City concerned construction strikes will delay Ottawa's LRT, central library projects

Ottawa's city manager says he's "very concerned" strikes by crane operators and carpenters will impede the city's ability to keep construction of the light rail transit extensions and new main library on schedule.

Carpenters in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector in the construction industry began strike action on Monday after rejecting a contract offer. They joined thousands of crane and heavy equipment operators on the picket line, after members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793 went on strike last week.

The strike has already shutdown construction on the $334 million Ottawa Public Library-Library and Archives Canada facility at LeBreton Flats, while staff warn the job action could "potentially impact" Stage 2 of the LRT project.

City Manager Steve Kanellakos told reporters the city is "very concerned" about the impacts of the strike during what could be a record-breaking construction year in the city.

"We are concerned about our major projects and light rail, there's no question about it," Kanellakos said Wednesday after council.

"If this goes on too long, it is going to impede our ability to keep on schedule, and we're already having schedule problems because of supply issues, supply chain issues because of the challenge to find enough labour to do these jobs."

Kanellakos admits there is not much the city can do during the strike.

"Just like the private sector says at some point, if the cranes don't come back, for example, there's only so much work you can do before you can run out of work," Kanellakos said.

"We're hopeful that they get back to the table very soon, but that is a real concern for us."

The strike comes as construction on the new central library faces cost overruns and construction delays.

In October, council approved spending an additional $131 million on the Ādisōke project to address escalating construction costs.  Staff also said the library is now scheduled to open in mid-2026, instead of in 2025 as initially planned.

Meantime, the western extension of the Confederation Line and the Trillium Line from Bayview Station to Riverside South are also facing construction delays.

Councillors were told last month the Trillium Line is running 12 months behind schedule, while the western extension is currently seeing a 101-day delay.

City staff are monitoring the construction strike to assess its impact on all projects over the spring and summer.

"The City will continue to assess and evaluate the situation to determine if there will be further impacts to City projects," Director of Infrastructure Services Carina Duclos said.