Ottawa, but in five other Canadian cites and a growing flock of U.S. ones.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=5d09598d-64e5-45f1-912c-b5956bb1da5a

Editorial: You can change your world

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page B4

It's a rare person who changes the world. And that rare person probably alters just a small part of the globe. But your neighbourhood ... why, you can change your neighbourhood.

You might need to if Dimitri Roussopoulos of the think-tank Urban Ecology is correct. He maintains that neighbourhoods are shaped, not by the residents who live there, but by large economic interests that have the ear of city planners.

"If the citizenry of the city of Ottawa is not organized to survey and to watchdog the urban planning process ... you are screwed," Mr. Roussopoulos said. There goes the neighbourhood.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=bd5da8da-c489-44a8-bc21-e2cdc74c2dfe

Take the challenge

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page C7

Are you a bike commuter?

The Citizen wants to hear from you. Tell us:

- Your name, age, where you work and the route you take to get there.

- The kind of bike you ride.

- What you wear.

- How you clean up once you're at work.

- What you love (and hate) about your commute.

We'll publish some replies in the paper and others online at ottawacitizen.com.

Send your information (and a photo if you have one) to life@thecitizen.canwest.com.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/life/story.html?id=c846d1cf-abab-489c-90ae-da918c5c8c78

Private Lansdowne talks anger Glebe residents

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page B1
Jake Rupert

Members of the Glebe Community Association are angry that the "open and transparent" process the city was following to determine the future of Lansdowne Park is stalled while city officials deal directly and privately with three developers who won a conditional CFL franchise for the city.

Association president Bob Brocklebank said the city was doing the right thing by holding an international design competition that was heavy on public consultation and openness. Stopping that open process to hold private conversations with developers is a "major step backwards," he said, because it is exactly what residents said they don't want.

Indeed, results of a city survey of citizens on what to do with the park show strong support for a publicly owned project not connected to fixing up Frank Clair Stadium.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=5ab7c084-f623-4239-ad10-cbf2adb90857

Councillors to see what future holds for Plasco

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page B3
Patrick Dare

Ottawa's experiment with Plasco Energy technology could soon go beyond the pilot project stage, with full-sized plants helping the city solve its garbage problem.

Rod Bryden, chief executive of Plasco Energy Group, and city manager Kent Kirkpatrick will be at a briefing for councillors early this morning to answer questions about a staff report on the technology, which breaks down garbage into a fuel gas that generates electricity.

The city is in a joint venture with Plasco to test the technology, with a plant that has been operating at the Trail Road landfill since January. The report being released today deals with the next steps, including developing an agreement for a commercial-scale operation. Mr. Bryden said yesterday the Trail Road plant is going "very well."

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=d870476a-48e8-4fbf-b7ee-954d755c0afe

Electronic waste diversion vital next step for Ontario
Metals in old TVs and computers pose threat to health and environment

Toronto Star, June 3, 2008
Glenda Glies

Ontario is on the brink of entering the next stage of environmental responsibility.

The McGuinty government is considering the new Ontario Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) diversion program. Although some critics have expressed reservations, we look forward to the government taking this last step. Our environment is depending on it.

Consider that an estimated 91,000 tonnes of computers, monitors, printers, fax machines and televisions are generated each year in Ontario. The current collection rate of these materials for proper reuse or recycling is a disappointingly low 27 per cent.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/435701

Charges dropped against eastern Ont. uranium protesters

CBC News, June 3, 2008

A mining exploration company has withdrawn charges against a group of protesters who disobeyed a court order to stay away from a prospective uranium mining site.

Frontenac Ventures announced in a Kingston courtroom Monday that it was no longer pressing contempt-of-court charges against the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, co-chief Bob Lovelace, honorary chief Harold Perry and six non-aboriginal protesters.

Neil Smitheman, legal counsel for Frontenac Ventures, said it didn't make sense to go ahead.

"We're not here to prosecute people," he said. "We're in the business of drilling holes to see if there's a feasibility to do further mining."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/06/03/ot-sharbot-charges-080603.html

Web tool will let residents figure carbon footprint
Zerofootprint offers tips on how Ottawans can live greener

Ottawa Citizen, June 3, 2008, page B6
Patrick Dare

A new Internet site will help Ottawa residents calculate their carbon footprints and see how adjustments in their lifestyles can lighten their effect on the environment.

The City of Ottawa has joined Zerofootprint, a Toronto-based organization, to give residents the Internet tool that allows them to calculate their own environmental impact, compare it to others and see how the city is doing as a whole.

Residents can go to ottawa.zerofootprint.net and, using their e-mail addresses, create personal accounts to calculate their carbon emissions. The software program asks a series of questions about users' means of transportation, food consumption (including that of pets), home heating and power use, amount of garbage produced and recycling. The program calculates as you enter answers, so users can see the effects of their lifestyles on their tonnes of C02 emissions per year. A shorter questionnaire is also available.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=9a92727a-36be-40fe-b636-93372b0784b1

Economics often drives city planning, expert warns
Citizens must police development to get the city they want, activist warns

Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 2008, page B1
Maria Cook

Ottawa residents who want to protect neighbourhoods from over-scaled and ugly development must roll up their sleeves and get involved in the political and planning process, says a longtime Montreal urban activist.

"Do not think that it is the city-employed planners who are going to negotiate with the developers a development project in the public interest," says Dimitri Roussopoulos, founder and CEO of Urban Ecology, a think-tank on sustainable urban development.

"A lot of what happens in neighbourhoods and cities is driven by very influential and powerful economic interests," he told a public meeting on intensification at City Hall last week.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=295b9cd8-2096-4d5c-959e-442d365a00c2

Gear up for the Commuter Challenge
Cool new stuff makes riding to work more comfortable -- and fun

Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 2008
Lisa Tuominen

With the seven-day Commuter Challenge rolling through Ottawa this week, now is a great time to look at some cool new bike gear. Bike commuting is good for your fitness level, the environment and your soul. As oil futures soar, you can certainly justify spending the equivalent of a few tanks of gas to make your ride more comfortable (to to mention more fun). May we suggest the following ideas:

Bike:

The Trek Soho 3.0 disc is a great urban bike that'll have you zooming along the pathways. This "Fitness Hybrid" is aluminum with steel forks and features a padded top rail that won't scratch, and padding under the seat in case you need to carry it up stairs. Disc brakes will have you stopping on a dime, and the gears will get you up any hill in Ottawa. It comes with reflectors, a bell and a cup for java. For serious riding, you might want to upgrade the flat pedals to SPDs.($929 at Bushtukah Great Outdoor Gear, 203 Richmond Rd.)

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=c6c560ae-bdf0-4664-bc4e-9700a9651385

Time for Green Act in Ontario

Toronto Star, June 2, 2008
Tyler Hamilton

Environmental groups are converging on Queen's Park this morning to encourage the creation of a Green Energy Act for Ontario, essentially legislation that would make energy conservation and renewable power in the province more than a series of unco-ordinated, feel-good announcements.

The legislation they propose would be modeled after a similar act in Germany, which by giving priority to renewables such as wind and solar has become a global powerhouse in the sector.

Germany is a country about a third the physical size of Ontario, but it has managed to put more renewable power on its grid than all nuclear, fossil fuel and renewable capacity in Ontario combined. In doing so, it has created employment for 230,000 people and built a thriving industry.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/435083

Switching off your gas guzzler
The Electric Venicle Council of Ottawa plans to offer hands-on courses on converting regular cars to electric, Jean-François Bertrand writes.

Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 2008, page B3
Jean-François Bertrand

With the price of a litre of gasoline inching toward $1.50, converting a vehicle from gasoline to electricity seems like an interesting project, and it can be done for $1,000.

The Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa (EVCO ) will offer a course in 2009 and 2010 to show 20 to 30 participants how to convert a regular car into an electric one. The course will be hands-on, with a "donor" vehicle in the classroom, explained Ron Rancourt, the course co-ordinator.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation granted EVCO $65,000 to develop the course and create a textbook, which will be available free on the Internet. The council is negotiating with Algonquin College to host the course.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=3e20a74f-7409-454e-a39e-30deff54f3e5

Toronto: Bicycle protest on Gardiner a 'crazy idea,' police contend
Some cyclists had placards demanding bike lane along Bloor St.

Toronto Star, June 1, 2008
Sunny Freeman

A 20-minute display of bicycle power on the Gardiner Expressway Friday evening was a "crazy idea" that could easily have left participants injured or dead, police say.

About 200 cyclists, some riding with children, shut down the westbound lanes of the Gardiner when they rode up the Jarvis St. on-ramp around 7 p.m. and headed west, bringing scores of cars and trucks behind them to a screeching halt.

"It was a crazy idea," said Sgt. Jeff Redden of Toronto police traffic services. Police officers shut down the westbound Gardiner for almost a half-hour while they cleared the roadway of the bikes, which are not permitted on the expressway, at the Jameson Ave. exit.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/434942