Engaging Citizens in Science

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Ben Franklin Place
101 Centrepointe Drive
6 to 7 p.m. Citizen science displays
7 to 8 p.m. Presentations

Citizen science has become an increasingly popular and important method of scientific investigation. Propelled by new technologies, especially social media, it allows researchers to collect and analyze scientific data at scales and in volumes that were never before feasible or affordable. From the analysis of ocean sounds to the tracking of butterfly migration, from global change to backyard bio-blitzes, citizen science is drawing ordinary people into some of the most important and transformative research of the 21 Century.

The event will include displays by organizations active in citizen science in Ottawa. Participants will learn how they can get involved in a wide range of exciting projects.

Our Speakers

Dr. Jeremy Kerr – University of Ottawa

Dr. Kerr from the University of Ottawa is a co-founder of Bumblebeewatch.org and a pioneer in citizen science. He will discuss his experiences and how the public can become involved in ongoing research programs. Dr. Kerr is an engaging speaker, whose work and research has been featured in the journals Science and Nature, CBC’s Quirks and Quarks, The National, and the Rick Mercer Report.

Andy Kenney – University of Toronto

Andy Kenney is a Senior Lecturer Emeritus from the University of Toronto. He will present a new community-based approach to urban forest stewardship: the Neighbourwoods Program. The basis of the program is a comprehensive inventory approach that can be carried out by volunteers to inform the development of a neighbourhood stewardship strategy.

Send your questions and thoughts to wildlife-faune@ottawa.ca
We will do our best to ensure they are addressed at this event.

Les citoyens et la science

Le mardi 12 avril 2016

Inscrivez-vous maintenant

Place-Ben-Franklin
101, promenade Centrepointe
18h à 19h Exposition de projets de la science citoyenne
19h à 20h Présentations

La science citoyenne est une méthode d’étude scientifique de plus en plus populaire et importante. Encouragée par les nouvelles technologies, en particulier les médias sociaux, elle permet aux chercheurs de recueillir et d’analyser des données scientifiques à des échelles et dans des quantités qu’il n’aurait pas été possible d’atteindre auparavant ou qui auraient été inabordables. Depuis l’analyse des bruits des océans au suivi de la migration des papillons, du changement planétaire aux « bio-blitz » d’arrière-cour, la science citoyenne entraîne les gens ordinaires vers l’une des formes de recherche les plus importantes et transformatrices du XXIe siècle.

Nos panélistes

Jeremy Kerr, Université d’Ottawa

Cofondateur de Bumblebeewatch.org et pionnier de la « science citoyenne », discutera de son expérience et fournira un aperçu de comment le public peut participer aux programmes de recherche en cours. M. Kerr est un conférencier engagé, dont le travail et les rapports de recherche sont publiés dans différents forums, comme les prestigieux journaux Science and Nature, CBC’s Quirks and Quarks, The National et le Rick Mercer Report.

Andy Kenney, professeur émérite de l’Université de Toronto

Andy Kenney sera sur place pour présenter une nouvelle approche axée sur la communauté visant à faire l’inventaire des forêts urbaines : le programme Neighbourwoods. Le programme s’appuie sur une approche d’inventaire détaillé, qui peut être appliquée par des bénévoles en vue de contribuer à l’élaboration d’une stratégie d’intendance de voisinage.

Envoyez vos questions et vos idées à wildlife-faune@ottawa.ca
Nous ferons notre possible pour qu’elles soient abordées au cours de la séance.

Policing and Community Safety Meeting – April 2

See this earlier post for more information. The link to the RSVP seems to be broken, but maybe https://www.ontario.ca/form/rsvp-police-police-services-and-community-safety-person-consultations would work.

From: Yasir Naqvi MPP, Ottawa Centre <ynaqvi.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org>
Sent: Thu, Mar 24, 2016 2:09 pm
Subject: Join Us to Help Transform Policing and Community Safety

Join Us to Help Transform Policing and Community Safety in Ottawa

Please join me for a community meeting Saturday April 2, with MPP John Fraser, to discuss the work Ontario is doing to rewrite the Police Services Act to transform policing, modernize community safety and make Ottawa an even safer place to live. This meeting is meant to hear your lived experiences and gain your feedback and advice. You can find more information on our Strategy for a Safer Ontario here.

Please forward this information to any interested individuals or groups and encourage their attendance to enhance the conversation as our government embarks on the biggest transformation in policing in 25 years.

The meeting will be:

Saturday, April 2

Old Ottawa South Community Centre
260 Sunnyside Ave
Ottawa

1:00pm-3:00pm

We look forward to seeing you there. Please RSVP through our website or by calling 416-326-5000

Our mailing address is:

109 Catherine Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0P4
Tel: 613.722.6414 | Fax: 613.722.6703

Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for 2016-03-21

This week’s topics:

Missing male.
Polar Plunge a great success.
Extended deadline for Auxiliary Police deadlines.

– Alex

—– Forwarded Message —–
Subject: Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for March 21
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 14:18:00 -0400
From: Dawn Neilly <wellingtoncpc@gmail.com>

Attached is the Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for March 21, 2016. Please feel free to pass it along to anyone who might be interested in reading it. Any comments, information or requests to be added to or deleted from the list may be sent to wellingtoncpc@gmail.com.

Eileen Reardon
Volunteer, Wellington Community Police Centre
(613) 236-1222 x5870

NeighbourhoodWatch-2016-03-21.pdf

New York’s urban revolution comes to Ottawa

Cities across North America are in the midst of an urban revolution, and we’re inviting you to a special evening to learn from one of the acknowledged leaders in this field.

RSVP for a special evening event with New York City’s Janette Sadik-Khan before it’s too late. On April 27, join us for a reception at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Pavilion at 6:00 p.m., followed by a special presentation at 7:00 p.m. We haven’t even begun advertising this event and there are already over 100 RSVPs!

Over the past decade, New York City boldly re-imagined its streets and public spaces to make way for pedestrians and cyclists. It spearheaded new approaches to making its streets healthier, safer and more dynamic while reducing pollution and fighting climate change. Former Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was at the centre of it all, and will share the compelling story captured in her book Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution.

Ottawa is increasingly positioning itself to be an emerging North American leader in the movement for safer and more livable streets. City Council’s new Complete Streets Implementation plan has the potential to re-shape Ottawa’s urban fabric to benefit all transportation users, ages and abilities.

Read about Ecology Ottawa’s take on the Complete Streets Implementation Plan here. Janette Sadik-Khan will share tips on how to rethink, reinvigorate and redesign Ottawa, and her book will be available for purchase and signing.

This is a rare occasion to hear directly from a leader in urban sustainability, and spaces are limited.

To RSVP, click here now. In the meantime, check out Sadik-Khan’s inspiring TED Talk here.

Event details:

LOCATION: Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park, 450 Queen Elizabeth Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5J3
RECEPTION: 6:00 p.m.
PRESENTATION: 7:00 p.m.
COST: Free

We hope to see you there!

Graham, Neil, Velta, Jeremy, Alex, Tamsin, Jillian, Camilla, Robb and the Ecology Ottawa team

P.S. We’d like to thank the many organizations working together to make this event a success. They are, in no particular order:

Citizens for Safe Cycling
Nobel Women’s Initiative
Ottawa Centre EcoDistrict
Council on Aging of Ottawa
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre
Hintonburg Community Association
Healthy Transportation Coalition
Old Ottawa East Community Association
EnviroCentre
Riverview Park Community Association
Lowertown Community Association
Green Communities Canada – Active & Safe Routes to School Program
Jane’s Walk
Local Eco-Action Families
Dalhousie Community Association
Vanier Community Service Centre
Action Sandy Hill
Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital
Urban Forum
Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association
Sustainable Living Ottawa East
Centretown Citizens Community Association
City Councillor Mathieu Fleury
Tooker Gomberg Greenspiration Fund
City Councillor Catherine McKenney
Lowertown Community Resource Centre
Centretown Citizens Community Association
Rockcliffe Park Residents Association

Safe Streets Ottawa Petition

From: kevino@kevino.net
Subject: Safe Streets Ottawa update: over 400 signatures!
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 12:13:35 +0000

Hello,

Thanks again for taking the time to fill our the http://safestreetsottawa.ca/ petition. So far, we’ve received the support of more than 400 Ottawan’s from across the city. We’ve also attracted a tremendous amount of media attention, including from the Ottawa Citizen, CTV, CFRA, 1310 News, and Metro Ottawa.

The support so far has been tremendous, but there’s still more to do before Council votes on this . We need your help!

Please consider sharing the petition with your friends, family, and other followers through facebook, twitter, email and word of mouth. If everyone that has signed up so far can get just one more person to sign, we will double our numbers.

Here’s some sample messages you can just copy and paste:

I believe Ottawa police need the best tools to combat speeding. Tell your councillor at safestreetsottawa.ca! #ottcity (tweet it!)
I told my councillor that I want more action on speeding in my neighbourhood. You should too! safestreetsottawa.ca #ottcity (tweet it!)
Does speeding make you feel unsafe in your neighbourhood? Tell your councillor! safestreetsottawa.ca #ottcity (tweet it!)

Thanks again for your support!
Kevin and Mike,
http://safestreetsottawa.ca/

Cowley Family History now In Print

Subject: Hot off the press! – Cowley family history now in print
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 00:06:30 -0400
From: Christine Jackson <cfjackson@sympatico.ca>

The articles I have written previously on the Cowley family history and which are posted in the history section of the CPCA website have been compiled into a new booklet, just published by the Historical Society of Ottawa.

The family’s history in the Ottawa Valley has been expanded upon somewhat, while a little less space is devoted to their English origins.

If anyone is interested in reading more about this family, which was responsible for establishing the Champlain Park neighbourhood (formerly known as Riverside Park), information is attached on how to obtain a copy of this booklet — From Steamboats to the NHL: The Ottawa Valley’s Cowley Family.

Thank you
Christine Jackson

PamphletPromo_16mar2016.pdf

FCA Planning and Zoning Newsletter Updates & Coach Houses

Subject: Fwd: FCA Planning and Zoning Newsletter Updates March 4, 2016
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2016 19:37:01 -0400
From: Heather Pearl <hpearl2012@gmail.com>

Coach Houses: City of Ottawa proposal

Please see item #4 in the attached FCA Planning and Zoning Newsletter. For many reasons, Community Associations throughout Ottawa are not pleased with the City’s current Coach House proposal. The proposal is “one size fits all”. There is no regard for individual community character, the character of surrounding properties or even other existing By-laws. Coach Houses might be a good fit in some locations, but this has not been addressed. This proposal has been rushed through. It needs to be reconsidered.

Every single and semi-detached house already is legally entitled to have a secondary dwelling unit. One needs to ask, “What problem are we trying to solve with this proposal?” In Champlain Park, small, older, single-family homes, many containing affordable secondary dwelling units, are being razed and replaced by very large single family and semi-detached houses. These new houses have ample room for interior secondary dwelling units. Installing them would be a viable response to the need for affordable housing and would not be likely to create new problems. Adding a detached house in the limited space remaining in their rear yards, however, will infringe on the privacy of neighbours and leave little to no room for greenspace and trees. (Note: Coach Houses would need to be only one metre from the rear and side-yard lot lines.)

The number of responses to the survey were miniscule in relation to the number of properties to which this proposed By-law will apply. The diagrams provided in the survey document showed significantly less lot coverage (by houses and garages) than is usual in the urban area. The diagrams could lead people to believe that there is plenty of room to build Coach Houses in our urban rear yards.

Most Community Associations in Ottawa were completely unaware of this proposal. (Note that the survey and proposal were posted on the CPCA web site, because I asked to receive these kinds of communications.) Post-survey, the City did not consult with communities or individual respondents, as they developed the proposal. They presented the proposal as a fete-accompli with a limited time allowed for comment. I am told that this contrasts with the approach taken in Toronto and Vancouver, where consultation was extensive on less all-encompassing By-laws.

The Coach House proposal seems to have been drafted in a vacuum. Urban properties are not blank spaces; they have neighbours and they contain vegetation which is part of the urban ecosystem. Protection of the urban tree canopy is not considered. Therefore:

The proposal conflicts with the intent of the rear yard provisions in the new infill II By-law. This By-law is still under OMB appeal.
The proposal does not consider the Urban Tree Conservation By-law.
The proposal does not consider the project now underway to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan.
The proposal is not consistent with City policies in its Official and Management Plans, that reference the means to promote environmental sustainability.

The CPCA Executive believes that this proposal needs significantly more work. Prior to the cut-off date, I wrote directly to the Planning and Growth Management Department to state our opposition and reiterate the need for broad-based consultation.

Ottawa’s CAs have put in thousands of volunteer hours, working to make infill developers have regard both for community character and the local environment. As a result, building footprints have been somewhat reduced through the introduction of new By-law provisions on front, rear and side yard set backs. This Coach House proposal, if adopted as is, will render the protections for rear yards useless. It will make it even more difficult to protect the tiny bit of urban forest that remains.

Last week the FCA (Federation of Citizens Associations, the umbrella organisation for Ottawa’s community associations) approved a motion stating that this proposal should be put on hold until a full and open consultative process can be undertaken and the issues responded to. As noted at the top of this message, please see item #4 in the attached FCA Planning and Zoning Newsletter.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,
Heather Pearl
CPCA Co-chair
CPCA Planning and Zoning Committee member
613-725-1422

Greetings all FCA Planning and Zoning Committee Representatives:

Please find attached updates and notes for you to circulate to your Community Association Representatives, following our General Meeting held on March 3, 2016.
These updates are intended to keep everyone informed of Planning and Zoning issues and our work with City of Ottawa consultation.

Best regards,
Sheila Perry,
VP and Liaison,
Planning and Zoning,
FCA

Home Page

FCA.PZ.NewsletterMarch.2016.sp.pdf

Public Consultation on the Plan for the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway Waterfront Linear Park – March 23

Better formatted versions of this newsletter are available at:

http://ncc-ccn.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/9CEF9DD81A3540752540EF23F30FEDED/

http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/capital-planning/public-meetings/calendar-events/public-consultation-plan-sir-john-a-macdonald-parkw

http://www.ccn-ncc.gc.ca/planification-de-la-capitale/rencontres-publiques/calendrier-activites/consultation-publique-sur-le-

Public Consultation on the Plan for the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway Waterfront Linear Park

The National Capital Commission (NCC) invites you to attend a public workshop on the draft plan for the proposed Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway waterfront linear park.

The purpose of this third public workshop is to seek the public’s input on the updated draft concept for the overall park, as well as the more detailed draft concept for the section of the park between Westboro Beach and the proposed Cleary light rail transit station. Some of the key ideas that will be presented include the following:

Creation of better connectivity from local neighbourhoods to the shore with three new, at-grade signalized crossings
Development of three to six animation nodes at strategic sites to provide a variety of amenities for park users
Ecological restoration of the shore habitat
Proposal to better highlight the aquatic habitat with the construction of a boardwalk
Opportunity to comment on two parkway alignment options to facilitate mobility for all transportation modes and provide more park space on the river

The format of the event is a roaming workshop. Each segment of the waterfront linear park will be presented at a station, and participants will be free to visit the various stations and fill out a questionnaire.

Participate in person:

Wednesday, March 23, 2016
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Capital Urbanism Lab
100 Sparks Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario

BOOK EARLY, limited space.
Registration is first-come, first-served, and closes at noon on Tuesday, March 22.

Universally accessible. Please let us know if you have any special needs.

Participate online:

Fill out the online questionnaire, available from March 23 (4 pm) to April 13 (midnight), 2016.

Visit the event web page for more information.

Consultation publique sur le Plan du parc linéaire riverain de la promenade Sir-John-A.-Macdonald

La Commission de la capitale nationale (CCN) vous invite à participer à un atelier public sur l’ébauche de plan du projet de parc linéaire riverain de la promenade Sir-John-A.-Macdonald.

Le but de ce troisième atelier public est de recevoir les commentaires des gens sur le plan conceptuel actualisé du parc dans son ensemble et sur le plan conceptuel plus détaillé de la section du parc qui se trouve entre Westboro Beach et la station Cleary du projet de train léger sur rail. Voici les principales idées qui seront présentées :

Amélioration de la connectivité entre les quartiers et la rive grâce à trois nouveaux passages à niveau avec signal
Aménagement de trois à six pôles d’animation à des endroits stratégiques pour offrir aux usagers du parc une variété de commodités
Restauration écologique des habitats riverains
Proposition de mettre davantage en valeur l’habitat aquatique en construisant une promenade
Occasion de commenter deux options de tracé de la promenade pour faciliter la mobilité de tous les modes de transport et faire en sorte qu’une plus grande superficie du parc donne sur la rivière.

Il s’agira d’un atelier itinérant. Chaque segment du parc linéaire riverain sera présenté à une station. Les participants pourront circuler librement d’une station à l’autre et remplir un questionnaire.

Participez en personne :

Mercredi 23 mars 2016
De 18 h 30 à 20 h 30

Labo d’urbanisme de la capitale
100, rue Sparks, 4e étage
Ottawa (Ontario)

RÉSERVEZ TÔT, car les places sont limitées.
Veuillez envoyer votre réponse avant midi le mardi 22 mars. Premier arrivé, premier servi.

Accès universel. Veuillez nous informer de vos besoins particuliers.

Participez en ligne :

Répondez au questionnaire qui sera en ligne du 23 mars (16 h) au 13 avril (minuit).

Consultez la page Web de l’activité pour plus de renseignements.

Petition to Support Effective Speeding Enforcement – by March 23

From: an Michael Powell <president@ottawadalhousie.ca>
Sent: Sun, Mar 13, 2016 11:00 pm
Subject: Petition to Support Effective Speeding Enforcement in Ottawa!

Hello,

I apologize for the mass email. I’m president of the Dalhousie Community Association (Chinatown/Little Italy), and wanted to highlight a petition tool that we’ve helped launch to encourage councillors to support an upcoming motion at council that would help improve speeding enforcement.

On March 23rd council will consider a motion by Councillor Brockington (seconded by Councillor El-Chantiry, chair of the Ottawa Police Board) that would see the city officially ask the provincial government for the ability to deploy photo radar, or other technologies, as an additional tool for enforcing speed limits.

To support this an email-your-councillor tool has been set up at http://safestreetsottawa.ca/. It lets individuals select their councillor and send a short note indicating their support for the motion. Our hope is to provide grassroots support for those councillors already planning to support the cause, and a bit of a nudge for those on the fence or that might currently be opposed.

If you are interested, we’d appreciate if you could forward the site you your members and through social media channels to help drive participation. We’ve had a good response so far, and our hope is that we can get great representation from all wards.

Thanks for your support,
Michael Powell
President, Dalhousie Community Association

Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for 2016-03-14