40 witnesses to testify at Ottawa LRT inquiry, including Mayor and city manager
Forty witnesses will testify at the public inquiry looking into Ottawa's light rail transit system, including Mayor Jim Watson, City Manager Steve Kanellakos and the former head of OC Transpo.
The Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission released a draft witness list on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before the public inquiry officially got underway with public meetings. The meetings Wednesday and Thursday night at the Shaw Centre are a chance for the public to weigh in on the issues with the $2 billion LRT system during the first two years of operation.
The inquiry released a list of 40 witnesses called to testify before the inquiry during public hearings from June 13 to July 8. The list includes elected officials – including Watson, Transit Commission Chair Allan Hubley, Coun. Shawn Menard and Coun. Catherine McKenney, who pushed the city and the province to call a public inquiry into the LRT system. Citizen Transit Commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert is also on the witness list.
Officials set to testify include former OC Transpo general manager John Manconi, former deputy city manager Nancy Schepers, former treasurer Marian Simulik and former rail director John Jensen.
Rideau Transit Group/Rideau Transit Maintenance executives Mario Guerra and Nicholas Truchon, along with officials from Alstom, will also testify.
Public hearings will be held at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law from June 13 to July 8.
The commission has collected more than one million documents, identifying over 10,000 documents as relevant and conducted over 90 witness interviews, the public meeting was told.
"We've come to Ottawa to hear from you," Justice William Hourigan said at the start of the public meeting Wednesday evening.
"These meetings are critical to gathering feedback to inform our work."
Hourigan says the final report will include his recommendations and findings on this investigation.
"The commission's team has been working full steam since January to prepare for these meetings and the hearings to come."
The public meeting heard from seven delegates on the opening evening, with several people urging the commission to find out what happened.
"We take our responsibility to the people of Ottawa very seriously. We've heard some really good comments tonight, we've heard some concerns that are absolutely legitimate and we've heard questions that need to be answered and we're going to do that," Justice Hourigan said.
Justice Hourigan made a promise to a speaker.
"We need to understand what went wrong, who did what and we're going to get those answers for you."
The Ontario government called a public inquiry into Ottawa's troubled light rail transit system in November 2021, following the second derailment in six weeks along the Confederation Line. The derailment on Sept. 19 shutdown the LRT system for nearly two months.
The inquiry, led by the honourable Justice William Hourigan, has a mandate to investigate the commercial and technical circumstances that led to Stage 1 breakdowns and derailments. The inquiry will look at the decisions and actions that were taken in determining the procurement approach the city selected for Stage 1, the selection of Rideau Transit Group to build the system and the awarding of the contract.
The commission must deliver its final report, including any recommendations, to the Minister of Transportation on or before Aug. 31. An extension is also possible until the end of November.
You can watch the public meetings on the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.