Green building to use wastewater for heat

Good morning,

Bit of sad news to start off today. Along with working on this newsletter, I’ve also had the pleasure of being the managing editor of Ottawa Magazine. Sadly, the upcoming spring issue will be the magazine’s last.

The media business is a tough one, and unfortunately, the parent company has decided to close the publication.

Fortunately we get one last issue to say goodbye. Keep an eye out this spring to get your commemorative copy, it’s one we’re looking forward to sharing.

Let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Monday: +2 🌡️ -3 | 🌤/❄️ (chance of flurries)

Tuesday: +5 🌡️ -4 | 🌧/❄️

Wednesday: +5 🌡️ 0 | 🌧/❄️

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Spring! Today is the first day of spring. Congrats everyone, we made it! Winter is over!

Council returns: Back from March Break, city council and several committees return to business. Council will look to approve advisory board members, vote on heritage designations, and decide whether to approve a grant for brownfield restoration on Montreal Road.

CITY BUILDING

LeBreton buildings to use wastewater for heating and cooling

What happened: The city’s environment committee will look at a plan this week to use wastewater to heat and cool a new development on LeBreton Flats and Booth and Albert streets. The buildings would take excess heat from the water in the winter, and remove heat from the building and pump it into the water in the summer, CTV reported.

• The city could charge a fee for the use of the water, running about $15,000 to $42,000 per year.

The process is called “wastewater energy transfer.” If the city goes ahead with it, the Dream LeBreton project would have about 600 units of housing in two towers.

The benefits: Heating with natural gas is one of the biggest sources of carbon pollution in the city. Using alternative sources like this can reduce the city’s environmental impact.

Why they’re voting: The city’s bylaws weren’t written with this technology in mind. The technology is relatively new, and the only one in operation in the country is in Vancouver, with two others planned in the Toronto area. If the committee approves it, the design would go for a full vote at council next month.

The Zibi development in Gatineau uses similar technology, getting heat from a nearby factory, while using the Ottawa River to cool the buildings, CTV reported. Theia Partners and Envari Holding are the companies behind the project. One of them, Theia, is also involved in the Zibi project. A map of the location for the project can be found here.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🔌 4,000: The approximate number of people who lost power Saturday in the east end. [CTV]

🏒 9: The number of shootout rounds it took the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Senators this weekend. [The Canadian Press]

NATURE

Turkey trouble at Mud Lake

What happened: Three wild turkeys in Britannia Park will have to be relocated because of their aggressive behaviour. The turkeys are so aggressive that the NCC has had to temporarily close the path around the lake, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Tame: According to the paper, several people were attacked by the birds, who are quite territorial. It’s likely people have been feeding the turkeys, which has made them unafraid of people. They don’t always scatter when people approach and will often stand their ground, particularly now at the start of mating season.

The NCC plans to move them to the Greenbelt where they’ll be further from people. But on their first attempt to catch the birds Friday, they were unsuccessful.

• “The turkeys were reluctant to approach our conservation officers while they had their equipment in hand. We strongly advise to avoid Mud Lake for the time being, while the NCC evaluates the best way to proceed,” spokesperson ​​Benoīt Desjardins told the paper.

Caution tape had been put up last week to close the trail, but by the weekend, it was gone. One woman told CTV he and her friends assumed the turkeys had been moved, but found them on the path, blocking the way.

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. HR generalist at N-able

2. Business relationship manager at the Minto Group

3. Pre-construction development manager at Brigil

4. Project coordinator at the Ottawa Hospital

5. Telecommunications operations manager at SSi Canada

THE AGENDA

🚓 The Ottawa police union is defending its use of the thin blue line flag at its headquarters and on its hockey team’s jerseys. [The Canadian Press]

🍟 Hundreds of marchers paraded downtown to say farewell to the Rideau Street McDonald’s, which will close next month. [CTV]

🏥 The emergency room at the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital closed overnight this weekend because of a nursing shortage. [CityNews]

⚖️ The man who barreled through the gates at Rideau Hall with his truck with several firearms to confront the prime minister had his sentence upheld. [CBC]

🐔 Homeowners with large properties in rural Madoc don’t understand why they are forbidden from keeping chickens. [CBC]

‼️ Health Canada is recalling Good Start Soothe infant formula for possible bacteria contamination. [CBC]

☘️ St. Patrick’s Day was relatively free of major problems this year, with no significant incidents reported by police… [Ottawa Citizen]

⚠️ But in Kingston, police declared a “nuisance party” for a large gathering of thousands of people. [CTV]

💰 An Ottawa private equity firm that bought the company that owns PornHub, and is promising to give performers more of a voice on the platform. [CBC]

🍽️ The Parkdale Food Centre has closed its outdoor food pantry because of safety concerns. [Ottawa Citizen]

🎁 An alleged thief of holiday charity gifts was caught by police thanks to the help of the public. [CTV]

🩻 The Smiths Falls District Hospital is getting ready to install a new MRI machine. [Ottawa Citizen]

🩺 Overdue for a pap smear? These doctors are hosting an all-day clinic May 5 at the Rideau Valley Health Centre in Barrhaven. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏳️‍⚧️ Local trans activist Fae Johnstone was the target of harassment from a group funded by the government of Quebec. [CTV]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Hockey 4 Youth Foundation is giving newcomers to Canada the chance to play hockey. [CBC]

• The Sigwan Spring Festival at Madahòkì Farm was a big success. [CTV]

• Art By J Positive is a business started during the pandemic to deal with isolation.

• In 1968, Jimi Hendrix sat in the front row at an Ottawa cafe show by Joni Mitchell, just days before the release of her first album. [Letters of Note]

• A local dog owner is looking to reunite their pup Zelda with the dog’s siblings, who were part of a litter of puppies abandoned in Mont Tremblant several years ago. [Reddit]

• Check out this art installation for the silent disco along Bank Street this weekend. [Reddit]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

EVENTS

Your guide to this week

General

🎱 8 Ball Pool Event for Make-a-Wish Foundation Fundraising, Tuesday 5 pm: Students at Algonquin College are hosting this pool fundraiser to help the Make-a-Wish foundation, which helps kids suffering from serious illnesses. At Tailgators, 1642 Merivale Rd. Tickets $12.

♻️ Women Creating a More Sustainable World, Wednesday 2 pm: An event hosted by Invest Ottawa bringing together women making the world a greener place. At Bayview Yards, 7 Bayview Station Rd. Free reservation.

💻 Introduction to Arduino Workshop, Beginner, Wednesday 2:30 pm: Looking to learn how to do some programming of simple USB control boards? This beginner workshop is for you. Be sure to bring your laptop. At Makerspace uOttawa, STEM Room 121. Free reservation.

Culture

🤣 Ottawa Jewish Comedy Festival Presents: Jews on the Roof, Tuesday 8 pm: Headlined by Sheba Mason (Jackie Mason’s daughter) it features eight other comics. At the Bytowne Cinema. Tickets $32.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo of a very good dog comes courtesy of reader Christina Drakos. “Here’s Mila helping to trackset a path alongside the Rideau River immediately south of Mooney’s,” she wrote. Great work, Mila!

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!

OTTAWA GAMES

The answer to last week’s Ottawa Wordle was CLOCK, as in what sprung forward last weekend.

With the construction of a building using green technology to reduce carbon emissions, we want to know what year the city has set a goal to have net-zero carbon emissions? (Hint: it’s a nice round number.)

The first five people to write in with the correct answer will get their names mentioned in the next issue.

LATEST COVID STATS