March 2009


Sewage spills rise with temps

Ottawa Sun, March 31, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

The mix of snow melting and the weekend rain has forced 6.2 million litres of sewage to spill into the Ottawa River.

City councillors received a memo yesterday on the latest sewage spill which totals about 50 million litres over the past month.

From last Friday into Saturday 2.8 million litres of sewage flowed into the river, while an estimated 3.4 million litres of sewage spilled into the river from Saturday into Sunday.

The city says it has informed the environment ministry's Spills Action Centre, the public health department and municipal water system operators.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/31/8945016-sun.html

'I'd like to know what we can do to abolish the OMB'

Ottawa Sun, March 30, 2009
Scott Taylor

The City of Ottawa has plenty of experience with the Ontario Municipal Board. In the past two years alone, it has been involved in no fewer than 37 hearings before the independent tribunal.

Most recently, a seven-week hearing on a Manotick residential development that wrapped up in late January cost Ottawa taxpayers more than $570,000 in legal fees and witness costs.

In 2007, the city paid $110,000 for outside legal costs and $86,000 for witnesses at OMB hearings.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/30/8933816-sun.html

NAFTA threat won't stop Que. ban on lawn pesticides

Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 2009
Juliet O'Neill, Canwest News Service

Trade Minister Stockwell Day vows a "vigorous defence" of Quebec's ban on lawn pesticides containing 2,4-D from a challenge by a U.S. chemical company through the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Dow AgroSciences is to decide within a few weeks whether to go ahead with a threatened claim through NAFTA for $2 million, just as Ontario is introducing similar pesticide controls that put 2,4-D on a ban list.

In written comments to Canwest News Service, Day said the government, in consultation with Quebec, is assessing Dow's claim after a Jan. 13 meeting of lawyers for all three parties.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/NAFTA+threat+stop+lawn+pesticides/1441906/story.html

Cities mark Earth Hour with lights dimmed

Globe and Mail, March 28, 2009
Vanessa Gera

BONN, GERMANY - Canadian cities joined cities around the globe in marking Earth Hour Saturday night, as people in central and eastern Canada switched off their lights.

From an Antarctic research base to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and beyond, skyscrapers, city streets and some of the world's most recognizable monuments were dimmed for 60 minutes to highlight the threat of climate change.

Time zone by time zone, nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries joined the event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund to dim non-essential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090328.wearthhour0328/BNStory/International/home

Building fee exemption has done its job, says Holmes

Centretown News, March 27, 2009
Tim Bryant

Ottawa's plan to reintroduce development charges in Centretown may be a welcome relief to the city's coffers, but many developers are concerned the plan will do more harm than good.

For 15 years, the area bounded by the Queensway, the O-Train, Somerset Street, Bronson and Laurier avenues and Elgin Street has been exempt from the fees.

In 2004, the city considered removing the downtown exemption. Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says city staff recommended its removal, but council decided not to follow the recommendation, and only reduced the exempted area's size.

http://centretownnewsonline.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=847

1,200 'green jobs' in works for Kingston
Panels made in $500-million solar module facility expected to be available toward the end of 2010

Toronto Star, March 26, 2009
Tyler Hamilton

Four entrepreneurs from Toronto announced an ambitious plan yesterday to build a $500-million solar module manufacturing facility in Kingston, an investment expected to create 1,200 direct and indirect "green-collar" jobs in the area.

Everbrite Solar, a division of Toronto-based Everbrite Industries Ltd., said the plant would be capable of producing 150 megawatts of solar modules every year, roughly enough to supply power to 20,000 homes annually.

The plan includes an investment of up to $25 million in an experimental robotic production line that researchers at Queen's University will use to improve the performance and reliability of the solar modules, which will be based on "thin-film" manufacturing techniques that allow for high-volume, low-cost production.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/608451

Planners propose gradual increase in urban redevelopment
Huge, fast shift from single-family homes 'not realistic,' experts say

Ottawa Citizen, March 25, 2009
Patrick Dare

Ottawa's planners are proposing a gradual increase in the amount of urban redevelopment in the city because they say a wholesale move from single-family homes in the suburbs is not realistic.

The planners say the city will become a somewhat more densely developed community between now and 2031. Today, 36 per cent of new housing in the urban area is "intensification" development, which means building new housing in established neighbourhoods.

That more environmentally-friendly style of development is a priority for both the city and the provincial government because it uses less land and makes cities more capable of supporting services such as public transit.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Planners+propose+gradual+increase+urban+redevelopment/1424638/story.html

Staff offer $640 million wish list
Council to shuffle priorities to take advantage of federal, provincial infrastructure money

Ottawa Citizen, March 24, 2009
Patrick Dare

The City of Ottawa has created a "menu" of $640 million worth of projects from which the federal and provincial governments can pick to spend infrastructure money to stimulate the lagging economy.

The project lists, released Monday to council's economic affairs committee, assign top priority to public transit and give the lowest priority to new suburban roads. The lists include projects that can be built in the next two years to give the federal and provincial governments the job boost they hope to deliver with this year's budgets.

The federal government, which released a budget in January, has four funds the city can apply to for money; the province reveals its budget plans Thursday and is expected to spend heavily on public works.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Staff+offer+million+wish+list/1420767/story.html

L'Ontario investira 27,5 milliards $ en 2 ans dans les infrastructures

Le Droit, le 23 mars 2009
La Presse Canadienne

L'Ontario dépensera 27,5 milliards $ pour des routes, des écoles, des hôpitaux et des services de transport en commun au cours des deux prochaines années, dans un effort pour créer 300 000 nouveaux emplois.

Le premier ministre, Dalton McGuinty, a fait savoir lundi que ces investissements importants, qui feront l'objet d'une présentation plus détaillée dans le budget provincial de jeudi, seront complétés par des fonds additionnels de 5 milliards $ provenant du gouvernement fédéral.

M. McGuinty a expliqué que son gouvernement vise ainsi à réagir à la récession mondiale. L'Ontario fait sa part pour stimuler l'économie, a-t-il affirmé, ajoutant que ces 32,5 milliards $ représentent le plus important investissement jamais fait, en deux ans, dans les infrastructures.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/actualites-nationales/200903/23/01-839430-lontario-investira-275-milliards-en-2-ans-dans-les-infrastructures.php

La Ville de Québec veut bannir l'eau embouteillée

Le Soleil, le 22 mars 2009
Éric Moreault

(Québec) David Miller, le maire de Toronto, a fait le serment de ne plus boire d'eau embouteillée, seulement celle du robinet. Une mesure qui s'étend à toute son administration. En cette Journée mondiale de l'eau, Québec a bien l'intention d'emboîter le pas.

«Le maire [Régis Labeaume] est d'avis que c'est une mesure pertinente, souligne François Picard, vice-président de l'exécutif à la Ville de Québec. On investit tellement dans le traitement de l'eau qu'il faut servir d'exemple», ajoute-t-il en soulignant «l'excellente qualité» de l'eau de Québec.

Malgré tous les investissements municipaux, l'eau du robinet «est extrêmement moins chère que l'eau embouteillée», rappelle-t-il. M. Picard souligne qu'aux séances du conseil municipal, les conseillers boivent de l'eau du robinet depuis longtemps.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/environnement/200903/21/01-838964-la-ville-de-quebec-veut-bannir-leau-embouteillee.php

City slow to clear tire mess
74 icy tires have cluttered sensitive land since November: resident

Ottawa Citizen, March 21, 2009
Daniel Nugent-Bowman

OTTAWA - As he steps on the ladder and peered over his grey sound-proof fence, South Keys resident Ernie Schmidt can see the wasteland before him.

Seventy-four icy, worn tires are spread across a 25-metre stretch on the field behind his townhouse. The tires sit just a few metres from an environmentally sensitive parcel of land and have been there since November.

"There's not a lot of tires there by any means," said Schmidt. "I just think there's some risk letting tires collect there."

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/City+slow+clear+tire+mess/1411834/story.html

Another sewage spill into river
Snow melt pushes Ottawa's storm-water system over capacity

Ottawa Sun, March 20, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

More than 43 million litres of sewage has spilled into the Ottawa River over the past month as a result of melting snow and rain.

From February 26 to today, the city's water and wastewater department has reported seven overflow events that have resulted in 43,775,000 litres of sewage spilling into the Ottawa River.

The last spill occurred Thursday when 2.4 million litres overflowed into the river.

The total doesn't include 6,000 lbs. of Freon or a small amount of petroleum hydrocarbons that flowed into the river earlier this month.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/20/8824566.html

Weekend expo aims to inspire greener living

Ottawa Citizen, March 19, 2009
Matthew Pearson

Ottawa was ranked the third-greenest city in Canada last year, but it could get even greener thanks to a new trade show this weekend at Lansdowne Park.

The first Ottawa Go Green Expo will showcase hundreds of environmentally friendly products, programs and services, and also features guest appearances by Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Severn Cullis-Suzuki, the daughter of famed Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.

Organizer Fred Cox said Ottawa, which placed third last year in Corporate Knights magazine's annual rankings of sustainable cities, is a natural choice for such an event.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Weekend+expo+aims+inspire+greener+living/1403855/story.html

Minister on board with $200M
Baird says federal backing a question of 'how much,' not if

Ottawa Citizen, March 18, 2009
Jake Rupert and Glen McGregor

A decision on whether to fund the city's $3.2-billion rapid-transit network will take the province "several months," provincial Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson said Tuesday, but federal Transportation Minister John Baird said for his government, the only question is "how much" it will contribute to the project.

"We've got $200 million available that is theirs," said Baird, referring to the federal financial commitment to a previous expansion plan for Ottawa transit.

"I'm keen, eager and enthusiastic to go to bat for the city to deliver additional funds. (It's) not a question of whether or not we will support the plan, it's how much."

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Minister+board+with+200M/1400311/story.html

Local recycling in middle of pack

Ottawa Sun, March 17, 2009
Canadian Press

Ottawa residents generate a little less waste than the provincial average but are far worse at diverting trash from landfill sites, according to a Canadian Press analysis of the latest statistics.

Recently released data from Waste Diversion Ontario suggests the average Ontario resident generates more than a kilogram of waste every day, or 385 kg a year.

That's more than the weight of a large grizzly bear.

In Ottawa, the average person was responsible for about 373 kg of waste in 2007, ranking the city 108th out of 206 municipalities in waste generation.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/17/8775781-sun.html

Smog makes early appearance as temperatures rise

Ottawa Citizen, March 16, 2009
Tom Spears

Welcome to spring weather. Welcome to smog.

A wave of summer-style smog spread across Ottawa and much of Ontario on Sunday, as warm air and sunshine pushed the air quality into "moderately" polluted territory for the first time in months.

Winter usually protects us from smog, which forms when exhaust from cars and furnaces, gasoline fumes and other air pollutants cook together in hot sunshine. But Sunday's weather was warm and sunny enough to get the chemical reaction cooking for the first time this year.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Health/Smog+makes+early+appearance+temperatures+rise/1393772/story.html

Hydro Ottawa rules out PCB danger

Ottawa Sun, March 15, 2009
Sean McKibbon

Harmful polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were not released into the air during a massive fire that destroyed a substation on Shefford Rd. Friday and left more than 4,000 Ottawa residents without power for several hours, Hydro Ottawa says.

Prior to a 1979 North America-wide ban, PCBs were used to make coolants and lubricants for certain kinds of electrical equipment, such as transformers.

On Friday, police cordoned off the area around the fire, saying they were concerned about toxic chemicals.

Hydro Ottawa spokeswoman Judy Lidster was able to allay that concern yesterday.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/15/8752916-sun.html

Slow it down in Lowertown: Bédard
Councillor says dropping speed limit will increase safety

Ottawa Citizen, March 14, 2009
Patrick Dare

Ontario should allow the city to use photo radar to slow trucks and cars barreling into Lowertown, says the councillor for the neighbourhood.

Rideau-Vanier Councillor Georges Bédard said Friday that he will move to lower speed limits in Lowertown after another fatal traffic accident related to the heavy truck traffic through downtown.

Police have not said that speed was a factor in this particular collision, but Bédard said the limit on the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge from Quebec should be reduced from 60 kilometres and hour to 50, the ramp should go from 40 to 30 kilometres an hour and King Edward Avenue traffic should go from 50 kilometres an hour to 40.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Slow+down+Lowertown+B%C3%A9dard/1388501/story.html

Death revives King Edward traffic debate
49-year-old 'very caring' wife, mother dies after collision with concrete truck

Ottawa Citizen, March 13, 2009
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, with files from Cassandra Drudi and Tony Lofaro

The death of a 49-year-old woman Thursday morning in a collision between a concrete truck and a car has revived the issue of removing heavy vehicle traffic from the King Edward area.

Police closed off the intersection of King Edward Avenue and St. Patrick Street for five hours following the fatal two-vehicle accident, which happened just before 10 a.m.

The truck was heading south on King Edward and the Toyota, driven by Samantha Wong, was westbound on St. Patrick when the collision occurred. The impact heavily damaged the car. Wong was rushed to the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The 56-year-old male truck driver was not injured. They were the only occupants of the vehicles.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Death+revives+King+Edward+traffic+debate/1383864/story.html

Transit pass plan for students fails at council
Councillors vote against waiving rules for debate

Ottawa Citizen, March 12, 2009
Patrick Dare

The push for a pilot project for a transit pass for University of Ottawa students died at Ottawa Council on Wednesday when councillors decided they couldn't even debate the issue.

City council's transportation committee had unanimously approved the program, which would see more than 24,000 University of Ottawa undergraduates from Ontario getting a transit pass for $125 per semester.

However, city solicitor Rick O'Connor told council in a memo that they should waive the rules of procedure because council had already looked at the university pass issue in December. At the meeting, Mayor Larry O'Brien ruled that council must waive the rules. That's a high bar, since three quarters of council must support waiving the rules.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Transit+pass+plan+students+fails+council/1379814/story.html

Breathing smog over long-term can lead to an early grave: study

CBC News, March 11, 2009

moggy ozone pollution not only sickens, but long-term exposure can be deadly, according to Canadian and American researchers who conducted a study of the chronic impact of ozone on human health.

"This is the first time we've been able to connect chronic exposure to ozone - one of the most widespread pollutants in the world - with the risk of death, arguably the most important outcome in health impact studies used to justify air quality regulations," said the study's lead author Michael Jerrett, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

The 23-year study, which appears in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed the risk of death from two common parts of air pollution - ozone and fine particulate matter -for 450,000 people living in smoggy California to the pristine Midwest.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/03/11/ozone-smog-deaths.html

NCC gears up for bike rental program

Ottawa Sun, March 10, 2009
Laura Czekaj

The wheels are turning on a self-serve bike program that could be launched in the national capital as early as next year.

The National Capital Commission is seeking tenders to conduct a study on the creation of a program to offer free-to-use or low-rent bikes to the public.

The federal agency has partnered with the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau to develop the program that would make bikes available as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

"We are going to learn from other people's problems and mistakes and we will look at all of that," said NCC CEO Marie Lemay.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2009/03/10/8689026-sun.html

Taming a 'cranky intersection'

Ottawa Citizen, March 9, 2009
Maria Cook

The intersection of Sussex Drive and Rideau Street is one of Ottawa's busiest. Buses roar past. Pedestrians brave slopes, perilously narrow sidewalks, heavy traffic and a concrete underpass as they walk to the Rideau Centre, Parliament Hill, the Westin and Château Laurier hotels and the ByWard Market.

"It's a cranky intersection," says George Baird, dean of the University of Toronto's school of architecture. The National Capital Commission recently unveiled a plan to transform the intersection into a public square with a monument, where people can walk, sit and relax.

Recognizing that traffic must be accommodated, the NCC looked for inspiration to such busy places as Times Square in New York, and Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square in London.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/fp/Taming+cranky+intersection/1368598/story.html

Going to town on bottled water
Municipal organization urges ban and calls for education campaign to tout merits of tap water

Toronto Star, March 8, 2009
John Spears

Canada's cities and towns should ban the sale of bottled water in their own facilities, where appropriate, says the country's biggest municipal organization.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is also urging its members to mount public awareness campaigns about the benefits and quality of ordinary tap water.

Jean Perrault, president of the federation, said that banning bottled water from municipal buildings where good tap water is available makes sense because bottled water is so expensive.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/598500

22 Ontario centres have too much lead in water, report finds

Toronto Star, March 7, 2009
Moira Welsh, Environment Reporter

Ontario's first round of municipal drinking water tests found higher than acceptable levels of lead in 22 communities - including Hamilton, London and Thunder Bay, a ministry report says.

While some cities, like Toronto, have already released the results of their water tests, yesterday's Environment Ministry report gave results for nearly 600 communities tested across the province, under the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standard for lead.

Of those communities, 22 had higher than acceptable levels of lead in their test samples, and four other cities had lead levels that were high, but not over allowable levels. In total, roughly 98 per cent of the municipalities tested in the first round had safe test results, said Ontario's chief drinking water inspector, John Stager.

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/598222

Radioactive material in water normal and safe, city insists

Ottawa Sun, March 6, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

Despite growing public concern about radioactive material found in the Ottawa River, city officials reiterated yesterday the drinking water is safe.

Dixon Weir, director of water and wastewater services, sent a memo to councillors yesterday explaining the drinking water -- which comes from the Ottawa River -- meets or exceeds "all federal guidelines and provincial standards for radiological parameters."

Much attention has been paid to the quality of the water after Sun Media published reports of leaks into the river from the Chalk River nuclear reactor.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/03/06/8646746-sun.html

Reconsideration for student Upass

Metro News, March 5, 2009
Tim Wieclawski

City council will once again consider a pilot project to provide a universal bus pass for all students at the University of Ottawa.

The project, which previously failed on a tie vote at city council in December last year, was given new life yesterday in a motion unanimously approved by the transit committee.?

Transit committee chairman Coun. Alex Cullen warned that the financial figures regarding the cost of the project had to be correct if the Upass was to gain approval from the rest of council.?

City staff had advised against reinstating the Upass since it would represent an additional $1.5 million budget pressure on OC Transpo's budget.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/191484

Editorial: Build the bullet

Ottawa Citizen, March 4, 2009

With infrastructure and stimulus money flowing like water these days, Ottawa and Ontario must prepare for alternative ways to travel in the new energy and environmental world.

If we are to leave a lasting, useful legacy from this recession, it may as well be a modernized system of transportation. In previous moments of economic difficulty, governments built infrastructure that still is in use today. The Hoover Dam lights Las Vegas and helps control water in that parched region. The Tennessee Valley Authority helped electrify much of the U.S. rural south.

Locally, the Lemieux Island Filtration Plant has provided generations of Ottawans with good, clean water. The spending for those projects not only created jobs and stimulated the economy; it produced facilities that have paid for themselves many times over.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Build+bullet/1350575/story.html

Ontario to prohibit 85 cosmetic pesticides
Rules would restrict sale, use of roughly 250 gardening products

Toronto Star, March 3, 2009
Moira Welsh

Environmental groups lobbying the Ontario government for a powerful cosmetic pesticide ban say the province is set to announce sweeping new regulations that will outlaw hundreds of chemical products from use on neighbourhood lawns.

The Ministry of the Environment is expected to make its list of banned chemicals public tomorrow.

If approved, most of the 85 substances - found in roughly 250 products - would be barred from sale and use for cosmetic purposes, said Gideon Forman of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/595528

Montréal : En ville sans sa voiture

Radio-Canada, le 2 mars 2009

Le conseil d'arrondissement du Plateau-Mont-Royal, à Montréal, s'attaque à la circulation dans les rues dans son Plan de déplacement urbain 2009-2024 qui sera présenté au conseil d'arrondissement lundi soir.

L'arrondissement a présenté son plan, qui contient 49 actions, pour permettre aux résidants de se « réapproprier leur quartier envahi par l'automobile ». Le but des élus est de diminuer la circulation automobile de 20 % au cours des 20 prochaines années.

L'arrondissement veut notamment faire passer la limite de vitesse de 50 km/h à 30 km/h dans les petites rues du quartier. L'administration veut également multiplier les dos d'âne et les terrepleins. Le prix des vignettes de stationnement serait également modulé en fonction de la grosseur des cylindrées des voitures. Ainsi, les propriétaires de véhicules utilitaires sport (VUS) paieraient leur vignette plus chère que ceux qui possèdent des voitures compactes.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2009/03/02/005-Vehicules-plateau_n.shtml

Spending green to build green
Achieving a higher level of energy efficiency in Ottawa buildings requires a substantial investment up front, but an ecology group argues that the city can't afford not to make that commitment

Ottawa Citizen, March 1, 2009
Maria Cook

As it pushes for a greener Ontario, the McGuinty government wants more energy-efficient buildings constructed, but it may not be that simple.

According to Robert Vaillancourt, the manager of the City of Ottawa's design and construction division, one of the biggest obstacles facing that goal is a lack of knowledge and experience in the construction industry.

He was speaking in response to a new report by Ecology Ottawa, a volunteer group, that calls on city council to encourage greener building practices, but the province's Green Energy Act puts added focus on the issue of efficiency of buildings.

There's no doubt about the potential reward of greening buildings. About 60 per cent of Ottawa's total greenhouse-gas pollution comes from the energy used to heat, cool, light and power Ottawa homes and other kinds of buildings.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Spending+green+build+green/1341755/story.html