Councillors, citizen transit commissioner raises concerns about lack of information at LRT inquiry
The 13th day of public hearings at the inquiry into Ottawa's light rail transit system revealed how poorly the trial-running period went before the launch of the system, which eventually led to stage one breakdowns and derailments.
Testimony at the inquiry Wednesday afternoon showed some of the testing data, which indicated a fail only weeks before the launch in September 2019. City officials testified they were not made aware of the situation at the time.
"We are public corporations spending public dollars and we should not be hiding that kind of information from public view and from the decision makers who have a duty of oversight," testified Coun. Diane Deans.
Transit officials had said in 2019 that there would not be regular updates to council and the media about the trial run and that they would only speak to it after it was finished.
A group of councillors and a citizen transit commissioner testified that they were left in the dark on how the system was operating before the launch date.
“Information was being withheld from council and transit commission,” testified citizen transit commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert.
A scorecard for one of the testing days in 2019 was revealed at the inquiry, which showed how poorly the system tested on specific days of the trial period. On July 31, the card showed a fail at around 73 per cent.
The inquiry heard how the trial testing was paused the next day, a situation reserved only when the system is not meeting specific requirements.
The inquiry then heard how later that month, the trial testing was adjusted.
"The train had not passed the 12 day performance testing and then the performance standards were being adjusted to meet RSA,” said Coun. Catherine McKenney.
As testimony continued, Transit Commission chair and Coun. Allan Hubley, was grilled on his participation in a private WhatsApp chat channel, which included former OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi and other city officials like the mayor, who discussed the project.
Hubley was asked whether he thought the rest of council should have had the benefit of that information.
"My recollection is that most of that information, if not all of that information, was eventually shared with council as part of the briefings," said Hubley.
City officials testified that they were never briefed on the situation during the trial-running period.
When the testing scorecard was revealed, Hubley said he had never seen one of those cards during the WhatsApp chats or at any point. That he only knew the system failed, but not specifically how bad the failure was.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.