Ford: Ottawa LRT project 'stunk to high heaven'
Fallout from the damning Ottawa LRT public inquiry report continued on Thursday, with Premier Doug Ford saying the project "stunk to high heaven" and that senior city of Ottawa officials did a "terrible job."
Ford's government called the inquiry headed by Justice William Hourigan, which released its final report on Wednesday. The report said the construction and maintenance of the Confederation Line was plagued by persistent failures in leadership and saw "egregious violations of the public trust" by senior city staff and Rideau Transit Group.
On Thursday, Ford called a lot of the findings of the report "frustrating."
"We saw Mayor Watson not being transparent with his councillors. We saw the city manager having to step down. It was just absolute in shambles, and stunk to high heaven," he told reporters in Toronto. "Thank goodness we did the inquiry."
"I think they did a terrible job," he added. "Mayor Watson—I'm being very frank here—wasn't transparent, he didn't oversee the project properly, and he's gone and so is the city manager and some other people that worked on it. They high-tailed out of there because they knew it was a disaster. And the people of Ottawa knew it was a disaster.
"The people of Ottawa finally have an answer."
Hourigan's report listed myriad reasons behind the problems with the $2.1-billion project. But he singled out former city manager Steve Kanellakos for what he called a "deliberate effort" to mislead council, and Watson and former transit chief John Manconi for hiding information from council.
Kanellakos resigned on Monday ahead of the report's release. Manconi retired last year. Watson did not run for re-election in October - his spokesman said Wednesday he is on a trip out of town.
Hourigan's report found, among other things, that the city chose unproven technology for the trains, RTG didn't coordinate the work of its subcontractors, the city rushed the LRT system into service before it was ready due to political pressure, and RTG and its subcontractors did not provide adequate maintenance.
Former councillor calls for apologies, resignation
Former transit chair Diane Deans called on Watson to apologize and for Coun. Allan Hubley, her successor as transit chair, to resign from council.
"In all of my years, I have never seen a report so damning of city hall," she told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Wednesday. "The people responsible for this, they need to be held to account. I know most of them jumped off the ship before it sunk. But in my estimation, Allan Hubley can no longer sit at the council table and make decisions. He has lost the public trust, he has breached it.
"He needs to do the right thing today and tender his resignation, and if he doesn't, council needs to ask for it."
Deans also pointed to Coun. Riley Brockington, who said on Twitter a colleague on council is still chewing him out for supporting the LRT public inquiry.
"I just found that unbelievable," Deans said. "That some members of council still sitting at that table now think the problem is with those of us who were seeking accountability, transparency, and honesty at city hall, and that if we'd all just shut up about it, the public would never know.
"These are public dollars…and this is a breach of public trust."
Deans also called on the current council to ask for an extension of the public inquiry to look at Stage 2, which is currently under construction and behind schedule.
"This council has an opportunity to do the right thing," she said. "If they don’t, then they’re missing the point. There’s been significant erosion of public trust."
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said Wednesday he has asked city staff to develop a plan to implement the report's key recommendations.
Catherine McKenney, a former councillor and mayoral candidate, said they found the report "discouraging and unfortunate, but not surprising."
"We knew that we had been misled. We knew that that train had not operated for anywhere near 12 days. And we always knew that the culture at the city of Ottawa that had been created by the former mayor was one that left people out of decision-making," McKenney told CTV News.
"I think that people in this city should be worried. We really do have an erosion in trust at our city."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.