Construction resumes on new main library at Ottawa's LeBreton Flats
Construction resumed on Ottawa's new $334 million central library at LeBreton Flats this week, three weeks after a strike by crane and heavy equipment operators shutdown the project.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793 ratified a new three year contract on May 20, ending the strike that impacted projects in Ottawa and across Ontario. The strike by crane and heavy equipment operators was followed by a strike by the carpenters' union and other trade unions.
The city of Ottawa says construction on the new Ottawa Public Library-Library and Archives Canada project resumed at LeBreton Flats, but it's unclear what the strike has done to the project timeline.
“The City of Ottawa is encouraged to see that agreements are being reached. Operating Engineers have returned to work, and the construction work for Ādisōke project site will be resuming this week," said Infrastructure Services Director Carina Duclos in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
"The City needs time to evaluate the impact of the strike with its contractors, and for all agreements to be reached, before providing further updates."
The price tag for the new library at LeBreton Flats increased $131 million last fall due to escalating construction costs.
The new library is scheduled to open in mid-2026, according to a report tabled in October. The initial plan was for the new library to open in 2025.
Rail Construction Program Director Michael Morgan says work has continued on the light rail transit extensions into Orleans, Riverside South and Kanata.
"Work continues across the Stage 2 project on the east, west and south extensions," Morgan said in a statement on Friday. "The City continues to closely monitor the situation to see if there are impacts from the strikes."
The Carpenter's District Council of Ontario announced Friday a province-wide strike of carpenters in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector is over after members ratified a tentative deal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.