By Liz Bernstein
Cycling and walking made easier
If you are a cyclist, or appreciate dedicated cycling infrastructure for the safety of cyclists as well as pedestrians, there’s good news for you! In April, LCA representatives met with Councillor Fleury and Alanna Lacroix to discuss priorities for improving pedestrian and cycling infrastructure this term of council. Many exciting cycling connections will be made this year in Lowertown. They include:
- Continuing the cycling lanes on St. Patrick and Murray streets west of King Edward Avenue to Sussex Drive
- Installing cycling infrastructure on Mackenzie Avenue that connects St. Patrick to Wellington streets
- Creating a cycling connection point between Beausoleil Drive and the ByWard Market (East to West)
- Creating a south bound cycling connection point between Lowertown and the ByWard Market (from Parent Street)
- Expanding the winter cycling network
Meanwhile, with support from the North Dal businesses, a new bike corral was installed at Dalhousie and St. Patrick.
For pedestrians, LCA’s priority is to expand the pedestrian areas and improve walking in the ByWard Market through the Market Revitalization Project in time for the Ottawa 2017 anniversary celebrations.
A big blow was dealt for the project and the City’s Official Plan goal to “prioritize walking, cycling and transit use” and “minimize car traffic” when Councillors approved Notre Dame Cathedral’s fourth application for a ‘temporary’ surface parking lot, first established in 1992, in the middle of the area. (more on this in our April-May 2015 issue)
Climate change
LCA joined 18 community associations in sending a letter to Mayor Jim Watson calling on the City of Ottawa to do its part in making climate change action an official city priority, a “Term of Council Priority” for planning and budgeting processes for the next four years. The initiative resulted from a meeting of Community Associations Forum on Environmental Sustainability (CAFES). Together with Hintonburg Community Association, LCA co-organized the meeting with representatives of 18 downtown community associations and environmental organizations.
Councillors Jeff Leiper and David Chernushenko, Chair of the Environment Committee, MPP Yasir Naqvi and MP Paul Dewar joined as well. Councillors Chernushenko and Leiper kicked off the discussion on the Environment Committee’s priorities for this Term of Council, including seeking Council endorsement of a 100% renewal energy commitment by 2050, as Vancouver has just done. Discussions focused on common actions on urban trees and the City’s Urban Forest Management Strategy and climate change, resulting in letters to the Mayor on these issues. The next day, MP Paul Dewar made a statement in Parliament about the gathering, noting “Urban trees help to mitigate climate change, and they also make our cities better places to live. All levels of government should support this agenda.”
On April 9, a packed house of more than 100 people turned out to “The Climate Change Challenge” at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church to ask elected officials from all three levels of government in the Ottawa-Vanier riding how they can and will address climate change. Councillors Tim Tierney, Mathieu Fleury and Tobi Nussbaum, Ottawa-Vanier MPP Madeleine Meilleur and MP Mauril Bélanger participated in the event organized by Ecology Ottawa, Climate Fast, LCA and several local organizations.
Relief for our rivers At long last, on April 7 the federal government announced it was stepping up to contribute its fair share to fund the Ottawa River Action Plan to clean up our rivers and allow us to stop dumping raw sewage in them. For years, LCA has joined thousands of citizens across the city in urging the provincial and federal governments to match the City commitment. As Ontario included $62 million in its Moving Ontario Forward budget initiative, it was left to the federal government to complete project funding, which includes building two underground combined sewage storage tunnels to halt wastewater spills into the river. One of the tunnels will run east-west from LeBreton Flats to Stanley Park, underneath Cathcart park.
Proposed Energy East pipeline
In April, TransCanada announced that they would abandon plans to build a marine tanker terminal in Cacouna, Quebec for loading oil onto ships. The corporation wanted to build the terminal as part of its proposed Energy East pipeline, which would carry 1.1 million barrels per day of oil sands crude from Alberta to refineries on the east coast for export overseas, and would cross the Rideau River here in Ottawa. Plans for the terminal were abandoned after citizens organized to protect the nearby beluga whale calving grounds, a Quebec court ordered an injunction against seismic work, and the government recommended beluga whales be recognized as an endangered species. TransCanada announced they intend to change their application with the National Energy Board in the fourth quarter of 2015, which would push their expected start date back to 2020, from a previous date of 2018. As the National Energy Board evaluates how to proceed with their current application, organizations here in Ottawa and more than 60 across the country have urged the National Energy Board to suspend their application.
Sing with us: “We don’t want your money” John Carroll and other popular local musicians announced that they refused to play at the Dandelion Festival (May 22 to 24) in Kemptville, Ontario, if TransCanada was a sponsor of the event. Their statement said “We, the undersigned, are local musicians and in order to stand united with our community in opposition to the TransCanada Energy East pipeline project, we have formally withdrawn our musical services from the Festival.” Members of the community, who strongly support the Dandelion Festival but share the concerns of local musicians, launched a crowdfunding effort to raise money to return TransCanada’s sponsorship.
Trees of Cathcart Park
Five trees infected with the emerald ash borer were recently cut down and removed from Cathcart Park. On May 25, Lowertown Community Association members Isabelle Leclerc Morin and Liz Bernstein joined City of Ottawa Landscape Architect Kendra Labrosse and Councillor Fleury’s assistant Alanna Lacroix to tour the park. Kendra Labrosse has a great deal of expertise about trees and park design, including planting a variety of species, and this was a great opportunity to engage LCA residents. Isabelle favours nut and fruit bearing trees, and when asked what types the City will plant, Kendra noted that serviceberry and Turkish hazel are among them. She suggested replanting near to the tree stumps of removed trees, and near those that are infected but have not yet been removed. They have been treated with an injection which will prolong their life, but not cure the disease. Kendra assured that the tree stumps will be shaved to be flush with the ground. She will draft design plans to be shared with the community in June, finalized in July and trees replanted in October, when the LCA is planning a celebration of the new trees. If you are a frequent user of the park, with children and/or dogs, and have ideas for taking advantage of the replanting in October to improve the park, or wish to adopt a tree, please let LCA know by completing a short survey on our website: www.lowertown-basseville.ca