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We’ve been getting lots of messages this winter about OC Transpo applying salt excessively in its facilities. So a couple weeks ago, we asked the community to send us photo evidence. And the responses confirmed what we’d heard.
(For the record, we love transit. Transit is crucial to more sustainable cities. But obviously OC Transpo isn’t above criticism—as we think you’ll agree.)
And these practices have significant consequences. In a 2020 study, our friends at Ottawa Riverkeeper showed “very concerning levels of chloride pollution in streams when sampled after salt is applied to nearby roads,” levels that “pose a danger to local freshwater life.” Then in a 2023 study, they showed that these levels “remained above the chronic toxicity threshold at most sites sampled.”
In short, we’re toxifying our watercourses with salt, and the toxic salinity levels are lasting all year.
Salt is also toxic to our soil and vegetation. According to one study, salt accumulation in soil “leads to reduced water permeability, poor aeration, surface crusting, and increased alkalinity.” Another study shows that “the application of de-icing salts for winter road maintenance is recognized as a major contributor to the decline of urban trees.”
Of course, salt isn’t just toxic to our ecosystem; it also degrades infrastructure. While OC Transpo tells us that they haven’t calculated the cost of salt damage to infrastructure, we know salt damage was the primary reason that the Alexandra Bridge needs replacing—to the tune of $800 million. (Image: Alexandra Bridge. Credit: National Capital Commission.)
You’d think that we’d take better care of the $7-billion investment we just made, to speak only of the O-Train.
So we’re taking action. We contacted OC Transpo on January 6, asking for information about their salt application practices. We received a reply on January 30 that, while informative, didn’t ultimately address our ecological concerns, apart from a brief discussion of alternative to standard road salt. In fact, they never explicitly acknowledge salt's ecological consequences. Nor have we yet received a response yet to our follow-up questions.
We’re calling the community to action. Here are a few things you can do:
- Sign our petition calling for a review of OC Transpo’s practices and the adoption of better practices, as well as the funding of Ottawa Riverkeeper’s water monitoring
- Contact your councillor to ask for immediate improvements at OC Transpo
- Continue emailing us ([email protected]) your photos of OC Transpo’s salting practices
OC Transpo did ask that “If passengers observe instances of excess salting at a station or bus shelter, we encourage them to contact Customer Service at 613-560-5000 or via Customer Feedback | OC Transpo so that our Facilities Team can quickly remove the excess salt or share with the appropriate maintainer to action and prevent reoccurrence.” This said, several people told us that they did precisely this, but no obvious action was taken.
Please join us in protecting Ottawa’s ecosystem from salt toxicity!
