Ottawa finally considers bird-friendly building guidelines 15 years after Toronto, Vancouver
Ottawa City Council is set to approve guidelines for protecting birds, almost 15 years after Toronto and Vancouver adopted their own. This move comes one year after a 2019 report by the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative showed a 30 per cent decline in populations across North America. It’s estimated that 1 billion birds die per year as a result of humans, with collisions being the second largest human-related causes of death besides pet cats.
City council votes to suspend Rick Chiarelli’s pay after “disgusting” actions
Ottawa City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to give College Ward Coun. Rich Chiarelli the most severe punishment possible following the release of a report into allegations of sexual harassment. Chiarelli’s salary will be suspended for nine months, a total of about $79,000. A report by the city’s integrity commissioner found that Chiarelli had violated several city policies when, Robert Marleau says,…
Vehicle collisions biggest threat to urban wildlife, say experts, but little roadkill data available to alter course
In Ontario alone, 14,000 wildlife collisions occur annually. Vehicles continue to be a major threat to the province’s urban wildlife, according to experts, but the government has fallen short of implementing necessary policies to protect them because of the lack of records and data available.
Lack of volunteers during pandemic leaves Ontario’s wildlife centres overflowing with critters
Wildlife care centres are suffering from a series of pressures during the pandemic: more animals in need, fewer volunteers, and always a lack of funding.
Waiting for Stage 2: Toronto and Peel to move on, Windsor-Essex fails to meet reopening criteria
With Ottawa and other Ontario regions wrapping up their first week in Stage 2 of Ontario’s COVID-19 reopening plan, three regions in the province — as of Monday, June 22 — remained stuck in Stage 1 because of concerns about continued transmissions of the virus. The regions initially left out of the second stage were Toronto, Peel, and Windsor-Essex. That…
Nature’s baby season during COVID-19 leads to rekindled love of wildlife — and a spike in unnecessary ‘rescues’
With ‘baby season’ in full swing across Ontario, experts are sharing their advice for reconnecting with urban wildlife while dealing with the realities of COVID-19.
Local Ottawa businesses adapt to COVID-19 closures
Some local business owners say they are facing some very tough choices in the current lockdown in Ontario. Businesses deemed essential by the province include grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, and cannabis retailers among others. This has forced some non-essential business owners to rework their plans to survive during the closures. “I made the decision to cut all nine of my…
Ottawa groups fight plan to expand urban boundary
Ottawa city council will vote in May on whether to expand the urban boundary as part of the city’s new official plan.
Ottawa’s post-secondary students adjust to online learning in wake of COVID-19
Carleton, uOttawa and Algonquin College have shifted to online classes due to the novel coronavirus.
IN THE NEWS: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020
Happy Hump Day Ottawa! Today will have a high of -4°C and a low of -10°C says Environment Canada. Here’s what you may have missed: Young goat’s head stuck in fence prompts call to police to rescue kid When Ottawa police were called to investigate the screams of a child in the west end of the city, what they found…
The Gift of Life: Pets and the holiday season
Inside the Ottawa Humane Society during the holiday season.