That’s the heart of a growing disagreement between Ottawa Public Health and Ottawa Riverkeeper over the city’s once-a-week beach water testing program.

“You have a huge part of the population that doesn’t think the water is safe enough and perceives the river as contaminated,” Laura Reinsborough of Ottawa Riverkeeper said in an interview with iPolitics.

Ottawa Public Health tests beach water for E. coli, a type of bacteria that signals water has been contaminated by fecal matter from sources such as wildlife, pets, stormwater runoff or sewage. Under Ontario guidelines, a geometric mean of five water samples exceeding 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres triggers a swimming advisory.

Last year, OPH reduced its beach water testing from daily to once a week after concluding many residents were mistakenly treating laboratory E. coli results as real-time indicators of water quality.

In a statement sent to iPolitics, OPH said the revised program is intended to monitor “longer-term” water quality trends rather than provide “real-time information on beach water quality.” Since laboratory testing takes 18 to 24 hours, officials say results already reflect the previous day’s conditions, allowing residents to make swimming decisions on real-time factors.

While the revised approach aligns with Ontario Public Health Standards and Health Canada’s recommendation of at least weekly monitoring, Ottawa Riverkeeper argues the change has instead left swimmers with less timely information about conditions at beaches that can fluctuate rapidly.

In its September report to the Board of Health, OPH found daily sampling correctly reflected beach conditions about 80 per cent of the time, compared with roughly 79 per cent for weekly sampling. The agency concluded the additional testing offered little improvement in predicting current water quality because environmental conditions can change rapidly.

Reinsborough, whose team also administers supplementary water testing at city supervised beaches, said results could still fluctuate dramatically from day to day.

She argues that relying on a single weekly sample can paint an unrepresentative picture of a beach’s water quality if testing happens after a rainfall or before the event, as bacteria levels temporarily.

“It could be deterring people on a day when it’s actually quite safe to go in, and to tell you that it’s safe on a day when actually it’s not,” Reinsborough said. “That’s the issue we’re coming up against with the Canada Day storm this year.”

After heavy rainfall, OPH advises residents to wait 48 hours before heading to the waters.

However, Reinsborough added that recommendation doesn’t always reflect what subsequent testing finds. She pointed to Petrie Island Beach, where right after Canada Day’s storm, the water had three times the allowable limit of E. coli two days after the storm.

“After 48 hours, the beaches were almost 700 coliform units… for those people who are in the water, they are at risk,” she said.

While swallowing water contaminated with elevated E. coli levels does not guarantee that someone will become ill, it can increase the risk of gastrointestinal infection, particularly if contaminated water is swallowed.

Dr. Lawrence Hookey, Division Chair of Gastroenterology at Kingston Health Science Centres and Queen’s University, said most people who become infected after ingesting contaminated water experience diarrhea that resolves on its own within a few days though some strains can cause more serious illness.

Young children and people with weakened immune systems are generally at greater risk because they are more susceptible to dehydration and complications from infection, Hookey added.

Limitations

Carleton University professor and Jarislowsky Chair in Water and Health, Banu Ormeci said neither side is wrong that laboratory testing has limitations.

She explained that because E. coli samples must be incubated, results always reflect the previous day’s water conditions rather than what swimmers encounter in real time. However, she argued that reducing testing further places responsibility on the public to interpret complex water quality data without the expertise to judge whether conditions are safe.

“Some beaches have great water quality, but some beaches continuously measure very high E. coli numbers,” Ormeci said in an interview with iPolitics, noting that elevated E. coli levels are typically confined to specific beaches rather than the waterways as a whole.

Last year, Ormeci and her research team tested water quality along the Rideau River and at Mooney’s Bay, finding the river itself was suitable for recreational use. Beaches that consistently record higher E. coli levels, she said, are often affected by local conditions such as shallow water, poor circulation and heavy rainfall.

Mooney’s Bay, an artificial bay created during the construction of the Rideau Canal, also consists of relatively stagnant water, which when combined with heavy use, wildlife, warmer temperature and stormwater runoff, could all contribute to elevated bacteria levels, Ormeci said.

Faster results

While OPH and Ottawa Riverkeeper disagree over how often beaches should be sampled, one Ottawa councillor says the debate may overlook a bigger opportunity.

Matt Luloff, whose Orléans East-Cumberland ward includes Petrie Island, said he understands why OPH shifted to weekly testing, noting that even daily laboratory results are already about a day old by the time they’re posted.

“Rather than debating whether yesterday’s lab result should be available every day or every week, I’d much rather see Ottawa become a leader in adopting technology that tells us what’s happening today,” Luloff wrote in a statement to iPolitics. 

Luloff proposed pilot projects like ColiMinder could provide “automated microbiological water quality readings, rather than waiting 18 to 24 hours for traditional laboratory results.

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“Although short, mid, and long-term strategies to improve performance trends are underway through the Five-Year Roadmap, the audit identified several areas where historical decisions have impacted effective bus planning and scheduling processes in support of OC Transpo meeting its service delivery targets,” reads the text. 

The audit notes that current run times, developed as recently as 2023, are now inaccurate due to road congestion. It found that the number of buses operating is a major factor in service delivery.

“A healthy fleet typically has 80% of the total number of buses owned available for use,” the audit reads. “For January and February 2026, the bus fleet assets were 67% available on average.”

After Wednesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe acknowledged some of the issues outlined in the report.

“I understand the frustrations and concerns of residents,” the mayor said. “For many years now they’ve not been getting the transit service that they want and deserve.” 

But Sutcliffe was optimistic. “The team at OC Transpo has been working hard to improve reliability and we’re starting to see the results of that,” he said. “Our new General Manager Rick Leary agreed with the Auditor General’s findings… He’s working very hard to find solutions to exactly the issues that the Auditor General identified.” 

When asked if he would do anything differently regarding transit, Sutcliffe noted that some things were out of his hands. 

“As an elected official it’s not up to me to set the schedules, it’s not up to me to decide on the routes… I’m not a transit engineer,” he said. “We rely on the professional staff at OC Transpo to bring forward plans.” 

Sutcliffe said that there are always lessons to be learned, but that he had confidence in the new OC Transpo General Manager. 

“We’ve got a great General Manager in place who’s sensitive to these concerns, and we’re also starting to see the pieces come together for a much more reliable service going forward.”

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According to Senior Policy Advisor Shraddha Badaravada, drone technology is moving faster than the rules, with many questions surrounding citizens’ data at top of mind.

“A drone operation today is a human-operated tool with accountable people behind every flight. It is not an autonomous robot making independent decisions,” clarified Badaravada. “However, greater autonomy is now on the technical horizon.” 

Currently, drones, or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), are used under specific circumstances in police work, such as missing person searches and search and rescue, collision reconstruction and crime-scene mapping, and situational awareness at major incidents. 

But Badaravada noted a qualitative shift in this regard, where the use of drones is expanding into the role of a first responder. The idea behind this would be for drones to arrive at a location ahead of officers. Pilots for such usage are not fully operational yet, but have been announced in Peel and Durham regions in Ontario and in Red Deer, Alberta. 

As for how drone technology and the law interact, Badaravada said developments are highly dynamic. 

“The rulebook is actually changing, the pace of this change has been extremely unusual and it’s rapid in motion,” said Badaravada, pointing to 15 legislative and regulatory developments that have emerged at federal, provincial, regulatory, and international levels over the last year and a half. 

In fact, on Wednesday, the Ontario government announced an immediate ban on Chinese-made drones in highly sensitive Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) operations, as well as a prohibition on Chinese procurement. 

How this announcement might impact Ottawa police operations was unknown to Paul Burnett, Deputy Chief of Police.

“I know that we use DJI as equipment,” said Burnett, when asked about the source of the Ottawa Police Service’s drone technology. “I haven’t looked into how that announcement would impact us personally.” 

DJI is a Chinese technology company that manufactures commercial drones. The OPP also uses DJI for its drone equipment. 

Following further questions on data storage, the Board took the briefing for information.

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Neil Saravanamuttoo is the executive director of CitySHAPES, a not-for-profit in Ottawa focused on city-building and community. 

Recently, he published a post on his Substack page, called The613, examining some recent cleaning and repair projects around his neighbourhood that he said made him question the standards within the City when it comes to contracted jobs. The post garnered the most attention and reaction from the public that he’s seen on the Substack, he said.

“I’m someone that paid a lot of attention to the city that we’re in, and I love Ottawa and want it to work as well as it can,” he told Ottawa Compass. “And I’ve just been out in my neighbourhood and have looked at recent public works that have happened very close to my home.

“I can’t help but notice that there’s a common theme, which is that they all have somewhat shoddy standards, and it’s really disappointing,” he explained. “And so I’ve been asking the question, ‘why is this happening?’”

There are a few examples that he drew on. One was the sweeping of debris and leftover road salt on the Flora Footbridge, which crosses the Rideau Canal near Lansdowne Park, connecting the Glebe with Echo Drive and Clegg Street.

“I’m out there every single day walking my dog, so I know exactly when something changes. It has been swept on two different occasions and each time, they never quite finished the job,” said Saravanamuttoo. “Why is this happening? Where is the quality control?

“And my second question is, ‘is this specific job ever going to get finished?’ I mean, I suspect not at this point,” he continued. “I think what we’ve got, we’ve got, and perhaps the rain will wash away whatever is left by the end of the summer, but even a good month after the last sweeping, there’s still a lot of a lot of mess there.”

Another issue in the neighbourhood is the renewal of Glebe Ave, an ongoing project that includes replacing the existing watermain — built in 1906 — and sanitary sewer — built in 1910 —  between Bank Street and O’Connor Street. The project also involves the reconstruction of the road and curbs, the addition of traffic calming features and a bike lane, and the widening of the existing sidewalk. 

To date, the approved project funds are $5,575,000.

The majority of the construction was completed in summer of 2024, but Saravanamuttoo said the job is far from finished.

He says the new road has been built to “state of the art” standards to allow for active transportation, buses and cars in order to accommodate all different users. But it isn’t without its flaws.

“The bike lane, which is brand new, is actually quite bumpy, so it would be too bumpy for, say, a skateboarder to be able to use, I think,” he explained. “How do you build something that’s brand new, and yet it has such quality issues?”

“I think that if you asked most people, ‘is this up to standard?’ People would say no,” he continued. “I’m spending my tax tax dollars on this. We expect better. We expect what is undoubtedly in the contract, that it will be created up to certain quality standards, but we’re just not meeting those.”

Another example near Saravanamuttoo’s home is something that he expects occurs all over the city — a botched sidewalk repair.

“Last summer, I watched a crew repair cracks in the sidewalk. There were two contractors, and they were being supervised by a city employee in his truck, and they would create these big mounds of asphalt over all the cracks,” he said. “The first snowfall, plows came and took off a layer of this asphalt. 

“And, quite frankly, after two or three passes, some of them had been completely removed” he continued. “So I don’t know why we are spending so much money to fix something that is only going to last for a few months. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right.”

Ottawa Compass reached out to the City of Ottawa about these projects. 

In regard to the sweeping of the footbridge, Bryden Denyes, area manager for roads services with the City, said that sweeping was completed spring and that maintenance will continue on an “as-needed” basis.

He recommended residents report areas in need of maintenance using the Ottawa.ca online form or by calling 3-1-1, but did not respond to questions about why the first sweeps on the bridge were seemingly unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, city staff acknowledged that the Glebe Avenue renewal project is not yet officially complete and that they are aware of concerns regarding the bike lane. He also said taxpayers will not be billed for the cost of repairing errors made by the contractor.

Randy Dempsey, City of Ottawa’s acting manager of design and construction, said the remaining work on the project includes construction of the speed humps, sod touch ups, small plantings and “correcting any deficiencies from work completed last year.”

“Staff are aware of issues with the cycle track, which has been identified as a deficiency and the City is currently assessing the extent of the repairs required,” Dempsey told Ottawa Compass. “The cost of these repairs will be the responsibility of the contractor.”

Sidewalk repairs also fall under Dryden’s purview. He said the City of Ottawa adheres to the Municipal Maintenance Standards (MMS), which is provincially mandated. 

When it comes to sidewalks, any surface discontinuity greater than 2 cm — as is the case with the repair Saravanamuttoo described — is classified as a Class A hazard under the City’s council-approved Maintenance Quality Standards (MQS).

This means the issue is defined as a safety issue that “poses a risk to pedestrians, such as a potential tripping hazard, and requires prompt attention,” said Dryen.

“These hazards are typically marked with high-visibility paint and addressed within 14 calendar days of identification,” he continued. “Corrective actions may involve grinding, patching, or full panel replacement, depending on the severity of the hazard and other factors.”

This also seems to require that a resident report the issue. Dryden did not elaborate on whether City inspectors are evaluating work as it is being completed to ensure it meets standards, rather than repairing it after the fact.

“It’s quite difficult to engage with the city on these issues…The onus should not be on residents to have to report shoddy work,” said Saravanamuttoo. “There should be city inspectors that come and inspect a job as it’s being completed and sign off on it if it meets standards. 

“If it doesn’t meet the quality standards, then the contractor should finish the job properly, but that does not appear to be happening,” he continued. “And so what’s happening is that the onus is falling on residents to report when work is not up to quality, and who knows whether anything will ever get done about it.”

He said he received more reaction to this post than any others in the past, both in online comments and in private messages or emails. Some online comments claimed that city staff have told residents that there is “little to no oversight” on contracted jobs. One comment, posted by investigative journalist and academic Declan Hill, called Ottawa a “ramshackle, 3rd world hell hole.” 

Saravanamuttoo said he also received a variety of emails from residents who simply wanted to share their experiences. In some cases, he said they were just happy to see someone advocating for the issues they were facing.

“I think one of the reactions that I did get was that people feel we can complain about these issues, but does anything ever happen?” he continued. “Does that specific issue get fixed, but perhaps more importantly, does the City learn its lesson and do better the next time?

“And that’s where there’s a lot of cynicism. I see a lot of people that have essentially lost faith and trust in their City Hall.”

The post Community organizer sounds alarm over ‘shoddy’ standards on city projects appeared first on CompassNews.

The report from Rentals.ca and Urbanation found average asking rents sat at $2,193 for September, marking the fifth straight month that the annual rate has slowed from May’s nine per cent growth.

“Rents in Canada are increasing at their slowest pace in nearly three years, largely the result of foreign student enrolments dropping by roughly a half from their record highs, with the impact felt most in B.C. and Ontario,” said Urbanation president Shaun Hildebrand in a press release.

“Meanwhile, smaller, more affordable markets continue to see strong upward pressure on rents as demand shifts to less expensive parts of the country.”

Ontario and B.C. recorded the most significant annual rent declines. Average asking rents for purpose-built and condominium apartments were down 4.3 per cent to $2,380 in Canada’s largest province, while the west coast province recorded a 3.2 per cent drop to $2,570.

Rents surged 23.5 per cent to an average of $1,378 in Saskatchewan, making it the fastest-growing province in the country in terms of asking price.

By city, apartment rents declined in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal, while Ottawa saw a slight increase.

Vancouver’s 9.5 per cent drop brought average rents down to $3,023 in September, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases.

In Toronto, Canada’s second most expensive market for renters, average rents declined 8.1 per cent to $2,668.

The report highlighted Lloydminster as one of Canada’s most affordable markets with average apartment rents of $1,178 — a figure up 27.5 per cent from last year. Other affordable markets experiencing significant growth included Saskatoon, where average prices rose 24.8 per cent to $1,428, and Quebec City, where rents jumped 24 per cent to $1,758.

Based on the report, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom unit in Canada was $1,916 in September, up 2.1 per cent from a year ago. The average asking price for a two-bedroom unit was $2,279, up 2.6 per cent.

Overall, asking rents for purpose-built rental apartments in September rose 5.4 per cent compared with a year earlier to reach an average of $2,138.

Meanwhile, condominium apartment rents, which averaged $2,296, were down 1.7 per cent.

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