Ontario & Quebec

(03/09/12) One of Canada's top choirs celebrates its tenth season with a performance in Ottawa Saturday night. The Ottawa Bach Choir has performed its brand of Baroque music around the world and had its Carnegie Hall debut last May. Todd Moe talks with the ensemble's founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton about Saturday night's performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion -- an authentic Baroque concert featuring an array of Canadian and international early music stars.

(03/08/12) U.S. Representative Bill Owens says environmentalists shouldn't be concerned about his stand on a new water level plan for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The International Joint Commission started controlling high and low water levels in the 1950s. While that's kept a stable water level, the agency now says it's bad for the environment. The new plan allows water levels to reach higher highs and lower lows.

The IJC has yet to release all the plan details. Congressman Owens recently wrote to the agency, urging closer attention to shoreline property damage along Lake Ontario. He says that damage could exceed $3 million annually. more

(03/06/12) North Country congressman Bill Owens is praising a Canadian company for its plan to move forward with construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Owens' backing for the controversial pipeline comes at a time when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is also pushing a plan to import more hydro-electric power from Quebec.

Canada is already the biggest foreign supplier of energy to the US. And across the political spectrum, American leaders see Canada as a safer alternative to energy suppliers in the Middle East and Central America.

But there are growing questions about the environmental costs to Canada's energy boom and the debate is causing some Canadians to rethink their country's image as one of the world's most environmentally friendly societies. Brian Mann has our story. more

(02/29/12) The company that hopes to run a $2-billion underwater electric line from Quebec to New York City says it has reached an agreement with some of the environmental groups that had raised concerns about the project.

Donald Jessome, head of TDI, says the deal was reached after 15 months of closed-door negotiations and will shape how the underwater line is laid under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. more

(02/27/12) On Friday, we reported that New York state is pushing Federal officials to toughen proposed new standards for ballast water pollution on freighters using the St. Lawrence Seaway.

In that report, we mistakenly reported that the Cuomo administration is still planning to implement its own set of ballast water regulations, scheduled to go into effect next year.

But officials in Albany say they've decided to scrap the state rules, a move that's drawing mixed reviews from industry groups and environmentalists. Brian Mann has our update.

(02/21/12) When spring comes, water levels rise. The spring thaw naturally fills-up lakes and rivers. But you might not know it by looking at Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. For fifty years regulators have been tempering extreme high and low water levels. And shoreline property owners, shippers, and dam operators like it that way. They don't like big fluctuations.

But now a new proposal by the International Joint Commission recommends a more natural approach. Julie Grant reports. more

(02/20/12) For decades, Canada has enjoyed a reputation as one of the greenest, most environmentally progressive societies in the world. But that image has been rattled recently by debates over Canadian oil development and plans to build the massive Keystone XL oil pipeline to the US. Last year, Canada withdrew from the Kyoto climate treaty, sparking anger from environmental groups.

Brian Mann sat down last week to talk with Elizabeth May, former head of Canada's Sierra Club and now the leader of her country's Green Party. May says Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper has led Canada down a dangerous path when it comes to the energy and environment. But she also says Canada's image as a green leader has been unraveling for decades.

(02/18/12) Kevin Crabb grew up in Toronto but has lived in Los Angeles since his college days at Pepperdine University. His debut CD, Waltz for Dylan, was recorded in his hometown and features nine original compositions. He talked about it with Joel Hurd on The Bridge

(02/17/12) Organizers of Ottawa's big three-week winter festival have learned from long experience there's just no counting on the weather. Take this year: a mild opening weekend. Then a chilly one. And now, a bit of a melt-down.

The Rideau Canal was closed on Thursday as temperatures reached the upper 30s, with another mild forecast on tap for today.

Winterlude's final weekend includes a provincial holiday "Family Day" on Monday, giving residents and visitors three full days to take in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Lucy Martin has more. more

(02/15/12) One city's relationship with trees is explored in a new museum exhibit in Ottawa.

Six moments in the history of an urban forest is the brainchild of Carleton University history professor Joanna Dean and graduate student Will Knight.

Present-day Ottawa began as rough riverside lumber shanties in the early 1800s. It grew to become the nation's capital, with various trends in tree clearing and tree planting along the way. More recently, the area has faced damage from natural disaster and invasive pests, like the emerald ash borer, which threatens perhaps 30% of Ottawa's existing tree population.

Although the display considers urban forestry from an Ottawa perspective, the challenge of combining trees with cities is universal. Lucy Martin spoke with co-curators, Joanna Dean and Will Knight on opening day at the Bytown Museum, beside the treed slopes of Parliament Hill. more