Stop The Kettle Island Bridge

10 facts about the consultant’s selection process

A great contribution to the website from Christine, a concerned citizen and resident of Rockcliffe Mews:
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10 Facts About the Process and the ROCHE-NCE Consultant’s Study

1. City Council endorsed Kettle Island as the preferred location for a bridge on June 27th, 2007. This was 18 MONTHS BEFORE the consultant released his Final Summary Report (Jan 09); 4 months BEFORE the Evaluation of Alternatives was scheduled to begin (Nov 07); and 3 months BEFORE the Study Terms of Reference were finalized (Oct 07). One might ask why the NCC and the MTO/MTQ felt compelled to pay the consultants $2.8M (before taxes) to complete a study to determine the best location for a bridge when City Council could make that same decision WITHOUT any information and 18 months sooner?

2. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School backs directly onto the Aviation Parkway (south of Montreal Rd.) and is less than 1 BLOCK away(~15 meters) from the traffic. The children’s basketball court and play area backs directly onto the parkway. These are Kindergarten to Gr. 6 kids that will be totally exposed to the truck traffic & pollution if abridge is built at Kettle Island. There are also 10 other schools located within a 3 km radius of the Aviation Parkway corridor.

3. Montfort Hospital and its Long-term Care Facility (Retirement Home) backs directly onto the Aviation Parkway (north of Montreal Rd.) and is about 25 meters away from the existing 2 lane road (NB: the Parkway will need to be expanded to 4 lanes).

4. The Aviation Parkway is the MOST DENSELY populated corridor of all the 10 crossing locations considered  with over 100,000 people living in the surrounding area. South of Montreal Rd., many houses in the Rockcliffe Mews community back right onto the Aviation Parkway, a few of which are only about 25 meters from their backyards — WITHOUT anything to buffer the traffic.

5. The most vulnerable people to pollution exposure are the sick,elderly, and children — all of which are less than 25 meters away from the proposed truck highway. This was OMITTED as a factor and did not receive any relevant weighting in the consultant’s study.

6. The narrowest part of the Aviation Parkway (north of Montreal Rd.and south of Hemlock Rd.) is flanked on either side by ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE and URBAN NATURAL FEATURES Protected Areas by the City of Ottawa (the Montfort Woods and the Aviation Parkway Woods). These Environmentally Protected Areas are supposedly, “to receive the highest level of natural area protection afforded by the City of Ottawa Official Plan and Zoning By-Law.” This was completely disregarded by the consultant’s study and its protection status was not even mentioned anywhere in the report or the 17 appendices.

7. Supposedly the Montfort Hospital’s MRI capability was included as a sub-element in the consultant’s study. Technically it was. HOWEVER, it was given a final weighting of less than a tenth of 1% (i.e less than 0.1%).  The impact of vibration to the MRI capability had virtually no impact on the study at all.

8. Supposedly the RCMP Musical Ride will not be affected by a bridge at Kettle Island because the consultant carried out noise tests on the horses. However, the impact of vibration or pollution was not tested or factored into the study at all. We all know that’s because pollution only impacts people, not horses right?

9. The consultant’s sensitivity analysis completely manipulates the results because the analysis does not show the variability (or sensitivity) of results due to changes in assumptions or factor group weightings, which is the purpose of a sensitivity analysis. The consultant’s formula is so complicated that he can’t even explain it to anyone in PLAIN LANGUAGE. He also didn’t perform any simple or straight-forward sensitivity analysis on any logical, pragmatic, or practical scenarios.

For example:
(a) What happens if all 7 factor groups are weighted equally (instead of the consultant’s convoluted formula)? Kettle Island comes in 6th.
(b) What happens if you weight the 7 factor groups by order of Public Importance? Kettle Island comes in 9th.
(c) What happens if you switch the weightings for cultural environment with traffic & transportation? Kettle Island comes in 6th.
(d) What happens if you switch the weightings for water use and traffic& transportation? Kettle Island comes in 8th.

10. The effect of building a Kettle Island bridge to the 417/174 Split on existing commuter traffic coming from the East end (e.g. Orleans) was not factored into the consultant’s study. Current planning documents from the ROCHE-NCE consultants show that the Split will undergo a major expansion if the Kettle Island crossing is selected. Many new ramps and bridges will be built to handle the traffic that will enter the Queensway at the Split from the Aviation Parkway. However, there is currently no plan to widen Highway 174 at the Split and the impact to east-end commuter traffic was omitted from the study.
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For more critique of the process employed by the ROCHE-NCE consultants, click on the Project Critique category on this website.

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Ontario Requests NCC Re-evaluate Preferred Bridge Crossing Site

The Province of Ontario carries a lot of weight in the bridge decision process, and we have every expectation that the NCC will listen closely to their position. On that note…

Press Release issued by Madeleine Meilleur’s office on January 27:
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OTTAWA – Madeleine Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier, is pleased to announce to her local community that the Ontario government has requested that the National Capital Commission (NCC) further analyse the top three site options, (Gatineau Airport, Lower Duck, and Kettle Island), for the proposed Inter-Provincial River Crossing between Ottawa and Gatineau. The government of Ontario has asked the NCC to expand its Phase 1 Environmental Assessment with an emphasis on community impact, transit, and economic development, before proceeding to Phase 2 of the process.

MPP Meilleur, along with many community advocates, has long been opposed to the Kettle Island option. Community members have raised countless concerns about noise, air quality, increased traffic volumes and public safety. Meilleur has always believed that the new bridge should be constructed away from any established residential neighbourhoods.

“I am extremely pleased with the request by my government to expand Phase 1 of the study,” said Madeleine Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the people of Ottawa, this expanded study will hopefully identify a better option for our community. We know we need a bridge. We know the east end makes sense. We even know there are better options right here in Ottawa-Vanier, but we are going to have to work with the NCC and other levels of government, including the Province of Québec, to find an option that makes sense for the residents of Ottawa and Gatineau.”
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This is very good news for the fight against Kettle Island, particularly if the expanded study is mandated to further analyze and consider negative community impact, transit, and economic development. If these factors are given proper consideration, it will become clear to all that Kettle Island is the wrong choice.

Kudos to Madeleine Meilleur for gaining the support of the Province.

Let’s just hope the NCC listens.

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Trucks and schools don’t mix

A great contribution to the website from Alice, a concerned citizen:

The Kettle Island corridor is the most heavily populated corridor with 11 or more schools and colleges surrounding the Aviation Parkway, the closest school less than a block away. Take a look at Kettle Island truck route – a closer look for a detailed map of the corridor, showing these schools and other impacted institutions.

From: 13th Annual University of California Transportation Research Conference February 16, 2007

• Freeways’ tainted air harms children’s lungs, experts say
• Lifelong damage is found in 13-year study of 3,600 Southland youngsters living within 500 yards of a highway. The Los Angeles Times, 1/26/07
• Residential proximity within 200 meters of a major roadway was strongly associated with childhood asthma and wheeze
• Risks were larger within 75 meters of a major roadway
• Heavy Duty Diesel Trucks (HDDT) emit high levels of particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX), and a complex mixture of gaseous air pollutants
• 41 of these gaseous and/or particle-associated pollutants are listed in California as toxic air contaminants
• Diesel exhaust PM has been associated with approximately 70 percent of known potential cancer risk from air toxics in Southern California (SCAQMD, 1999)
• Over 70 percent of California’s Diesel PM pollution is from the goods movement sector, and over 70 percent of these emissions were from Heavy Duty Diesel Trucks (CARB, 2006)
• Ultrafine particles (< 0.1 μm) can penetrate cell walls and the blood-brain and can be easily absorbed into vital organs

The full presentation can be read at: http://www.its.ucla.edu/uctc/PowerPoints/Houston_UCLA.pdf

Of course based on the criteria used by the committee none of this is as important as the needs of the trucks.

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Kettle Island truck route – a closer look

We’ve identified on Google Maps a number of communities, institutions, and facilities that would be directly impacted by the Kettle Island truck route. 

This map is a work in progress, so please let us know if you can help us refine it. It would be ideal if you could provide:

1) Name of the impacted institution, school, facility, etc.
2) Street address
3) Website

It is best viewed in View Larger Map format, where you can zoom in and scroll across the entire length of the corridor, but see below for a preview.

View Larger Map

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NCC defers vote on bridge next steps

The NCC is thinking carefully about their next steps. Although a decision was expected at the Board meeting yesterday, the points and concerns raised by opponents of the Kettle Island bridge are beginning to resonate with the decision-makers.

Mauril Bélanger, Ottawa-Vanier MP, continued to reinforce his message that Kettle Island is the wrong choice:

Ottawa-Vanier MP Mauril Bélanger, who attended the NCC meeting, said he simply wants the NCC and its consultants to study other routes a bit farther east that won’t have the same negative impact on existing neighbourhoods. Mr. Bélanger said he isn’t against a new bridge, but that picking one route at Kettle Island will simply box in the federal, Ontario and Quebec governments when the two other routes just a bit farther east are better truck routes and would do more for the economic development of the region.

The NCC has decided to wait until the City of Ottawa’s position becomes clear.  Last week, City Council voted to carry forward a second option in addition to Kettle Island.  However, a subsequent motion was passed to vote again on this issue in the coming weeks.

You are encouraged to voice your opinions about Kettle Island to your City Councillors. You can send an email directly to andrew.lomas@ottawa.ca and ask that your message be circulated to the mayor and to all councillors.

Coverage of yesterday’s NCC meeting:
Jan. 23, Ottawa Citizen: NCC waits on council before backing bridge

Previous coverage of the City of Ottawa meeting:
Jan. 14, Ottawa Citizen: Council votes to consider second bridge plan

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MPCA Bridge Committee letter to the NCC

Ottawa, January 20, 2009

Dear Marie Lemay and NCC Board Members:

As you have heard, there is huge public opposition to a bridge at Kettle Island. Carrying Kettle Island and option 6 or 7 forward to phase 2 of the study will not stop the public outcry against Kettle Island. Manor Park and the Kettle Island corridor communities on both sides of the river have never advocated carrying 2 options forward to phase 2 for the following reasons. The purpose of phase 2, according to the Terms of Reference of the study, is to look at alternative design concepts within a selected corridor, not to compare corridors. To take 2 options forward for detailed study would double the cost and extend the duration of the study. Meanwhile, the delay in selecting the corridor would extend the period of hardship for the residents of the Kettle Island corridor. We are currently experiencing a great deal of stress at the possibility of a truck route, with all its toxic impacts, passing beside our homes. With this threat hanging over us, we can’t even sell and move because our property values have dropped and who would choose to buy a house next to a possible truck route?

Everyone agrees that heavy trucks must be removed from King Edward/Rideau because of the impacts on the neighbourhood. Why would transferring those impacts to another neighbourhood be acceptable? The longer Kettle Island stays on the table the longer it will take to solve the King Edward problem because the opponents of Kettle Island are determined to fight this selection through the courts.

The best solution for the residents on both sides of the river is to have a bridge built as soon as possible in the right location. For Ontario, the right location is east of Green’s Creek and far enough west of Orleans so as not to impact any residents there i.e. in nobody’s backyard. There is an empty corridor in this location belonging to the NCC.

On the Quebec side there are 3 possible routes that would connect to the Ontario corridor. The first is through undeveloped land near Lac Beauchamp, the second is along Lorrain Boulevard where the houses would be expropriated, the third connects to Gatineau Airport. This analysis, to select the Quebec corridor, could be done in a preliminary stage of the phase 2 study which would be a much less expensive and time consuming exercise than carrying 2 options forward for the duration of the study.

This proposal is a win/win solution for everyone.
1. A bridge will be built sooner, solving the problem of trucks on King Edward.
2. Quebec commuters will have another crossing, easing the present congestion.
3. No Ontario neighbourhood would be impacted by a truck route or the threat of one.
4. Quebec would have the opportunity to select a corridor that avoids neighbourhoods.
5. A bridge in this location would be good for transit on both sides of the river.
6. This location is downstream of the Gatineau water intake.(Kettle Island is 600m upstream)
7. The Montfort Hospital would be protected.
8. National institutions would be unaffected.
9. Kettle Island itself would remain an undisturbed nature preserve.
10. As no island would be impacted, there would be no aboriginal objections.
11. Gatineau would have a good connection for development in the east end.
12. East end commuters would have a convenient bridge without having to travel downtown.
13. There would be no closure of Queensway access ramps at St. Laurent Shopping Centre.
14. It is the shortest and least expensive route.
15. It moves the trucks outside of the city core on both sides of the river.
16. It could provide a controlled access route from Autoroute 50 to Highway 174.
17. It preseves the NCC scenic Aviation Parkway.

There is no downside in this proposal. I speak for all the Kettle Island corridor communities on both sides of the river when I request that the NCC reject the recommendation of a bridge at Kettle Island and instead proceed to phase 2 with a corridor in Ontario in the vicinity of the option referred to as Lower Duck and in Quebec that further study be done to choose the best route to align with the selected corridor in Ontario.

The NCC, through Mr. Reg MacDonald, its chief engineer at the time the Aviation Parkway was built, promised the residents of Manor Park, at a public meeting, that The Aviation Parkway would never become a truck route. We are counting on you, the current Board of Directors of the NCC, to uphold this promise.

Respectfully,

Judy Lishman
Chair, Bridge Committee
Manor Park Community Association

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Quebec coalition on the move against Kettle Island

A new Quebec coalition in favour of a better public transit system for Gatineau and in favour of a bridge at the Gatineau airport will be announced on Wednesday at a formal press conference.

When: Wednesday, January 21 at 11:30am
Where: Maison du Citoyen, 25 Laurier, Gatineau
Room: Salle Vidéotron

Those of you who are available to show support are invited to attend in support.

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NCC to discuss Kettle Island, Jan. 22, 1:00 pm

The Interprovincial Crossing and the recommendation of NCE-Roche will be discussed at the NCC’s Public Board Meeting on Thursday Jan. 22. The meeting will be held at the Westin Hotel Ballroom beginning at 1:00 pm. Unlike the Dec. 3 meeting, there will not be an opportunity for public comment.

Nevertheless, a presence from Kettle Island Opponents will help reinforce our message and determination. You are encouraged to attend if at all possible.  There is a good chance that next steps for the project could be determined at this meeting.

Click here for the meeting agenda.

If you cannot attend in person, you may wish to watch the live webcast of the event.  Click here and look for the ‘Board meeting live webcast’ button at the top right of the page.

If you have any inclination to express your thoughts on the Kettle Island bridge to the NCC, do so before the meeting.  At this point, your best bet would be to send an email to:

Marie Lemay – CEO: mlemay@ncc-ccn.ca

I would also recommend to cc: info@ncc-ccn.ca, with a request to distribute your comments to the NCC Board of Directors prior to the January 22 meeting.

For ideas about what to say, please reference our earlier Dear Elected Representative: post, as well as any other material on this website.

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Ramp closures at 417 and St. Laurent Blvd

Did you know that the Kettle Island corridor would require significant changes to the existing on and off-ramps at St. Laurent Blvd?

The following access routes would be closed:

• 417 westbound exit ramp to St. Laurent Blvd. north and south
• St. Laurent northbound entrance onto 417 east

These closures would make it much less convenient for consumers from Ottawa East (including Orleans) to access businesses on St. Laurent, including the St. Laurent Mall.  As a result, these closures would very likely have a negative impact on these businesses.

They would also significantly impact traffic patterns and highway access for anyone south of the 417 trying to get onto the 417 east.

But, true to form for the current analysis, none of these considerations have been included as part of the decision-making process.

Click here for a detailed plan of these changes.

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Dear Elected Representative:

If you are opposed to the Kettle Island bridge, NOW is the time to write to your elected representatives.  Decisions could be made imminently so it is essential to formally voice your concerns without delay.

The following letter has been prepared to give you some ideas, but feel free to edit in any way.  And please make use of any other material posted on this website if you’re looking for more information or ideas.

See below for details about who to send this to.

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Dear [elected representative],

I am writing to you to ask that you reject the choice of Kettle Island as a crossing point for a new inter-provincial bridge for Ottawa.

Most citizens of Ottawa agree that a new bridge is needed across the Ottawa River, primarily to remove large truck traffic from the downtown Ottawa core. A recent technical study has concluded that the crossing point of the new bridge should be in the east end of the city of Ottawa, across Kettle Island, chiefly because this site would “attract” the most trucks.

In addition, the City of Ottawa now proposes to ban truck traffic from the present truck route, the King Edward corridor, as soon as the new bridge is built – because of the negative impacts of truck traffic on human health and well being. In other words, heavy truck traffic will be funnelled across the new bridge, despite the fact that the proposed location is a densely populated residential and recreational area.

I am writing to ask you to act now to ensure that the proposed Kettle Island location be rejected, for the following reasons:

• A truck and commuter highway would be built along the most heavily populated corridor of all the options studied. Homes and quality of life would be destroyed.
• This corridor would route hazardous materials and 18-wheeled trucks through several communities. It increases car and truck traffic in established residential communities and adds traffic to already congested roads – and in a location where pedestrian and bicycle traffic is encouraged.
• National institutions such as the Aviation Museum and RCMP musical ride stables are located along this corridor and subject to the same hazards. It jeopardizes the future of Rockcliffe Airport and the operations of the RCMP musical ride, its pastures, stables and museum.
• The truck route would pass right beside the Montfort Hospital and Long Term Care Facility; trucks would block its ambulance entrance and jeopardize the care of its patients.
• It would turn the Aviation Parkway into a four-lane truck route and the Rockcliffe Parkway into a commuter route with the loss of usable recreational paths and parkland.
• It would negatively impact the environmentally significant Kettle Island, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy of Canada.
• It would not address transportation needs of the 21st century—public transit and future growth outside the core.

The consultants have claimed that the Kettle Island site would be the cheapest option, but that conclusion was reached only by loading other options with costs such as highway widening that were to occur anyway, and excluding similar costs from the Kettle Island calculations. Moreover, once the cost of mitigation of all the negative effects is included, Kettle Island is no longer the cheapest option.

Despite the fact that there are much better options, it is now being proposed that the technical study move on to a more detailed examination of the Kettle Island site without regard to the serious failings in the first phase of the study.

Please help us to ensure that the Kettle Island site is removed from consideration.

Yours truly,

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Who to send this to:

While you are encouraged to send you comments to everyone listed on our Contacts page, key influencers and decision-makers who require your immediate attention and focus are as follow. Don’t delay!

Ottawa City Councillors
Send an email to andrew.lomas@ottawa.ca and ask him to circulate your message to the Mayor and to all Councillors.

Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto ON M7A 1A1
Fax:(416) 325-3745.
dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Honourable Jim Bradley
Minister of Transportation
Correspondence Unit
3rd Floor, Ferguson Block
77 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1Z8
jbradley.mpp@liberal.ola.org

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment
12th Floor, 135 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5
Telephone: (416) 314-6790
Fax: (416) 314-7337
jgerretsen.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur
MPP for Ottawa-Vanier
Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs
237 Montreal Rd Vanier, ON K1L 6C7
Telephone: (613) 744-4484 Fax: (613) 744-0889
E-mail: mmeilleur.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Hon. Yasir Naqvi, MPP
MPP for Ottawa-Centre
204- 411 Roosevelt Ave.
Ottawa ON K2A 3X9
Tel: 613-722-6414
Fax: 613-722-6703
ynaqvi.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Hon. Phil McNeely, MPP
MPP for Ottawa-Orléans
6- 110 Bearbrook Rd
Gloucester ON K1B 5R2
Tel 613-834-8679
Fax 613-834-7647
pmcneely.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Hon. Jim Watson
MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Constituency
201- 2249 Carling Ave
Ottawa ON K2B 7E9
Tel 613-721-8075
Fax 613-721-5756
jwatson.mpp@liberal.ola.org

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs*
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 992-5516
Fax: (613) 992-6802
EMail: Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: www.lawrencecannon.com
* We understand that Lawrence Cannon will retain responsibility for the NCC

Russell Mills – Chair
National Capital Commission
202–40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Canada K1P 1C7
613-239-5000 or 1 800 465-1867 (toll free)
info@ncc-ccn.ca, ATTN: Russell Mills

Marie Lemay – CEO
National Capital Commission
202–40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Canada K1P 1C7
613-239-5000 or 1 800 465-1867 (toll free)
mlemay@ncc-ccn.ca

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Ottawa Council votes in favour of carrying forward a second corridor, but…

This morning, Ottawa City Council voted 12-11 in favour of carrying a second corridor forward for further study. However, Jan Harder (who opposes us) was absent. Because of this, and in view of the closeness of the vote, our opponents at Council were able to pass a subsequent motion to reconsider the issue in two weeks at the next Council meeting.

This is a very positive development and should give us traction with both the province and NCC commissioners. However, we have work to do in the next two weeks.

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Gatineau councillors and residents concerned about Kettle Island

On Tuesday, the consultants presented their recommendation to Gatineau city council.  Discussion and debate followed, with some strong concerns raised about the Kettle Island corridor.

A few excerpts from the Ottawa Citizen’s coverage of the meeting:

• Councillors at the meeting raised concerns about the noise that comes with a major thoroughfare, where the new corridor’s exits would fall, and how public transit would adapt.
• Joseph De Sylva says he’s worried about the people in his Versant district whose homes face onto Montée Paiement, which would become an artery to the proposed bridge on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River.
• “I have concerns about the bridge no matter where it is,” said Nicole DesRoches, who runs an Outaouais environment and sustainable development council called CREDDO. “You can’t build a bridge just for trucks.”

Click here for the full article.

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Your attendance at the City Council meeting is important

Although we cannot speak, attendance at Wednesday’s council meeting is important. The meeting begins at 10:00a.m, Wednesday Jan. 14, at City Hall.

City Council will vote on the recommendation of the Transportation Committee to carry forward multiple sites.

Wear your buttons and show your support for the fight against the Kettle Island bridge! No signs allowed in the Council chamber.

And if you haven’t already done so, now would be a very good time to send comments to the City of Ottawa.  You can send an email directly to andrew.lomas@ottawa.ca and ask that your message be circulated to the mayor and to all councillors.

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Transportation Committee Meeting – a detailed account

From Judy Lishman, Chair, Manor Park Bridge Committee:

After a marathon session of Transportation Committee yesterday, (beginning at 9:00 a.m .and still going at 11:30p.m.) Councillor Wilkinson tabled a motion to recommend that the top 3 bridge sites proceed to phase 2. The motion passed 5 to 3. This is not the ideal outcome, but it was a victory for us considering the committee had been told by the city lawyer that because of the motion the council passed in June 2007 to support Kettle Island, any new motion on the subject would be out of order. This procedural debate took up the first 90 minutes of the meeting and was left unresolved. I had the opportunity to talk about this fix at city hall on CBO morning and CTV noon hour show and in an interview with CFRA. West end councillors led by Alex Cullen had voted in June 2007, to name KI as their preferred option in exchange for support from Rainer Bloess and the other far east end councillors’ support to take all west end bridge sites out of the study. Bloess and Cullen continued to support each others’ positions all day yesterday.

Steve Taylor then presented the report, followed by presentations from the public. The far east end was represented by 7 or so community association presidents who spoke as a group and whose only argument was that they didn’t want the extra traffic on 174 from a bridge in the greenbelt. Then they left. It was obvious that they were all show and no substance.

Two speakers from Lowertown spoke about the need to remove all the trucks from King Edward when the new bridge was built, but did not support any particular corridor. This position on trucks is supported by an OMB ruling and by a city resolution. This confirms our recent suspicions that when a new bridge is built, it will receive not 40% of the trucks from King Edward but 100% of them with the accompanying increase in all the health and safety impacts if it is built at KI. Taylor was pressed hard by the councillors to clarify this situation but as usual spoke out of both sides of his mouth. This situation has huge impacts on the whole decision making model and clarification is essential before any final decision is made on which corridor(s) proceeds to phase 2.

Two west end people spoke against preserving west end corridors and the remaining 40 or so speakers spoke eloquently and passionately against Kettle Island until after 6:30. Councillors Legendre and Bedard were in top form and fought tirelessly to oppose Kettle Island. They took every opportunity to hold Taylor to account and were highly critical of the fact that they were being asked to accept a report that was only available to them in summary and that the full report, which they did not have, was only in English. There were many times that Taylor’s credibility was questioned and, in fact, he was caught out in a direct lie to the councillors. Jacques and George by directing questions to our delegations allowed us extra time to make our case. Without their herculean efforts, we would not have achieved this step in the right direction.

There are still not enough votes to carry this resolution through council, but in the face of the forces lined up against us yesterday morning, this resolution to carry 3 sites forward was a monumental achievement. We still need to fight for the rejection of Kettle Island outright, and the truck situation will give us new ammunition. We are gaining ground.

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Transportation Committee recommends 2nd site for futher study

Following the strong public reaction against the consultants’ presentation of Kettle Island as the preferred corridor at the Transportation Committee meeting yesterday, the committee is recommending that the NCC take forward a second corridor, at Lower Duck Island, for further study in Phase 2 of the project.

See the CBC News article here:
CBC Ottawa: NCC should look at 2nd site for interprovincial bridge: Ottawa committee

City council must decide Wednesday whether to endorse the committee’s recommendation and ask the NCC to consider both east-end corridors for the second phase of the environmental assessment study.

If you haven’t already done so, now would be a very good time to send comments to your mayor and city councilors.

Mayor Larry O’Brien can be reached here: http://www.mayorlarry.ca/tell-larry/

Councilors can be reached here: http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/councillors/index_en.html

Alternatively, you can send an email directly to andrew.lomas@ottawa.ca and ask that your message be circulated to all councillors.

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Transportation Committee – meeting coverage

The consultants presented their recommendations to the City of Ottawa Transportation Committee today, and the public had an opportunity to comment on and question the findings. Strong objections were raised against Kettle Island by a large number of attendees, while a handful of Orleans residents reinforced their support – primarily based on the false perception that Kettle Island would have the worst impact on their commuting routes.

“We do not want any crossing that’s going to make our commutes, morning and afternoon, worse than they already are.”

What these east-end commuters continue to fail to realize is that this study has focused exclusively on interprovincial traffic. There is no consideration for any other traffic flow or existing gridlock within the National Capital Region, including commuting traffic from Orleans to downtown. The Kettle Island corridor, with on-ramps to the 417 essentially at ‘the split’, would have significant impacts on the commute from Orleans as thousands of new commuters and trucks from Gatineau pour onto the already congested highway.

There is a very good chance that these impacts could be just as bad or even worse than other east-end options.

Unfortunately, because these broader traffic issues are out of scope for the current project, we may never know until it is too late.

Here are a few links to media coverage of the meeting:

CBC Ottawa: Fight continues over planned Kettle Island bridge

CTV Ottawa: Residents say ‘No’ to bridge at Kettle Island

Ottawa Citizen: Residents fight over route of bridge

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Fight continues over planned Kettle Island bridge

From CBC’s coverage of the Jan. 12th City Council Transportation Committee meeting:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/01/12/ot-090112-kettle-island.html

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Greatest negative impact on the greatest number of people

In very simple terms, I find the Kettle Island alternative to be a completely inappropriate choice for a new interprovincial crossing because it has the greatest negative impact on the greatest number of people in the National Capital region. This has been recognized by the consultants, but because of the weightings assigned to factors analyzed in the study, it has little impact on the final results.

Of the 12 crossing options considered, Kettle Island ranks decidedly last with respect to what has been called Cultural Environment. It is within Cultural Environment that many key factors associated with the negative impacts on communities, institutions, health and safety, and quality of life in the crossing area are included.

Consider the Cultural Environment sub-factor called Community Cohesion, which measures the total length of corridor passing through established residential areas. Given that the primary objective of the study is to migrate truck traffic through the new corridor, it would seem that Community Cohesion should be given serious consideration. Trucking routes through communities, as we have seen on King Edward, simply don’t work.

As determined by the consultants, the Kettle Island corridor passes through 7 km of established residential areas, across both sides of the river. The east end corridor with the next longest distance through residential areas is Lower Duck, of which 2.5 kms passes through residential areas. The Gatineau Airport crossing, the most attractive option if community impacts are given adequate consideration, has a distance of 0 km passing through existing communities.

Community Cohesion, as important as it may seem, represents a mere 0.8% of the total score calculated for each crossing alternative and as such, has essentially no bearing on the outcome.

I am not arguing against the need for a bridge. But I am arguing that trucks and people don’t mix.

The people negatively impacted by the new corridor, unquestionably key stakeholders in this study, need more effective representation and consideration in the final selection process.

Don’t let the consultants’ recommendation fool you into thinking Kettle Island is the right choice. Better east end options exist with far less impact on existing communities.

And if appropriate weightings were assigned to the analysis to better reflect the negative impact on communities near the corridor, the consultants would have no choice but to agree.

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Transportation Committe Meeting – Reminder

REMINDER: A special meeting of the City of Ottawa Transportation Committee is being held to receive the Phase 1 final report of The Interprovincial Crossings Study. The consultants have recommended that the Kettle Island option proceed to Phase 2 of the study.

The agenda is now posted, and may be found at http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/trc/2009/01-12/agendaindex26.htm

This meeting is the last public forum to express opposition to a bridge at Kettle Island. Each speaker will be allowed 5 minutes. To register please contact Rosemary.Nelson@ottawa.ca or by phone (613) 5802424 ext.21624

The meeting will be held in Andrew Haydon Hall at City Hall on Monday, January 12th at 9:30 a.m.
Please plan to attend, even if only for a few minutes. If you cannot attend, written submissions may be sent to Rosemary Nelson in advance of the meeting date.

Click here to view the previous posting on stopthebridge.org about this meeting.

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Consultants’ Phase 1 final report

Earlier this week (I was on vacation – just catching up on updating the website), the consultants published their final Phase 1 report, and to no one’s surprise, they have not swayed from their original recommendation of Kettle Island as the technically preferred alternative.  They have not listened to our community concerns, and are intent on propagating the problem of truck traffic in central, highly populated areas.

Click here for a summary of the final report.  It’s a big file and could take a while to download, so be patient.

Full details are available here:  http://www.ncrcrossings.ca/en/final_documentation.html

The consultants have also summarized the feedback received at Public Consultation #4, where citizens presented in a loud voice their opposition to Kettle Island.  The main points of opposition are articulated, but these concerns are downplayed within the consultants’ overall recommendation.  Click here to view the summary report.  Details of all feedback received are also available as appendices to this summary report.

It’s important to remember that the consultants are not the final decision makers in this process.  They have submitted their recommendation, but the final decision on next steps will be made by the major funding partners of the study:  the NCC and the provincial governments of Ontario and Quebec.

Over the coming months, it is essential to continue to voice your concerns to this decision makers about this technical recommendation.

Citizen coverage of this report is available here:  Jan. 6, Ottawa Citizen: Kettle Island best bet for bridge

And for one of what I hope to be many published objections to this report, have a look at this:  Jan. 8, Ottawa Citizen: Kettle Island report downplays our concerns

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Coalition reponse to Kettle Island

A coalition of communities submitted an open editorial to the Ottawa Citizen, formally rejecting the Kettle Island bridge, and addressing some of the recent publications of Citizen columnist, Ken Gray, who has repeatedly dismissed objections to the bridge.

The Op Ed was published on Jan. 5, and is signed by 13 representatives of communities that would be negatively impacted by the Kettle Island bridge.

Click here to read the Op Ed.

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Montfort Hospital: Facts and figures

Some facts and figures about the Montfort Hospital, which will be negatively impacted by the Kettle Island bridge.

On the expansion of Montfort:

• In 2006, the government announced a $283 million investment to expand the Montfort hospital. This will increase the size of the hospital by 125% and will add 450,000 square feet of new space.
• Furthermore, The hospital has invested $21 million in new equipment, and will be investing an additional $40 million, bringing the total to $61 million apart from the initial cost of $283 million.
• At the end of the construction and renovations, Montfort will have 289 beds available for acute care, plus 128 beds for long term care (total: 417 beds).

On services available at the end of the construction:

• Visits at the emergency will increase by 73%, and will accommodate more than 55,000 visits per year
• Intensive care unit will double in size
• Surgery rooms will rise from 7 to 11, and cases of surgery will increase from 6,090 to 9,730 a year
• 84% increase in the number of visits due to exams, medical orders, etc. for a total of 1 million visits per year
• The number of hospital employees will rise from 950 to 1,500

On training:

• Montfort will accommodate 500 students in 36 disciplines related to health care, including 260 students in medicine
• Montfort also has a key partnership with Ottawa University and is the hospital offering the most support in terms of practical experience for students in medicine

On women and children’s health:

• Increase in the number of deliveries from 1,220 to 2,700 per year.
• This year the Montfort will host 2,800 deliveries
• 18 single rooms for labour, birth, recovery and post-partum, plus 11 traditional rooms, whereas previously there were 6 labour beds and a post partum unit of 14 beds.
• Montfort will also provide a new model for providing health services to women in partnership with the community

Note that the new Montfort will include a new Health Centre for National Defence in the National Capital region, in association with DND. A new team of specialists will integrate the hospital to provide specialized care to the military.

How does the Montfort Hospital feel about the Kettle Island bridge and the impact on its ability to care for its patients? Check out the videos below for coverage of the Montfort press conference on the topic:

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A new Kettle Island online discussion forum

A new online discussion forum has been created by a concerned citizen. Check it out and bookmark it as another important Kettle Island reference site: http://www.here2yap.com.

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Battle of Kettle Island – video updates

The Battle of Kettle Island has been updated with new features and enhancements to the animated map. Thanks again to Peter Wilson for his great efforts to produce this video, which very effectively presents the issue.

If you’ve seen the earlier version, be sure to check out the new and improved version. If you haven’t watched this video yet, there’s no time like the present.

Either way, be sure to spread the word to your friends.

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