Hello,

It is now November. Not only does this mean that Halloween has passed and Autumn is fully underway with winter coming, but November 1 is also when Hydro Ottawa’s Time of Use rates shifted from summer to winter pricing. Your off-peak hours will continue to run from 7pm-7am weekdays (and all-day weekends and holidays), but mid-peak hours on weekdays are now 11am-5pm and on-peak are 7am-11am and 5pm-7pm.

November 1 also marked the day that Ontario’s new Ultra-low overnight (ULO) electricity rate plan came into effect. The plan is intended to incentivize customers who can make use of electricity late at night—such as for charging electric vehicles—to use electricity when demand is low.

Customers who submit a rate change request (which became available on October 13) can now access ultra-low overnight pricing of 2.8 ¢/kWh between 11pm-7am everyday—although other off-peak and mid-peak prices will be the same as for the normal Time of Use rates, on-peak electricity will cost ULO customers 28.6¢/kWh compared to 18.2 ¢/kWh for other customers.

Stories from the PEN!

And now on to the Stories from the PEN, where you can read articles by individuals and organizations stepping up to engage in issues affecting our local communities.

• In Fourplexes everywhere? Yes, please!, William van Geest writes about the question of legalizing fourplexes as Ottawa reconsiders its zoning bylaws while aiming to create more affordable housing options.

• Rebuilding Ottawa’s Forest Canopy recounts a recent tree-planting event coordinated by GentleWays for OurPlanet, in partnership with the City of Ottawa, for which youth groups from Ottawa’s Lebanese-Canadian and neighbourhood residents planted 325 native trees and shrubs at Mowat Park in Barrhaven.

• And an article reprinted from The Energy Mix, Converting Offices to Affordable Housing Could Boost Transit, Cut Emissions, discusses how remote work and an affordable housing crisis have led some cities—including Ottawa!—to consider converting empty office space into apartments.

A Message from Eco-Internships

Eco-Internships, an organization that partners closely with PERC, is excited to announce their success with the Youth Integration into the Environmental Nonprofit Sector program. Eco-Internships secured 34 youth internships for the 2023 year for youth located in six different provinces, with environmental nonprofits all throughout Canada.

Thanks to the RBC Future Launch program, Eco-Internships has successfully executed the youth training program in partnership with the Capacity Building Institute to educate these 34 postgraduate youth in the nonprofit sector, environmental sustainability, and skills development in the workplace.

Read more about the program here.

Other News

• On October 29, protesters marched through downtown Ottawa to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza region. Organizers demanded that the Canadian government take more action as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas continues.

• On November 3, the Finance and Corporate Services Committee and the Planning and Housing Committee referred the controversial Lansdowne 2.0 plan to City Council, for consideration on Friday, November 10. The referral came after two days of “marathon meetings” to discuss the $419 million plan, during which time councilors presented a slew of motions regarding the development. The special meeting was then rescheduled to instead take place on Wednesday, November 8, at noon.

• The City’s garbage collection will undergo important changes under the new draft Solid Waste Master Plan. Residents will likely need to put out less trash on the curb and pay more for collection, and staff say either a new landfill or alternative technology is needed to manage future garbage. For technological alternatives to a future landfill, staff are looking at 3 options that include waste-to-energy incineration, mixed waste processing, and anaerobic digestion.

• The federal government recently announced that build 1,600 new homes across Ottawa by converting federal properties.

• The Sustainability Star Awards, hosted by Sustainable Eastern Ontario, are being held November 24th at 6:00pm at Bayview Yards, 7 Bayview Station Rd, Ottawa, ON. The Sustainability Awards are an important part of Sustainable Eastern Ontario’s mission in celebrating sustainability leaders in our community. You can RSVP to the event here!

• The National Capital Commission is looking for public input for a major revision of the National Capital Core Area Plan—NCC is planning for consultations this fall and early winter, with more public consultation in spring-summer 2024. NCC aims to draft the new plan in 2024 and reach final approval in January 2025. An online consultation link can be found here.

• The Rural Ottawa Youth Mental Health Collective held a webinar on September 21, 2023, to serve as a platform to discuss crucial aspects of youth mental health, fostering a supportive environment for our community. You can access the recorded webinar through the following link: https://youtu.be/cMdiHHVGSFI. There will also be two upcoming summits that aim to further strengthen community commitment to the well-being of the youth: The Rural Mentor Summit and the Rural Youth Summit promise to be engaging events. For more information, please visit the website.

—Christopher Bonasia, PEN editor

PERC appreciates all of our readers for giving us this chance to connect with members of our community, and we love being able to provide you with a forum to discuss pressing environmental and social justice issues.

But we also rely on your support to make this happen. If you are interested in helping our organization continue to use storytelling and networking to help individuals, non-profits, and community groups work locally for a greener and more peaceful world, please consider making a donation to the Peace and Environment Resource Centre. You can find out more on our website, or by using this link.