A greener Parliament Hill? House of Commons looking into swapping out shuttles for EV option
The House of Commons is looking into whether it can go greener by swapping out its parliamentary precinct shuttles for an electric vehicle alternative.
It鈥檚 issued a request for information online to hear from battery-powered vehicle providers and explore the possibility of making the switch for the more than a dozen shuttles that are in service.
The shuttle busses transport MPs, senators, and other staff to various buildings used for parliamentary business, spanning a more than one-kilometre loop in downtown Ottawa from the Senate of Canada Building and across Parliament Hill to the Supreme Court.
Mathieu Gravel, a spokesperson for the Speaker鈥檚 office, said the possibility of switching the fleet to electric vehicles is 鈥渋n line with the greening of the parliamentary precinct,鈥 a broader long-term plan to make the area more environmentally friendly.
鈥淲e have to start somewhere,鈥 he said.
The request for information is under the purview of the Board of Internal Economy 鈥 the governing body for the House of Commons 鈥 and not the government. But the latter has set a target of 60 per cent of vehicle sales being electric by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035. And it鈥檚 been aiming since 2018.
鈥淥bviously I think there鈥檚 an acknowledgement that whenever there is a green alternative that鈥檚 on the market, we have a duty and an obligation to look at it and analyze it carefully,鈥 Gravel said.
The request for information is part of a larger lifecycle review of the fleet, Gravel noted, adding it鈥檚 the first time an electric vehicle alternative is being weighed as an option.
鈥淣ow they鈥檙e taking a broader approach because they鈥檙e considering electric vehicles,鈥 he said.
EVs could be ideal for the route, he said, noting the shuttles do a relatively short circuit around and they can be recharged quickly.
Gravel said that while the shuttles鈥 route may not seem significant, the parliamentary precinct is 鈥渂roader鈥 than what many assume, and members make use of the buses often.
鈥(When) people think Parliament, they think West Block, East Block, and that鈥檚 basically it, but with the revitalization of Centre Block and the Senate taking place in the old government conference centre, it鈥檚 really expanded the campus, as it was known a few years ago, so the demands on the fleet are greater,鈥 he said
鈥淚 think most (MPs) would say they鈥檙e on those shuttle buses a number of times a day 鈥 there鈥檚 a significant distance, I know it seems like a short jaunt, but if you needed to be somewhere 10 minutes ago 鈥 they can be super helpful for members.鈥
The request for information is an initial step in the fleet鈥檚 review process, before the House of Commons may choose to issue a formal request for proposals 鈥渋f they find that there are solutions on the market that can meet the needs of the members and what the fleet needs to deliver in terms of service,鈥 Gravel said.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
National ceremony in Ottawa will mark Truth and Reconciliation Day
The streets of downtown Ottawa are turning into a sea of orange with hundreds of people already in place on Parliament Hill ahead of a ceremony to honour the survivors of Canada's residential school system and the children who never made it home.
W5 INVESTIGATES Crackdown on treacherous Darien Gap could force migrants to risk more dangerous routes
This week, Avery Haines follows migrants' harrowing journeys across the Darien Gap. Strict new rules to stem the flood of migrants through the notorious stretch of dense jungle appear to be working, but advocates fear it could backfire.
Israel launches small ground raids against Hezbollah as fight in Lebanon intensifies
Officials tell The Associated Press that Israel has launched small, precision raids across the border in Lebanon and that a larger ground operation is being planned.
Man hikes 18 kilometres, 670 metres high to reach his parents in North Carolina
It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had not heard from his parents.
Health Canada recalls nearly 60 more unauthorized sexual enhancement products
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
Joly targets polarization in UN speech, urges liberals to reclaim the word 'freedom'
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame basketball player and tireless advocate, dies at 58
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
Have you avoided travel insurance and regretted it? We want to hear from you
Have you been caught in a bind, far from home, that could have been avoided with the timely purchase of an insurance package? We want to hear from you.
River 'piracy' gave towering Everest a growth spurt, scientists say
Thousands of years ago in the Himalayas, a river ate a smaller river and gave an unexpected boost to Everest's height, scientists have discovered.
Local Spotlight
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.