May 2009


Avid cyclists consider lobby group
Summit looks to put bikes back on agenda

Ottawa Citizen, May 31, 2009
Vito Pilieci

More than 100 avid cyclists descended on a Bank Street church Saturday to discuss the creation of a lobby group to represent cyclists in the capital.

The meeting, facilitated by Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar, was scheduled after cyclists showed a groundswell of support for some offhand comments Dewar made at a press conference about a year ago.

At the time, the MP argued that federal infrastructure payments should allocate money specifically for bike paths and roadways used by cyclists.

Ottawa's bicycle community took the comments as a rallying cry.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Travel/Avid+cyclists+consider+lobby+group/1648109/story.html

Switch up your commute, Sierra Club urges

Metro Ottawa, May 31, 2009
Tracey Tong

At one time or another, many city residents have toyed with the idea of abandoning their cars in favour of a stress-free bus ride to work. This week is a good excuse to actually try it.

To coincide with Environment Week, the Sierra Club of Canada is holding its 2009 Commuter Challenge. Through Saturday, Ottawa residents are encouraged to get to work by cycling, walking, using public transit, or even carpooling - anything but driving to work alone.

More than 3,800 people in the National Capital Region are expected to participate in this national program, said local Commuter Challenge organizer and national climate change campaigner for the Sierra Club of Canada Mike Buckthought. Canadawide, 32,000 people will take part.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/237718--switch-up-your-commute-sierra-club-urges

Toronto: Making cents of bag fee

Toronto Star, May 31, 2009

Starting tomorrow, stores across Toronto will be obligated by law to charge customers five cents for a plastic shopping bag. Some grumbling from merchants and the public can be expected, but there are sound reasons for this fee.

At first blush, an added charge might seem like the last thing consumers need, especially with the economy in the grip of the Great Recession. But it is important to remember that the five-cent hit can easily be avoided if shoppers pack their goods in a reusable bag, box or bin that they bring to the store. The charge is meant to promote the bring-your-own-bag habit in order to reduce the number of plastic bags in circulation (460 million yearly in Toronto alone, almost all of them ending up in dumps or as litter).

There remains some confusion over the new bylaw, despite heavy news coverage of the bag fee, a summary of the rules on the city's website, and a direct mailing of information to thousands of retailers.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/642836

Opinion: Breaking the car addiction: so right but so hard

Toronto Star, May 31, 2009
Colin Ellard

This week, I drove into Toronto from my home in Kitchener to participate in a radio interview about the psychology of cities. Because of a sparse intercity rail schedule, I had no other choice but to drive in and to take my chances with a journey that can take anywhere from one to three hours depending on traffic, construction and accidents.

Once in the city, I sat in heavy traffic feeling hot, tired and hungry and just out of reach of streets filled with pedestrians and offering a dazzling selection of tiny markets, restaurants and cafes. From my vantage point, trapped within the steel carapace of my automobile, I might as well have been on the far side of the Moon.

As I tried to prepare my mind with city-centric thoughts for my upcoming interview, all I could think about was how much I envied the vibrant density of Toronto's streets, teeming with life and possibility. As a resident of a mid-sized Ontario city that is struggling to find ways to bring density to its core and all of the benefits that accrue from busy sidewalks, I couldn't help but shake my head at radio reports of the ongoing debate about the reimagining of Jarvis Street as a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly boulevard.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/642851

Cycling summit looks to future

Ottawa Sun, May 30, 2009
Laura Czekaj

Usually it's the parking spaces surrounding St. Giles Church in the Glebe that are hard to come by.

Saturday morning, it was the bike racks behind the church that were overflowing as cyclists from across the city poured into the church's basement for a discussion about improving local cycling infrastructure.

The brainstorming session was organized by NDP Ottawa-Centre MP Paul Dewar and presentations were given by representatives from the National Capital Commission, the city, and VELO Quebec.

Recommendations from the gathering will be used to help make future plans for cycling in the area.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/30/9626386.html

Sticky week ahead for city committees
Employee wage hike among motions to go before officials

Ottawa Citizen, May 30, 2009
Jake Rupert

City hall should bustle next week as elected officials on three council committees deal with some sticky questions - three of them raised by Bay Councillor Alex Cullen, who has announced his intention to run for mayor next year.

On Monday, he has a motion in front of council's community services committee calling for the city to raise the minimum wage it pays its employees to $13.25.

The most controversial part of the motion, however, is that it would also require all companies doing business with the city to pay their employees that much. Strong opposition is expected.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Sticky+week+ahead+city+committees/1644894/story.html

When sprawl hits the wall

Ottawa Citizen, May 29, 2009
David Reevely

These lines from a Citizen story bug me:

Kanata North Councillor Marianne Wilkinson agreed urban expansion was needed to give more planning time and to accommodate future generations that wanted to own single-detached homes.

"To say now that everything has to go in the existing area is to say to people in the future they can't live in the same type of housing we live in," she said.

This bugs me for its cluelessness about the whole debate we're meant to be having about why and how we build. It implies that densification is simply an arbitrary choice, driven by aesthetics or ideology.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/When+sprawl+hits+wall/1640975/story.html

Car-driven society poses health risk

Ottawa Citizen, May 29, 2009
Matthew Bigg, Reuters

When Seema Shrikhande goes to work, she drives. When she takes her son to school, they drive. And when she goes shopping, to the bank or to visit friends, she gets into her car, buckles up and hits the road.

Driving is a way of life for Americans but researchers say the national habit of driving everywhere is bad for health.

The more you drive, the less you walk. Walking provides exercise without really trying.

Ideally, people should take 10,000 steps a day to maintain wellness, according to James Hill, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/driven+society+poses+health+risk/1643184/story.html

EDC's $150M new home is sleek, eco-friendly

Ottawa Citizen, May 29, 2009
Andrew Thomson

Export Development Canada plans to move into a sleek and eco-friendly $150-million office tower in 2011, one of downtown Ottawa's largest developments in recent years.

More than 1,000 EDC employees will occupy the entire 18-storey, 520,000-square-foot building at the southeast corner of O'Connor and Slater streets, which will use a metal and glass curtain wall to maximize natural light.

Broccolini Construction Inc. and the Montreal-based Canderel Group of Companies were announced as the builders and co-owners Thursday, following a bidding process that stretched back to January 2008.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/150M+home+sleek+friendly/1641015/story.html

Jennifer Lewington, Globe and Mail, May 29, 2009

Green roofs will be required on new buildings in Toronto starting next year after city council yesterday overwhelmingly adopted the most comprehensive rules of any city in North America.

By a vote of 36-2, with councillors Rob Ford and Doug Holyday the only dissenters, council approved measures that developers warn will add to costs and that green-roof advocates say do not go far enough.

The new bylaw catapults Toronto to the top of the heap in North America in terms of the comprehensiveness of its mandated rules, according to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. But the advocacy group said that Toronto does not even rank in the top 10 of North American cities - with Chicago in Number 1 spot - in terms of square footage of green roofs installed in 2008.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/council-approves-stringent-green-roof-rules/article1154619/

If funding can be found for the project, it would see a 12.5-kilometre light-rail line running on the current bus transitway from Tunney's Pasture in the west, across downtown in a 3.2-kilometre subway, to Blair Station in the east. The plans call for 13 stations with four in the tunnel.

Council's decision was made despite a heavy lobby against the route of the downtown tunnel by business groups who don't like the route or what it could mean for their operations, and opposition from some councillors who have a number of concerns.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Council+pushes+transit+plan+ahead/1636864/story.html

Bicycles for Humanity

Ottawa XPress, May 28, 2009
Sara Falconer

Folks have begun to shyly bare their pasty knees, heralding the return of that long-awaited occasion: bike season! As you dig through your cluttered garages and basements, remember that your unused bicycles and sports equipment can make a real difference in developing countries.

On May 30 from 9 a.m. until noon, Bicycles for Humanity will hold their annual Bike Drive across the city. Visit www.bicycles-for-humanity.org/Ottawa/index.php for a list of locations.

"The demand is huge in developing countries, and the supply is huge in developed countries," says Seb Oran, who helped start the local group in 2007. Although bicycles are one of the cheapest transportation technologies, easily maintained with minimal tools and parts, they remain unattainable for people subsisting on $1 per day. Some of the thousands of bikes discarded each year in the Western world can mean easier access to health care, education, food, water and jobs.

http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=17423

Weeding out pesticides changes Ottawa lawn care

CBC News, May 28, 2009

The ban on cosmetic pesticides that took hold in Ontario on April 22 has changed the face of residential lawn care, say some Ottawa residents.

Now that spring is in full bloom, dandelions and weeds have sprouted on lawns and residents say they've had to come up with some creative ideas to make sure the lawns stay green for summer.

"We had grub worms last year," said Rick De Pauw, who lives in Kanata and has used pesticides on his lawn in the past.

But he had to come up with a new plan when raccoons ripped up his lawn to find the grubs so they could eat them.

"What we'll do now, I don't know - probably something more natural. But what I've heard is the natural stuff is not as effective."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/05/28/ottawa-pesticide-ban-lawns.html

Lansdowne group wants extension

Ottawa Sun, May 28, 2009
Shane Ross

City staff and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group have asked city council to extend the 60-day window to create a redevelopment plan for Lansdowne Park.

City manager Kent Kirkpatrick sent a memo to council Thursday indicating he will seek a 30-day extension, which would defer the tabling of the Lansdowne plan to Aug. 26. A public consultation would follow before council votes on the plan.

Kirkpatrick will provide council with an update on negotiations on June 10.

"Currently, both parties are working out the details of the proposed redevelopment program, as well as the business and financial plans. An urban design expert is also being retained to work with and assist the city and OSEG teams in refining the development concept," Kirkpatrick said in the memo.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/28/9605966.html

Bike riding is bliss in Copenhagen
Cyclists rule the roads in Copenhagen, but officials steer clear of any talk on safety

Toronto Star, May 28, 2009
Matthew Blackett

When I arrived in Copenhagen for my week-long visit, it felt like I landed in the opposite world of Toronto. There was plenty of congestion on the roads, but it was bikes clogging the streets and not cars. Shop owners weren't demanding more parking for vehicles but were providing their own racks for bikes. Businesses were lobbying for more streets to become pedestrianized. It seemed like I had travelled into the future of what a sustainable transportation city could look like.

This was driven home when I was sitting having lunch with Andreas Rohl, project manager for Copenhagen's cycling infrastructure, when the Dane shocked me with the simple statement: "We try to never talk to the public about cycling safety."

Copenhagen is vying for the title of the western world's best bike city. About 40 per cent of trips made by residents are on bike. When the weather allows it, the number reaches 60 per cent. The city has adopted a goal that 50 per cent of all trips in the greater Copenhagen region be made by bike by 2015.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/641641

City gets way in south Nepean project, but council asked to pay developer $180,000

Ottawa Citizen, May 26, 2009
Patrick Dare

OTTAWA - A five-year-old fight between the City of Ottawa and a developer over land in south Nepean is coming to a close, with the city paying $130,000 in costs and waiving $50,000 in building fees.

In the former city of Nepean in the 1990s, officials developed a plan for the southern urban area of the municipality. In 2005, Ottawa city council refused a request by DCR Phoenix to rezone residential land at Kennevale Drive and Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven for commercial use. The city wanted to defend the original Nepean plan that had business development concentrated in certain areas.

The development company appealed the city's decision to the Ontario Municipal Board and won, but with the board limiting the commercial building to 70,000 square feet.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/City+gets+south+Nepean+project+council+asked+developer/1632588/story.html

Councillors vote to let Ottawa sprawl further

Ottawa Citizen, May 26, 2009
Jake Rupert

Three attempts to freeze or limit expansion of the suburban boundary were rejected by elected officials on the city's planning and rural affairs committees Tuesday when majority of councillors supported an 842-hectare expansion of the city.

The matter will now go to city council for final debate in June.

The city's suburban boundary is a line on city maps beyond which no major development is supposed to occur. It runs around the outer edges of Orléans, south Gloucester, south Nepean and Stittsville, with rural villages in their own encirclements beyond it.

Developers and other landowners have lobbied hard to have lands they own included in an expansion, which would allow them to build more subdivisions. Other groups argue a continued expansion of the suburbs is bad for the environment and the city's finances. They point to studies showing it costs the city more to provide roads, sewers, water and other services than it collects from new development and the costs rise as development gets further from downtown.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Councillors+vote+Ottawa+sprawl+further/1631757/story.html

Pas question de limiter l'étalement urbain d'Ottawa

Le Droit, le 26 mai 2009
Charles Thériault

La Ville d'Ottawa refuse de limiter le développement domiciliaire et commercial, même si elle a suffisamment de terrains pour l'urbanisation prévue au cours des 18 prochaines années.

Lors de l'adoption de la révision de son plan officiel, le comité de l'Urbanisme et de l'Environnement de la Ville d'Ottawa a rejeté la proposition de la conseillère Diane Holmes qui voulait limiter le développement urbain aux terrains déjà disponibles. La zone urbaine qui se situe en dehors de la Ceinture de verdure, pourra donc être agrandie ce qui aura pour effet d'agrandir les secteurs Orléans, Barrhaven, Leitrim, Kanata et Stittsville.

La résolution présentée par Mme Holmes était très simple. Étant donné que la zone urbaine actuelle comprend suffisamment de terrains pour assurer le développement prévu des 18 prochaines années, il n'est pas nécessaire d'agrandir cette zone davantage. « Nous avons déjà suffisamment de terrains et de toute façon, il faut cesser de construire des maisons unifamiliales en agrandissant sans cesse notre ville. Le sud de l'Ontario a déjà perdu une grande partie de ses terres agricoles et nous sommes en train de faire la même chose. Nous ne pouvons plus continuer à poursuivre le rêve américain qui veut que chaque citoyen possède sa maison. Les villes doivent, comme en Europe, se densifier pour des raisons écologiques et économiques », a fait valoir Mme Holmes en présentant sa résolution. Plusieurs collègues du conseil municipal appuyaient Mme Holmes mais la majorité a décidé du contraire.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/ottawa-est-ontarien/200905/26/01-860069-pas-question-de-limiter-letalement-urbain-dottawa.php

MPPs urge city council to put halt to clearcutting

Ottawa Citizen, May 26, 2009
Jake Rupert and Patrick Dare

With the evidence of clearcuts on potential development lands still on the ground on the outskirts of Ottawa, provincial politicians are urging city council to put a stop to the practice, and city councillors seem to be listening.

On June 9, a draft bylaw restricting what people can do with trees on private property in the suburban and urban areas of the city will be presented at city council's planning and environment committee, and amendments are expected to be made so it will cover some of rural Ottawa as well.

This, city officials hope, will stop landowners from clearcutting forests - either believing it will better the chances of their land being approved for development, or to avoid the hassles of tree conservation studies during the municipal planning process.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/MPPs+urge+city+council+halt+clearcutting/1629569/story.html

Ottawa second-biggest water polluter

Ottawa Sun, May 25, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

Ottawa is the second biggest offender when it comes to releasing pollutants into Ontario's lakes and rivers, says a provincial environmental group.

The most recent numbers released by the Toronto-based organization Environmental Defence - which gets its data from Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory - identify the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre (ROPEC) as a major source for dumping toxic metals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic into the Ottawa River.

Second only to the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant in Toronto, which dumped 13.6 million kilograms of pollutants into Lake Ontario in 2006, the City of Ottawa's only sewage treatment plant in the east end dumped more than 5.2 million kilograms of pollutants.

Two other Toronto sewage treatment plants are also on the list, ranked third and fifth.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/25/9568556.html

Editorial: Don't abandon streetcar deal

Toronto Star, May 24, 2009

There has been no shortage of big money announcements supporting Toronto public transit in recent weeks. Indeed, it seems almost churlish to complain that Queen's Park and Ottawa haven't done enough when billions of dollars in transit investments have been announced.

Still, the inescapable reality is that federal and provincial funding remains uncommitted for the city's most urgent transit priority - the purchase of 204 new streetcars essential to replace an increasingly rickety fleet.

These sleek new cars are available at a good price - $1.3 billion. The only other bid for this contract was 50 per cent higher. And the work would be done by a Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc., employing hundreds of people at its Thunder Bay plant. But there is a catch: money for the contract has to be found by June 27. After that, the deal is dead.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/639035

Allegation: rare trees harvested
Former landowner says he acted within his right

Ottawa Citizen, May 23, 2009
Jake Rupert, with files from Patrick Dare

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources officers are investigating the clearcutting of a forest just outside Ottawa's eastern development zone after roughly 50 hectares of established forest was razed.

Generally, private landowners can clearcut forest whenever they want in rural areas, even if the forests are designated environmentally significant by municipalities, as this one was. In this instance, the former regional councillor who had the trees cut says he has done nothing wrong.

But the ministry is investigating allegations the destroyed forest contained endangered butternut trees. Ontario's Endangered Species Act bans anything that could damage the trees or threaten their habitat -- regardless of where they are. Butternut trees, prized because their wood is easy for carpenters to work with and yields attractive furniture, have been cut nearly into extinction.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Allegation+rare+trees+harvested/1622561/story.html

Editorial: Compromise in the wind

Ottawa Citizen, May 23, 2009

The wind turbine that Graham Findlay wants to put in his Island Park-area backyard has been described as "comparable to a flagpole" in terms of noise and appearance. So why all the fuss?

Zoning violations - big or small - tend to get people upset. And the fact remains that, at 10 metres tall, Findlay's turbine would be twice the height permitted for city backyards, not to mention the feeling among some neighbours that the structure is too close to their homes. Hence the city's committee of adjustment rejected Findlay's proposal to harness wind power right on his own property.

Yet this outcome is less than satisfying, because what Findlay is trying to do - live a green and socially responsible lifestyle - is, in principle, a noble thing, even one that others should try to emulate. So what to do?

Findlay has taken the obvious approach and appealed the city's decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. This makes sense.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Compromise+wind/1624185/story.html

Dirty water keeps on seeping into river

Ottawa Sun, May 23, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

The Ottawa River became the dumping ground for more sewage and other materials this week.

City councillors were notified that 1.2 million litres of high pH water was accidentally discharged from the Britannia Water Purification Plant into the historic waterway on Tuesday.

The amount of high pH water released into the river between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. exceeded the provincial standard.

The pH designation stands for "power of hydrogen" and measures the concentration of acidity or alkalinity in water.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/23/9543756-sun.html

Medical officer issues smog warning
Elderly, children, those with breathing ailments told to avoid outdoor exercise

Ottawa Citizen, May 22, 2009
Tom Spears

Ottawa is in for a third day of smog, as hot air and wind from the south add new pollution to the smog that formed over Ontario and southern Quebec on Wednesday.

Eastern Ontario's dirtiest air was in rural areas northwest of Ottawa, from Petawawa to Algonquin Park and up to North Bay. Ottawa had "moderately" polluted air.

The province's environment ministry notes that these conditions bring "respiratory irritation in sensitive people during vigorous exercise." It adds that people with heart or lung disorders are at some risk, and sensitive plants such as white bean crops can be damaged.

Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health issued a smog advisory for today.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Medical+officer+issues+smog+warning/1617753/story.html

Wind turbines part of future of energy, lawyer argues
OMB hearing told devices should be allowed, but with condition

Ottawa Citizen, May 22, 2009
Patrick Dare

Miniature wind turbines will eventually become part of the urban landscape and should be allowed in a residential Ottawa area under strict conditions, an Ontario Municipal Board hearing was told Thursday.

Lawyer Joshua Moon, representing renewable energy entrepreneur Graham Findlay, told the hearing into a proposed wind turbine at Findlay's backyard in the Island Park area that his client will agree to several conditions if the turbine is allowed. They include:

- having a structural engineer inspect the structure;

- testing the machine for noise;

- having it hooked up by an electrician; and

- agreeing to only operate one turbine model, the Energy Ball V100, at the site.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Wind+turbines+part+future+energy+lawyer+argues/1618111/story.html

North York: Schools get $50 million green boost

Toronto Star, May 22, 2009
Tanya Talaga

St. Basil-the-Great College School is a step closer to building a windmill on its front lawn after the Ontario government announced it is providing $50 million to help schools go green.

The money will encourage school boards to cut down heating, cooling and energy bills by installing technologies such as solar panels, geothermal systems and small-scale wind projects, Energy Minister George Smitherman said yesterday at St. Basil's in North York.

Schools that go green will not only save money on energy and natural gas bills, they can also make money by selling electricity back to the grid through feed-in tariffs, he added.

The $50 million committed yesterday is in addition to the $550 million announced in April to retrofit schools - especially older buildings in need of new boilers and windows - to save energy and create nearly 5,000 temporary jobs.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/638522

Smog warning for Ottawa

Ottawa Citizen, May 21, 2009
Brendan Kennedy

Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health has issued a smog advisory for the next 24 hours.

The city is encouraging the public, especially seniors, children and people with breathing difficulties or heart and lung conditions, to avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

To avoid contributing to smog, the city is also encouraging the public to find alternative ways to commute and avoid idling vehicles. It is also encouraging energy conservation by limiting the use of gas-powered machines such as motorbikes, lawnmowers and barbeques.

Smog can irritate the lungs, eyes, nose and throat, the city states in a release, and can cause coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

A smog advisory is issued when the province's air monitoring network registers an air quality index of more than 50.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Cars/Smog+warning+Ottawa/1616799/story.html

Smog advisory for the capital

Ottawa Sun, May 21, 2009
Sun Staff

The city's medical officer of health issued the first smog advisory of the season today.

Dr. Isra Levy issued the advisory after Environment Canada forecasted a moderate risk for people with respiratory health problems.

The mercury climbed near the 30 C mark today, and public health officials determined a 24-hour alert was necessary.

The high temperatures today also brought warnings about UV levels. Environment Canada alerted the public to a UV level of 8, which is near the top of the scale.

Seniors, children and people with breathing difficulties are most at risk from smog.

Strenuous outdoor activities should be avoided if possible because the presence of smog in the air can irritate the lungs, eyes, nose and throat and can cause coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Public health officials suggest people find ways to lower their personal contributions to smog by using environmentally friendly methods of transportation such as public transit, bicycles or car pooling. People could also cut down on their use of gas-powered machines such as motorbikes, lawnmowers and barbecues.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/21/9528576.html

Ottawa cops get green award

Ottawa Sun, May 21, 2009
Kenneth Jackson

The Ottawa police received an environmentally friendly award for its leadership in the area of reducing fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions.

Police were awarded the Green Fleet Leadership Award, presented at the Green Fleet Expo in Burlington, earlier today.

"Presented by Fleet Challenge Ontario, an initiative of the Canadian Energy Alliance, this award is given in recognition of exceptional achievement in the area of environmental harm reduction," said Ottawa police.

Sgt. Sean McDade received the Police/EMS Fleet Manager award for his work on training and awareness initiatives, idling reduction projects and implementation of new fuel options to support a reduction in fuel costs and emissions.

Police said they are committed to the reduction of idling, green house gases and pollution for cleaner air in our city.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/21/9524901.html

Chalk River isotope reactor on last legs: engineers
Repairs to leaky unit will take months, or won't get fixed at all, experts say

Ottawa Citizen, May 21, 2009
David Akin, with files from Sarah McLellan

As radioactive water continues to leak from the nuclear reactor that produces more than half the world's medical isotopes, Canwest News Service has learned that technicians at the Chalk River facility are privately wondering if the end has finally come for the world's oldest reactor.

A spokesman for the reactor's operator, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., conceded Wednesday that its declaration that the reactor would stop producing isotopes for "more than a month" beginning Saturday is optimistic, but it can't provide any better timelines until it knows what is causing the leak.

"We've given them an optimistic schedule, but it's going to be more than a month," said Dale Coffin, a spokesman for AECL.

Medical authorities said the loss of the isotopes produced by the reactor could spark a health crisis. The isotopes produced by the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River help about 20 million people in 80 countries around the world every year.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/Chalk+River+isotope+reactor+last+legs+engineers/1614456/story.html

Toronto: Miller raising the (green) bar
Mayor announces that Lower Don Lands site will try to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions

Toronto Star, May 21, 2009
Paul Moloney

Toronto's planned Lower Don Lands development will seek to achieve zero emissions of greenhouse gases - a goal announced yesterday at an environmental conference in Seoul, South Korea, chaired by Mayor David Miller.

The site east of downtown is one of 16 projects around the world that will receive assistance from a program founded by former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Miller told Toronto media during a video conference from Seoul.

The Clinton Climate Initiative is a partner with the Miller-led C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, which meets every two years to discuss ways to combat global warming.

The Clinton program will provide advice on how the Lower Don Lands can generate solar and geothermal energy on-site to supply neighbourhoods to be built around the rejuvenated mouth of the Don River, Miller said.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/637374

Drawing the line on urban expansion
It's not enough to limit where we build, we have to look at what we build, too

Ottawa Citizen, May 17, 2009
Randall Denley

A rally this week that attracted 200 people to City Hall to oppose urban expansion was an encouraging sign that people are waking up to this critical, city-shaping issue, but it's not as simple as where to draw the urban boundary line. Where we build is important, but what we build is even more so.

Every five years, city councillors review their official plan to make sure there is enough land available to meet housing needs for the next 15 years. Based on that provincial criterion, the city already has adequate development opportunities and doesn't need to add any land at all to its official plan. Developers don't buy that, and say that at least 2,000 hectares should be added. City planners have proposed an

842- hectare expansion in various locations on the urban fringe. Some councillors are prepared to limit the increase to a 163-hectare piece near Kanata that is already surrounded by urban land. Others would freeze expansion altogether.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Drawing+line+urban+expansion/1604481/story.html

The true costs of car travel

Ottawa Sun, May 17, 2009
Paul Berton

Among all the evil taxes out there, and there are many, surely gasoline is not one of them.

Yet the point of last week's annual Gas Tax Honesty Day, organized by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, is to remind Canadians they are paying too much of it -- $5.9 billion in federal gas taxes this year. The organization believes it should be lowered by five cents a litre, and that we deserve a gas tax accountability act.

The latter may not be such a bad idea. Such an act would help Canadians understand just exactly where the gas tax money goes.

At the moment, says CTF spokesman Kevin Gaudet, "it's nothing but an absolute revenue grab, and it's not clear what they've spent on roads, bridges and highways."

But it may also reveal the true cost of automobiles in our society.

http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/editorial/2009/05/17/9484261-sun.html

Editorial: Sprawling protests

Ottawa Citizen, May 16, 2009

You'd think that getting Ottawans out to a public rally would be difficult, especially when the issue is a municipal (read: unsexy) one. Yet a couple of hundred people showed up at Ottawa City Hall this week to protest sprawl, which until recently was of interest mainly to professional urban planners and architects. It's gratifying to see that ordinary people, too, are starting to pay close attention to the way we live.

And how can we not? Urban sprawl means higher taxes, in order to pay the cost of extending municipal infrastructure to outlying areas. The people of Ottawa are beginning to recognize that the urban boundary, beyond which development is supposed to be prohibited, is a green, money-saving initiative.

The urban boundary is designed to promote the best, most efficient use of land inside it. Vacant lots or parking lots get developed rather than farmland on the fringes. This way, the city doesn't need to build new pipes and create services for suburbs. The municipality piggybacks on the services it already has inside the boundary.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Sprawling+protests/1603373/story.html

Opinion: Sprawl a slam dunk for developers

Toronto Star, May 14, 2009
Steve Parish, Mayor of Ajax

For developers, construction on the urban fringe is based on an intoxicating formula that rivals the best Chianti.

Low land-acquisition costs with freshly increased planning permissions create exponential increases in land value. Large land parcels are ripe for new subdivisions. Economies of scale for construction make suburban sprawl an enticing business model. There are few public objections as few people live there.

It is a marketing slam dunk. Well-manicured entry gates promise dreams of new houses in country-like settings. Branded with names that come from another place or time - like "Imagination" or "San Francisco by the Bay" - comfort, safety and opulence pull at the heartstrings. Picturesque rolling fields, green mature trees, palatial estates and the smiling faces of young families complete the picture. Exciting new features promise "more house for less." It is, after all, what the "market" demands.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/633989

Ontario passes bill promising to boost green projects, create jobs

CBC News, May 14, 2009

New legislation promising to create thousands of jobs and make more room for renewable energy has passed in the legislature.

The green energy act is being touted as a key piece of legislation that will transform the province's struggling economy.

It passed in a 59 to 13 vote, despite opposition from the Progressive Conservatives.

They have long argued that some of the measures in the act amount to extra costs for already strapped consumers.

Energy Minister George Smitherman says the bill will make it easier to bring renewable energy projects online.

It also replaces a patchwork of local bylaws governing where energy projects can be located with provincewide standards.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/05/14/renewable-legislation.html

National. Consumers failing in environmental choices

Canwest News Service, May 14, 2009

Canadian consumers rank second to last overall in their environmental choices, compared with 17 countries surveyed, says an annual National Geographic report released Wednesday. Dragging down Canada's score on the second annual Greendex poll, which measures consumers' environmental impact in the areas of housing, transportation, food and consumer goods, is a propensity for bigger houses, bigger cars and excessive home heating during winter. Canada's Greendex score was 47.5 out of 100. Indian consumers received the highest score at 59.5, while United States residents came in last with 43.7. While the report found Canadians were good recyclers (78 per cent) and drank less bottled water than other countries (45 per cent versus the average of 54 per cent), Canadians were the least likely to take public transit and the most likely to drive large vehicles.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Technology/National+Consumers+failing+environmental+choices/1593911/story.html

It rained ... so sewage flows into river
Storms dump 70M litres of sewage into Ottawa River

Ottawa Sun, May 12, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

Last weekend's rainfall caused overflows in Ottawa's sewage system that dumped 70,200,000 litres of sewage into the Ottawa River.

The weekend overflows started on Friday, when rainfall filled the storm sewer system to capacity and overflowed into the sanitary sewer system, dumping an estimated 6.2 million litres of sewage into the river. The heavy downpours that hit Ottawa on Saturday dumped an additional 64 million litres into the historic waterway.

This brings the total amount of sewage that has flowed into the river since the end of February to about 270 million litres.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/12/9431561.html

Bixi: rabais aux usagers de la STM

La Presse, le 12 mai 2009
François Cardinal

La Société de transport de Montréal profitera de l'inauguration du Bixi, ce matin, pour annoncer que les usagers de son réseau payeront un peu moins cher leur abonnement au réseau de vélo en libre-service.

La Presse a appris que la STM offrira à ses clients les plus fidèles une réduction de moitié du coût de l'abonnement au service Bixi. Ils payeront ainsi 38 $ par année, plutôt que les 79 $ normalement exigés.

Notons que cette offre ne sera valide que pour les usagers qui se procurent 12 titres mensuels par année, ce qui signifie qu'un client qui saute un seul mois (parce qu'il prend des vacances, par exemple) ne pourra pas en profiter.

Pour la Société, une telle entente allait de soi, car elle permet «une nouvelle offre de mobilité» combinant vélo et transport collectif. Douze stations de métro seront dotées de station Bixi.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/200905/12/01-855669-bixi-rabais-aux-usagers-de-la-stm.php

Urban-suburban split heats up over land use
Coalition for a Sustainable Ottawa makes debut with rally

Ottawa Citizen, May 11, 2009
Jake Rupert and Patrick Dare

The battle over Ottawa's official land-use plan is narrowing down to two factions: those who want to put a halt to suburban sprawl and those who support the demand for suburban expansion as a reflection of how and where people want to live.

City planners told councillors on Monday that Ottawa's official development boundary could stay frozen after a regular review this year, but only if they're prepared to limit most new housing to townhouses and apartments.

The official plan directs what can be done with properties and where growth will be allowed. After an exhaustive review of potential expansion lands, target densities and other planning issues, city staff recommended a compromise: put forward 842 hectares of land to accommodate suburban expansion until 2031, thereby increasing the size of the built-up city by 2.4 per cent.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Urban+suburban+split+heats+over+land/1586164/story.html

Tuesday protest to call for end of city sprawl

Ottawa Citizen, May 11, 2009
Patrick Dare

A group of citizens concerned about urban sprawl in Ottawa will hold a demonstration next to City Hall on Tuesday, urging city council to hold the line on the urban boundary.

The Coalition for a Sustainable Ottawa will hold a noon-hour rally at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street at Lisgar Street.

Will Murray, an Ottawa lawyer and former provincial election candidate for the NDP, said he was motivated to organize the event after dropping in on a recent meeting at city hall about the official plan. The city is revising its development plan, as required by the Ontario government, and staff have proposed adding 842 hectares to the city's urban area.

Murray said that the people attending the meeting were people with vested interests: landowners and developers. He became concerned that the greater public wasn't aware of what was going on.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Tuesday+protest+call+city+sprawl/1584820/story.html

Editorial: Car trouble spreads across cities

Ottawa Sun, May 11, 2009
Paul Berton

It is human nature to somehow become rude, selfish, blind and unreasonable once we get behind the wheel of an car.

So it's no surprise motorists across the country are up in arms about recent measures to make urban life easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

In Toronto, there are moves to restrict right turns on red lights to reduce pedestrian injuries. In Vancouver, they want to reserve entire lanes for bicycles.

http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/editorial/2009/05/11/9419086-sun.html

Official Plan tests the limits

Ottawa Sun, May 11, 2009
Susan Sherring

Everything you wanted to know about the city's Official Plan will be at the forefront this week at City Hall -- regardless of whether you're interested.

While the plan isn't on the radar for all citizens, for some it's a highly emotional issue.

Go figure.

In truth, the issues being dealt with do impact us all, and it's an important debate that guides the future of the city.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/columnists/susan_sherring/2009/05/11/9419171-sun.html

Rethink Lansdowne plan: Doucet

Metro News, May 8, 2009
Tim Wieclawski

Capital Ward Coun. Clive Doucet has launched a Lansdowne Needs You! campaign aimed at halting negotiations between the city and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to redevelop the park.

On April 22, city council voted 14-9 in favour of entering into 60-days of negotiations for a sole-source development deal with OSEG, headed by Minto CEO Roger Greenberg.

With Mayor Larry O'Brien on hiatus, Doucet said only four councillors would have to change their minds.

Doucet is calling on people across the city to sign a petition and help to develop an alternate vision of the park that can be presented when the OSEG proposal comes back to council.

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/225515--rethink-lansdowne-plan-doucet

Doucet campaigns for green space at Lansdowne

CFRA, May 7, 2009

Capital ward councillor Clive Doucet plans to launch a city-wide campaign to keep Lansdowne Park as just a park.

He'll campaign for public ownership as well as to restore a competition for deciding how to best re-develop it.

City council has called for a 60-day negotiation with local businessmen to redesign the park with shops, a hotel, and a renovated stadium as part of the Lansdowne Live project.

But Doucet says he'd rather see the park redeveloped as green space, and wants to reinstate the International Design Competition for the park even though council scrapped the idea last year.

http://www.cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=64990

Business expert slams Lansdowne Live

Ottawa Sun, May 7, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

Sole sourcing city contracts could lead to corruption, says the head of Carleton University's MBA program.

Ian Lee, the director of MBA programs at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton, said it's absurd that in the 21st century any level of government is sole sourcing contracts in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Lee was speaking at a news conference hosted by Capital Coun. Clive Doucet.

The councillor wants to put a stop to the potential contract between the city and a group of local businessmen who want to renovate Lansdowne Park. Doucet wants to open ideas for the redevelopment of the property up to the world.

"Sole sourcing is not only bad in terms of the research and practice because of the risk of corruption, it is also bad economics."

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/07/9383461.html

A rail plan in trouble

Ottawa Citizen, May 7, 2009
Ken Gray

The release last weekend of a Transport Canada report on Ottawa's light-rail transit plan should make Ottawa taxpayers worried.

The federal department has misgivings about the plan, not the least of which is that it feels the city is underestimating the cost of the light-rail tunnel. "City staff estimate that a three-kilometre tunnel downtown would cost approximately $550 million, which seems low when compared to transit tunnel projects in other Canadian cities," the report said.

But Transport Canada goes even farther in its concern about the plan.

"While the federal government has been supportive of Ottawa's efforts to develop a rapid-transit strategy, the federal government should not commit to an agreement in principle to fund the entirety of phase one of the rapid transit plan."

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/rail+plan+trouble/1567053/story.html

Plusieurs villes s'intéressent au Bixi

La Presse, le 6 mai 2009
François Cardinal

Avant même que le Bixi ne roule dans les rues de la métropole, plusieurs villes dans le monde songent à importer le concept montréalais, dont Londres, Toronto et Lisbonne. Minneapolis a même déjà conclu une entente en ce sens avec Montréal.

Selon les informations obtenues par La Presse, la Ville de Minneapolis a déjà choisi d'implanter sur son territoire le concept Bixi, mais elle attend de trouver le financement avant de parapher un contrat officiel avec Stationnement de Montréal, propriétaire du brevet.

Parallèlement, des négociations se poursuivent avec de grandes villes européennes et américaines, qui ont récemment lancé des appels d'offres pour se doter, elles aussi, d'un réseau de vélos en libre-service.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/200905/06/01-853712-plusieurs-villes-sinteressent-au-bixi.php

Clive Doucet lance la pétition Le parc Lansdowne a besoin de vous !

Le Droit, le 6 mai 2009
Dominique La Haye

Un groupe de conseillers municipaux d'Ottawa, opposés à l'exclusion du processus d'appel d'offres pour le projet d'aménagement du parc Lansdowne par un consortium de promoteurs immobiliers de la région, se rangent derrière une pétition dans l'espoir de renverser la décision.

La campagne intitulée Le parc Lansdowne a besoin de vous ! est lancée à la grandeur de la municipalité par le conseiller du secteur où se trouve le parc, Clive Doucet.

L'initiative vise à dénoncer les négociations entamées durant 60 jours par la Ville avec le groupe derrière le projet Lansdowne Live, regroupant les hommes d'affaires Roger Greenberg, William Shenkman et John Ruddy et Jeff Hunt le propriétaire des 67's d'Ottawa. Ces derniers souhaitent rénover le stade Frank-Clair pour y installer 25 000 sièges et y ramener une franchise de la Ligue canadienne de football (LCF). Le groupe propose aussi de rénover le Centre municipal et d'implanter sur le site du parc un hôtel, un aquarium et des commerces.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/ottawa-est-ontarien/200905/06/01-854029-clive-doucet-lance-la-petition-le-parc-lansdowne-a-besoin-de-vous-.php

Sewage spills into Ottawa River

Ottawa Sun, May 6, 2009
Derek Puddicombe

A rain shower last week forced 34 million litres of sewage into the Ottawa River.

In an e-mail sent this week to councillors, Dixon Weir, the city's manager of environmental services, said the spill occurred from April 30 to May 1.

This brings the total amount of sewage that has flowed into the river since the end of February to about 159 million litres.

Last fall, the city was fined more than $500,000 after 1 billion litres of sewage flowed into the river unnoticed for two weeks in August 2006.

"Combined sewer overflow events occur as a result of rainfall events," said Weir. "The intensity and duration of the rainfall event affect the number of sites at which combined sewer overflow events occur as well as the volume and concentration of discharge from each site."

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/06/9373121.html

Subway route receives thumbs-up
Transit committee OKs plan despite business concern

Ottawa Citizen, May 6, 2009
Jake Rupert

By a vote of five to one, elected officials on the city's transit committee endorsed city staff's recommended downtown subway route Wednesday night despite a heavy business lobby against the move.

If given final approval by city council at the end of the month, the plan is for a 3.2-kilometre route starting under Albert Street at LeBreton Flats, angling north at Kent Street to Rideau Street and Sussex Drive, then curving south past the University of Ottawa and ending near Lees Station.

Business leaders in the city's core want the route changed to more of a straight line down Albert Street across downtown and across the MacKenzie King Bridge, or at least for the decision to be deferred until more study on the economic impacts of the recommended route and the practicality of their suggestion is done.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Subway+route+receives+thumbs/1570804/story.html

Vancouver leaning to feet and pedals
Critics say closing two of six lanes to cars on Burrard Street bridge would cause gridlock

Globe and Mail, May 6, 2009
Jane Armstrong

VANCOUVER - It was first attempted more than a decade ago but drivers rose up in indignant revolt. Now Vancouver City Council, led by an environmentally minded mayor, is poised to once again cede a key chunk of the city's roads to cyclists.

The place in question is the Burrard Street bridge, one of the city's busiest spans, and the plan is to shut two of its six lanes to vehicle traffic and hand them to cyclists and pedestrians.

Opponents say the plan is foolhardy, arguing that closing off one-third of the bridge's surface will cause gridlock in a city already grinding to a standstill with Olympic road and rail construction.

But proponents say the era of automobile domination in urban centres is nearing an end and it's time cyclists were given more space on the road.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090506.wbcbicycle06art2245/BNStory/National/home

Vancouver plan to prod citizens into behaving more green

Globe and Mail, May 5, 2009
Frances Bula

VANCOUVER - Vancouver has come out with a 44-point plan to make you a better person and save the planet.

In an effort to make Vancouver "the greenest city" in a crowded field of municipal competitors, the plan will give you more encouragement to ride your bicycle with more routes and a public bike-share system. You'll be prodded to install low-flush toilets and insulation when you renovate or sell your home. Your garbage pickup will be reduced by half and you'll be nudged to start recycling your food scraps into green waste bins.

City council advocates of the plan swear they're not going to scold people to be green.

Penalties are pointless right now, "given that the opportunity hasn't existed for people to make good choices," Vision Vancouver Councillor Andrea Reimer said. "Generally speaking, this is like raising a child. You don't take a child outside and then start screaming at them for doing everything wrong."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090505.wbcgreen05art0034/BNStory/National/home

Public input wanted on transit links
National Capital Commission study to call for riders' ideas on how best to cross the interprovincial border

Ottawa Citizen, May 5, 2009
Jake Rupert

Gatineau is building a bus-based rapid transit system, Ottawa is looking at a light-rail system with a downtown subway -- and the job of figuring out the best way of linking the two falls to the National Capital Commission. All three parties want to hear from the public on what should be done.

That pretty well sums up Monday's announcement that the NCC is restarting the interprovincial transit links project that stopped in 2007 after Ottawa's council scrapped its former light-rail plan, which would have run on streets across downtown.

At the time, Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau expressed frustration the study would be halted while Ottawa officials sorted out what they were going to do. But Monday, he seemed happy things were moving again.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/todays-paper/Public+input+wanted+transit+links/1563420/story.html

City offers free cost-saving kits

Ottawa Sun, May 5, 2009
Aedan Helmer

The city is handing out free water efficiency kits as part of Drinking Water Week.

Each kit includes an efficient shower head, a low-flow bathroom aerator, and a toilet tank bank that reduces the volume of water used per flush.

The kits are part of the city's WaterWise campaign, urging residents to conserve water to help prolong infrastructure, and to save money for homeowners.

An analysis of 50 residential water bills showed an annual savings of about $90 in homes that had installed the kits. Residents can apply at any one of seven Client Service Centres, or by visiting ottawa.ca/waterwise.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/05/05/9350361-sun.html

Montreal pedals past us
With the launch of North America's first full-fledged bicycle rental service and a huge path expansion planned, the city is a cyclist's paradise compared with Toronto

Toronto Star, May 5, 2009
Andrew Chung

MONTREAL - So what if the white painted stripes outlining the bike lane along Prince Arthur St. aren't straight, as if drawn by a child without a ruler.

At least the lane is there, say the hundreds of cyclists who use it every day. In fact, bike lanes like this, and paths demarcated by concrete curbs, are everywhere in this city, which for cycling enthusiasts seems to have suddenly become bike heaven.

Through a combination of recent efforts, Montreal is dramatically prioritizing bicycles. Not only has it embarked on a huge expansion of its bike paths - it already has more than Toronto - but on May 12 it will officially launch the first full-fledged public bike rental service in North America, called Bixi, a combination of bike and taxi.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/628997

Ottawa water consumption keeps falling, officials report

Ottawa Citizen, May 1, 2009
Patrick Dare

Water consumption of Ottawa residents is going down as environmental awareness and rising utility bills have their effect, say city officials.

Touring an expansion of the city's Lemieux Island water-treatment plant Friday, city managers said household use of water has dropped between 20 and 30 per cent in the last five years.

"We're seeing a steady decline," said Dixon Weir, general manager of environmental services at the city. "People are changing their habits."

Weir said a variety of factors are causing the demand for water to level out and actually decline. These include the efficient new plumbing fixtures used for new homes and renovations, gardeners deciding to stop extensive watering of lawns and the near elimination of things like washing driveways.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Ottawa+water+consumption+keeps+falling+officials+report/1555350/story.html