A display is seen before the start of the first day of proceedings at the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission inquiry into the troubled LRT system, in Ottawa, on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The public inquiry into Ottawa's light-rail transit system cost the city of Ottawa approximately $4.8 million.
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney called the public inquiry to look into problems with the beleaguered transit system in 2021, and the final report from Commissioner Justice William Hourigan was presented on Nov. 30, 2022.
While the Ontario government covered the cost of the commission's work, the city had to spend money on legal fees and database and file transfer services for documents.
In a report for the Finance and Economic Development Committee, acting City Manager Wendy Stephanson says the city has spent approximately $3.6 million on legal fees and $913,000 for data and file transfer services. Stephanson says additional external legal resources were engaged to support former City Manager Steve Kanellakos and former Mayor Jim Watson in preparation for their testimony before the commission.
The remaining money from the $4.8 million price tag for the inquiry covers Information Technology Services, fit up for secure physical space and staff overtime, as necessary, Stephanson said.
"The Commission's activities required significant amounts of document production, preparation, monitoring and other actions by the City of Ottawa and its witnesses," Stephanson writes. "The City's response to the proceedings was facilitated through a dedicated staff team that worked with the external legal counsel."
The former city manager established an eight-member staff public inquiry response team to handle the city's response to the public inquiry, including handling requests for documents and information from the LRT Commission. Stephanson says activities by the team included providing the Commission with information regarding key personnel, ensuring documents were retained, produced, reviewed and provided and facilitating information sessions for members of council with external counsel.
In January 2022, the city received two summonses requiring the city to produce documents relating to the LRT project as well as information regarding city personnel and third parties involved in the LRT project.
"The summonses were broad in scope and required records dating as far back as June 2007," Stephanson said.
The city provided the commission with more than 570,000 records before public hearings began last June.
Now that the commission has released its final report, Stephanson says the staff public inquiry response team has closed out its work on the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Public Inquiry.
However, the acting city manager says measures have been implemented to ensure the Auditor General has ongoing access to information that may be required in any future reviews of the project and established a "long-term records management strategy" for the records.
Transit Services staff are preparing a report to respond to the findings and recommendations from the inquiry, and it will be presented to the Light Rail Sub-Committee by the end of June.
Public Order Emergency Commission
The city of Ottawa has spent $890,840 in connection to the public inquiry looking into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act during the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.
A report for the Finance and Economic Development Committee says the city's public inquiry response team, already engaged in the city's response to the LRT inquiry, undertook the work of responding to the Public Order Emergency Commission.
According to the report, the $890,840 cost to the city includes legal fees, file transfer services and "minor administrative costs" related to document production.
The commission issued a summons to the city in June 2022 for documents from 10 elected officials and city staff, with another summons issued for appearances by Watson and his chief of staff, Kanellakos and two former councillors.
The city provided more than 30,000 records to the commission through its external legal counsel. The final report from the Public orders Emergency Commission is expected by the end of February.
Ottawa's Auditor General is conducting a separate review of the city and Ottawa Police Service response to the convoy protest. That report is expected by the end of March.
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A display is seen before the start of the first day of proceedings at the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission inquiry into the troubled LRT system, in Ottawa, on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
