'Nothing at all': Ottawa mayor waiting for word on public inquiry into LRT
Two weeks after the Ontario government called a public inquiry into Ottawa's beleaguered LRT system, Mayor Jim Watson and the city's auditor general are waiting to see the terms of reference for the investigation.
"Nothing at all. I haven't received anything in writing, no phone calls so we anxiously await what the parameters are," said Watson in an interview with Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron.
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced on Nov. 17 that Ontario is launching a public inquiry "to get to the bottom" of the issues facing the LRT system.
Mulroney said the Ontario government plans to launch the public inquiry "as soon as possible", with the scope of the inquiry and its terms of reference released in the coming weeks.
Watson says Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon is waiting to see the terms of reference to determine how to proceed with an audit of the LRT system. Council voted this fall to ask Gougeon to investigate the LRT project.
"She wants to make sure she's not duplicating efforts because, as you know, council asked the auditor general to go and review aspects that caused the system to fail us. So I hope the province would communicate with us directly," said Watson.
"It would be nice to get a letter from the minister explaining what the parameters are, when it's starting and what the ground rules are."
The auditor general's work plan for 2022-2023 includes an audit of the Stage 1 LRT procurement and implementation.
"Once the OAG has completed sufficient planning to further define the scope of the audit, we will return to Council to provide an update and a preliminary budget," said Gougeon, in a report from Friday's Audit Committee meeting.
The auditor general tells council that she is waiting to see the scope of the Ontario government's public inquiry to determine whether to expand her own investigation.
"Once we better understand the scope of the province’s public inquiry, additional audit/investigation work on Stage 1 LRT may be initiated," said Gougeon. "The scope of the province’s public inquiry will be considered in the planning stages of the OAG LRT audit to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure prudent spending of taxpayer dollars."
Gougeon told council last month that the audit would focus on two main areas. The first is activities relating to the award, construction and "go live" of Stage 1 of LRT to ensure they were undertaken with the appropriate transparency, due diligence and oversight. The second audit will look at the effectiveness of the operation and maintenance.
Ottawa's LRT system resumed running on Nov. 12 after a 54-day shutdown following the derailment on Sept. 19. It was the second derailment on the two-year system in six weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.