The 311 on global warming ALEX CULLEN With the amalgamation of the City of Ottawa in 2001 came the establishment of the City’s call centre for information on City services, at 580-2400. However, Bell Canada will be moving to a ten-digit telephone number system for Ottawa in 2006, due to population increases in the 613 area code. Ten-digit telephone numbers are already in effect in the Toronto 416 and 905 area codes. As a result, the City will be implementing a convenient 311 phone number for one-stop access to non-emergency City of Ottawa services and information later this year. The new 311 service provides user-friendly, easy-to-remember access to City services and information at no extra cost to taxpayers (emergency service for fire, police and paramedics continues as 911 in Ottawa). The City of Gatineau will also be implementing a 311 service at the same time as Ottawa’s (to reach Ottawa’s from Gatineau will still require dialling 613-580-2400, however). Ottawa’s 311 service will be accessible throughout Ottawa (including the rural area). The new 311 service will not only provide information on City services but also handle service requests (i.e. fallen trees, recreation program registration, missed garbage pickups, water bill inquiries, etc.). Hours of service will mirror today’s standard of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with an answering service for after-hours calls on urgent matters (i.e. watermain breaks, noise complaints). Ottawa is unique in many ways – the 4th largest city in Canada, covering 2,760 sq.m. (larger than Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton combined), with 5,440 km of roads and 1,500 km of sidewalks. And Ottawa is the 3rd coldest capital in the world. As a result it is no surprise to learn that Ottawa’s winter operations are a big ticket item in the City’s budget - $52 million a year. However it will surprise many to learn that global warming trends are having an impact on Ottawa, and costing taxpayers more. Why? Because as a result of these trends Ottawa is experiencing more freeze/thaw events and more episodes of freezing rain. These events create significant challenges in the City’s ability to clear our streets and sidewalks effectively and maintain safe conditions. A good example of this is what happened last winter, when Ottawa received more freezing rain than during the Ice Storm of 1998. For the winter of 2004-2005 Ottawa received nearly 90 hours of freezing rain, more than double the seasonal average of 40 hours. In December 2004 alone there were 6 rain/freezing rain/flash freeze events, leading to icy sidewalk and road conditions as City crews were not able to clear quick enough to avoid ice accumulation. The response by City Council to these challenging conditions last winter was to spend an additional $3.4 million in extra gritting, salting and ice-cutting/ scarifying to create safer road and sidewalk conditions. However, despite our efforts, for many the icy conditions posed significant safety concerns. These challenging weather conditions – directly attributable to global warming – will add some $4.5 million in additional costs to the City’s budget. The alternative? Take up the One Tonne Challenge and do your bit to reduce greenhouse gases and global warming. |