Although not a single line was laid for Ottawa's failed light rail plan, it has spawned a massive lawsuit costing the city almost $250,000 in legal fees for the first nine months of this year.
CTV Ottawa has learned between January and March of 2008, the legal bills to fight a consortium of companies that successfully bid on the cancelled project were just over $70,000. Between April and June, they jumped to a whopping $157,000, before settling back to just over $17,000 between July and the end of September.
Despite the costs, the man who pledged to hit the reset button on the old system told CTV Ottawa cancelling the LRT plan still means long term savings for the city.
"If you save 10 or 15 minutes a day for the average commuter in this city, that is hundreds of millions of dollars of productivity time for the City of Ottawa," Mayor Larry O'Brien said Thursday.
Those who backed the old plan though, said they knew the legal bills for cancelling light rail would add up quick.
"We're talking a $267-million lawsuit which every one seems to be running away from. I said when we killed the line we would spend more to kill it than to build it," said Coun. Clive Doucet.
Among other factors, the court case is set to be heard in Brampton, Ont., which means travel and accommodation costs must also be included.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
