Media Releases

Prevent Sewage Spills into the Ottawa River

More than ten thousand concerned Ottawans have signed the petition to stop the intentional dumping of sewage into our local rivers. Please add your voice.

Every year hundreds of millions of litres of untreated sewage are spilled into local rivers. This closes swimming areas and increases the risk of sickness and infection.

Many of Ottawa’s older sewers carry both sewage and storm water. When Ottawa gets a heavy rain the volume is more than the wastewater treatment system can handle so the contaminated water is dumped directly into our local waterways.

Who Should Pay for Surveillance on Public Transit?

On June 19, safety was highlighted as a priority for OCTranspo as the Transit Commission discussed installing surveillance cameras on new buses (Item 7). It was noted that these surveillance cameras would be financed by increasing transit fares. However it was explained that the surveillance cameras would not necessarily increase ridership. Councillor Wilkinson expressed regret that the money for the surveillance cameras would come from transit users and not from city revenue. Despite this, the item was passed by the Transit Commission with 5 Yays and 3 Nays. Thumbs Down to Councillors Wilkinson, Egli, Deans, and Tierney for approving an increase in fares for an initiative that will not necessarily increase or improve ridership. It is worth nothing that the three Nays were from Commissioners (public citizen members) Ferrabee, Rahn, and Johnson. Only Commissioner Crew voted for the increased fares for surveillance. Initiatives to improve the public transit system should ideally come from city revenue and not from transit users. Ever increasing transit prices is likely to ultimately decrease transit ridership, and in order to have a sustainable city it is necessary to have a cheap and user friendly transit system in place. It would be excellent if Councillors on the Transit Commission acknowledged this fact and acted diligently to deter rising fares in the future.

A Huge Milestone for the Ottawa River

Ottawa Canada July 2010 — Ottawa Tourist Bureau 13 (Photo credit: dugspr — Home for Good)

We are entering a critical phase in the long struggle to stop the dumping of sewage into the Ottawa River. The City of Ottawa has a plan, it has committed its fair share of the money and, if all goes well, the resources we need to make the plan a reality will be approved in next year’s federal and provincial budgets.

Are Our Streets Safe and Accessible? A Walking and Cycling Audit of Lowertown

Making streets safer for people, not just cars should be a city priority according the Lowertown Community Association and Ecology Ottawa. An “active transportation” audit – evaluating walking, cycling, skateboarding and wheelchair use in Lowertown – will take place Wednesday June 19 starting at 5:00 PM at Centre Routhier, 172 Guigues St.

Lowertown streets need to be safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. The audit, a two-hour tour of the neighbourhood, will be conducted by Ottawa cyclists and walkers, residents using wheelchairs and parents with strollers. Ottawa City Councilor Mathieu Fleury, City of Ottawa staff and representatives of Walk Ottawa, the King Edward Avenue Task Force and Citizens for Safe Cycling will also be participating in the audit tour.

Strengthen the future of the Byward Market, but make it a future with fewer cars

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] York street in the ByWard Market (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

The highlight of the June 11th Planning Committee meeting was item 7 entitled ‘Strengthening the Future of the Byward Market’. As a response to concerns from the Byward community, the City of Ottawa hired a New York based firm, Project for Public Spaces (PPS), to identify the challenges and opportunities that exist in the Byward Market. The report that was submitted to the Committee concluded that ‘the public market (farmer’s market) located in the core of the ByWard Market is at risk of being lost if significant changes are not made.’

The Interprovincial Bridge- Thinking Outside the Bridge

The Transportation Committee saw a contentious debate over the National Capital Commission (NCC)’s Recommended Corridor for the Interprovincial Crossing (Item 1 on the Agenda) on June 5. The NCC responded to the truck traffic problem along the Waller Street, Rideau Street, and King Edward Avenue corridor with a proposed solution to develop a six lane highway along the Aviation Parkway and connect it to an interprovincial bridge at Kettle Island. However, this proposed solution would only divert approximately 30% of truck traffic, and the added kilometres of roads would discourage citizens from leaving their cars at home. Building a six lane highway that does not properly address the concerns while simultaneously decreasing ridership on sustainable methods of transportation should not be an option, and the citizens of Ottawa agreed.

Over 20 public delegations presented popular arguments that the development of a Kettle Island Bridge will increase traffic, discourage transit ridership, and disperse the truck problem between the downtown core and another community. It is extremely important to eradicate the truck problem due to safety concerns—there are over 90 trucks per hour on Rideau Street between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in each direction daily, and five to ten thousand people waiting at intersections where the trucks must perform tight 90 degree angle turns. There has been a history of pedestrian injury and deaths along the truck corridor. Mostly everyone at the Committee meeting, Councillors and delegations alike, agreed that the truck traffic problem along the Rideau Street corridor must be solved, but a solution was not determined.

Some Councillors deserve a Thumbs Up for their comments of dissent against developing the new road in light of sustainability. Councillor David Chernushenko reminded Council that new roads undermine Light Rail Transit (LRT) initiatives and active transit as they only encourage car use and congestion. He said that if the issue was up for a decision today, he would not vote for developing this road. Councillor Peter Clark made a point of considering the environmental impacts on the land if a six lane road was built along the Kettle Island Corridor. Councillor Fleury reminded Councillors that in line with the Transportation Master Plan, it is important for the City, NCC, and Council to focus initiatives on cycling lanes and wider sidewalks. Councillors Chernushenko, Clark, and Fleury all receive a Thumbs Up for keeping sustainable development as a priority even when faced with a complicated issue such as the truck traffic problem.

The proposed Kettle Island Bridge corridor is not a progressive or smart solution to the truck traffic problem. The Kettle Island Bridge will increase car traffic and congestion in the East end of Ottawa, decrease transit ridership, and harm the natural environment, all while failing to properly solve the truck problem in downtown. It is not the right solution to develop our City sustainably. Following the Committee meeting, the Interprovincial Bridge Crossing proposed route at Kettle Island was later announced as not approved for funding by the Ontario government, thereby ending the debate. While this is a relief for Ottawans, the truck traffic problem remains.

Instead of proposing alternate routes to travel to Quebec, it may be worthwhile for City representatives to reflect upon London, England’s initiatives to eradicate trucks from the downtown core to decrease noise, pollution, and safety risks. One initiative London practices in the London Lorry Control project. The London Lorry Control project controls the movement of larger trucks during set hours, deterring truck traffic from downtown. While this project limits large truck traffic to overnight (to reduce noise pollution for residents), Ottawa could implement similar restrictions only for the time periods with the highest amount of pedestrian, cyclist, and transit traffic. Another initiative in London intends to promote cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions with the Low Emission Zone regulation that requires heavily polluting vehicles to become cleaner (or risk being charged). One more initiative is the Congestion Charge where road users (especially diesel trucks) must pay a fee prior to entering the downtown area. This initiative has proven very successful. These innovative projects reduce truck traffic in the downtown core and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city. If the City of Ottawa implemented similar initiatives, it could use the funds raised by these safer and environmentally friendly initiatives to increase public transit services, retrofit existing roads, and create cycling lanes and better pedestrian networks.

Hopefully in the future the Transportation Committee will be considering sustainable alternatives as the recommended solution to the truck traffic problem such as those implemented in London, rather than debates over the development of additional highways.

The Battle for Elgin Street Sidewalks- Patios, Pedestrians, and Motorists

The Transportation Committee discussed creating patios at 216, 292, 296, and 360 Elgin Street (Item 7) on June 5. While these proposed patios on Elgin Street would undoubtedly enliven the city street, they would also limit sidewalk space available for pedestrians. City staff recommended issuing a yearlong permit for these locations with the recommendation that staff monitor their patios and the consequences of reduced sidewalk space for pedestrians. Staff would record the amount of times a bottleneck occurs and a person must step onto the road (and into a bus lane). The results of the trial period would be reported to the Transportation Committee prior to the 2015 patio season to determine if the patios should become permanent additions.

A Petition for Pedestrians

At the June 5 Transportation Committee meeting Councillor Hubley proposed a motion (Additional Item) in light of the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario’s report entitled Pedestrian Death Review- A Review of All Accidental Pedestrian Deaths in Ontario from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2010. Councillor Hubley submitted a petition to the Ministry of Transportation to amend the Highway Traffic Act so it will permit municipalities to erect non-signalized pedestrian crossings. These pedestrian crossings will be indicated through the use of signs and pavement markings that will define the crossing within the roadway and will provide priority to pedestrians at the crossings. The motion stated that the City of Ottawa would like to erect non-signalized mid-block crossings at locations where it is determined they will improve pedestrian safety.

Council Watch Monthly Digest – May 2013

Transportation Committee: Cancelled

Planning Committee (May 14): Councillors approved the Bayview Station District Community Design Plan.

Environment Committee (May 21): The Environment Committee held their first meeting since March this month. Despite the lengthy absence, the meeting was unexpectedly short. Councillors’ received an update on the City’s increasing efforts on Solid Waste Services in City Facilities and approved a recommended expansion of the program to include waste generated within large City facilities, City parks, and right-of-ways. Ecology Ottawa awards Councillors on the Environment Committee a thumbs-up for diverting waste from landfills. For more information and for Ecology Ottawa’s critique of this meeting please visit our blog.

O'Keefe Drain Environmental Management Plan

The Planning Committee approved the O’Keefe Drain Environmental Management Plan (EMP) (Item 3) on May 28th. The O’Keefe Drain is located on 211 hectares of predominantly agricultural and natural land east of Highway 416, west of Strandherd Drive, and north of the Jock River. The O’Keefe Drain runs in a southern direction beginning in a residential area north of Fallowfield Road, through agricultural lands, and to the Jock River. The entire subwatershed of the O’Keefe Drain covers approximately 506 hectares. The City of Ottawa requested the development of an EMP for the Drain to create a stormwater management plan and to ensure that the natural features of the area, as well as the downstream system are protected with increased development. The O’Keefe Drain EMP was guided by the recommendations of the Jock River Reach One Subwatershed Study, a stormwater management plan that was developed to manage the watershed in light of increased urbanization and development. The O’Keefe Drain EMP features recommendations such as protecting the core woodlot as a wildlife habitat, planting grasses and trees, developing a 46 m channel corridor that will restore the existing Drain to better enhance the aquatic and terrestrial habitat, and having discussions with the Ministry of Natural Resources for guidance on sensitive species. The Planning Committee members are awarded a Thumbs Up for approving these recommendations to protect our City’s natural environment.

A Liveable Ottawa, with Your Help

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Green cycling lanes installed in Ottawa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

What sort of Ottawa do you want in 20 years from now? Our vision for the future includes massive improvements to the cycling, pedestrian and public transit infrastructure in the nation’s capital, so that people can leave their private automobiles at home more often, or not have to own one at all. The City of Ottawa is building a plan, the Transportation Master Plan, that will determine how the citizens of Ottawa will be moving around the city for years to come and it is currently seeking suggestions directly from residents on how to improve the existing cycling and pedestrian networks to ensure better connections that will lead to more people choosing active transportation options.

Presentation to Environment Committee Post GHG Roundtable

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Council chamber at Ottawa City Hall. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

On May 21 the City of Ottawa’s Environment Committee met for the first time since February. On their agenda was an item related to the March 23 Greenhouse Gas Roundtable.

Unlike the Environment Committee, whose members are city councillors, the recently established Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee is made up of volunteers from the public and it was their workplan that was being approved by the elected councillors on Environment Committee.