Ottawa Bylaw issues 10 tickets for vehicle idling over three years
Ottawa Bylaw officers issued three tickets for idling infractions over the last three years, as officers focused on warnings and education rather than enforcement.
Coun. Shawn Menard asked city staff for information about Ottawa's Idling Control Bylaw in light of the city declaring a climate emergency.
"This inquiry concerns the effectiveness and enforceability of Ottawa's anti-idling by-law and seeks options that may improve outcomes," Menard's inquiry to staff in May 2021 said.
Under Ottawa's Idling Control Bylaw, drivers are prohibited from idling their vehicles for more than three minutes when the temperature is between 5 C and 27 C. The bylaw was enacted Sept. 1, 2007.
According to a report for the standing committee on environmental protection, water and waste management, Bylaw Services received 668 idling service requests in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Officers issued 10 bylaw infraction notices and 33 verbal warnings over the three-year period.
"Complaints are mostly settled through warnings and education rather than with the issuance of fines," staff said in the report.
The report says complaints originating from the core of the city often include idling complaints about tour buses or drivers picking up people in front of office buildings at the end of the work day.
"Complaints from suburban areas often relate to parents dropping off or picking up their children at schools, and from people on neighbouring properties," staff say.
The report says staff in Emergency and Protective Services are recommending a review of the Idling Control Bylaw as part of the next Term of Council Bylaw Review Workplan.
Staff would consult both the Climate Change and Resiliency unit in the Planning, Real Estate and Economic Development Department and Ottawa Public Health.
As part of the 2015 Bylaw Review Strategy, councillors suggested the bylaw was "unenforceable" and recommended the length of time vehicles can idle be reviewed based on temperature. Staff say the review was not undertaken prior to the realignment of the implicated departments."
Some councillors and residents called on Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services to enforce the idling bylaw during the "Freedom Convoy" occupation of downtown Ottawa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.