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Aquahackers focus on Ottawa River
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Ottawa Riverkeeper, based in the Ottawa re- gion.The United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) received a delegation from the two groups, explaining the conference aims and encouraging the UCPR to designate its own delegation to attend the conference. «It’s a very complicated jurisdiction in the Ottawa River watershed,» saidMeredith Brown, Ottawa Riverkeeper representative, noting that while the Ottawa River falls under the environmental jurisdictions of both the federal and the two provincial governments, there is no single regional authority for the watershed itself as is true for some of its tributary system like the South Nation River. One of the goals of the Aquahacking sum- mit, Brown said, like past regional confe- rences concerning the Ottawa River, is to lay the groundwork for a complete and proper integrated management plan for the river system. Several mayors on UCPR council also wondered whether any of the conclusions or results of the conferencemight affect tra- ditional agricultural use of the Ottawa River. Mayor Conrad Lamadeleine of Casselman asked whether the conference could result in regulations or programs that would limit local farmers from being able to use the Ottawa River to help irrigate their crops or water their livestock. Brown stated that interfering with far- mers’ legitimate efforts to raise their livestock or crops is not on the Aquahacking agenda.
She noted there already exist government regulations to prevent misuse of the river through dumping or shore erosion due to poor land management. Mayor Jeanne Charlebois of Hawkesbury suggested that the UCPR could help organize
a public information and feedback session in advance of the conference, to give resi- dents a chance to report their concerns and interests in the Ottawa River, so that infor- mation could become part of the conference discussion forums.
The terms “hacker” and “hacking” conjure up popular images of lone wolf cyber-sa- murai digging into computer networks and leaving behind Trojanworms, viruses and other assorted malware for either their own amusement or as a planned attack on corporate or government databases, or as part criminal efforts at identifying theft or fraud. A coalition of regional environ- mental groups wants to take those images, spin themaround, and then pour out a new image where cyber technology becomes a promoter for the protection of the Ottawa River system. Aquahacking 2015 is a three-day confe- rence in Gatineau, at the end of May, aimed at bringing together representatives fromen- vironment groups, the federal government, the provincial governments for Ontario and Québec, along with local government groups on both sides of the Ottawa River, and any and all interestedmembers of the public.The focus of the conference is to both highlight the value of the Ottawa River systemand look at ways that modern technology, including cyber technology, can help to both protect the existing river system and enhance it for future users. The conference is a joint effort between la Fondation de Gaspé Beaubien, the main sponsor based in Québec, and its partner,
Seat belt related deaths hit ten year low
Seeing seat belt-relateddeaths onOPP-pa- trolled roads shrink from120 ten years ago (2005) to 50 last year (2014) has theOntario Provincial Police (OPP) optimistic about the growing importance roadusers are placing on using proper restraints when driving. “We are proud to see Ontarians come such a long way with seat belt safety over the past ten years. In spite of the steady progress, we need all road users to start recognizing the significant role a seat belt plays in inc- reasing one’s chances of surviving a road crash and reducing the severity of injuries,” said Chief Superintendent Chuck Cox, Pro- vincial Commander of the OPP Highway Safety Division. Over the Easter Long Weekend the OPP will conduct province-wide, education and targeted enforcement of seat belt laws to address those few road users who need to be nudged to buckle up.The OPP would pre-
fer to see drivers do this through their own initiative rather than police enforcement. Over the past ten years (2005 to 2014), 856 people have died in road crashes in which not wearing a seat belt was a causal factor in their deaths. More than two thirds of the deceased were males (646) and 210 were females. The majority of those who died were drivers (611) and 245 were passengers.
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