No citizen commissioners on Ottawa's transit commission this term, report recommends
For the first time in more than a decade, there will be no citizen representatives on Ottawa's transit commission this council term.
The recommendation is set out in a new report on the committee setup at Ottawa City Hall.
The 2022-2026 Council Governance Review, outlining the governance structure and related processes for the new term, includes a recommendation that the transit commission only be composed of elected officials.
That's a change from the past three council terms, which saw non-councillors appointed to the commission by council. There were four citizen transit commissioners during the 2018-2022 term.
Instead of citizen commissioners, staff will begin the process to set up a transit advisory board composed of members of the public, and at least one user of Para Transpo.
"During consultation for the 2022-2026 Governance Review, most Members of Council expressed the view that all Commissioners should be Members of Council, as the elected officials are directly accountable to residents rather than to Council," the report states.
City Clerk Rick O'Connor worked with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to finalize the recommendations for the governance structure.
"For the 2022-2026 Term of Council, the Mayor recommends that the Transit Commission be composed entirely of elected officials, and that citizen input on transit matters be received through the establishment of a new transit advisory body that includes public members, as described below," the report states.
"The Commission would be composed of Members of Council, as approved by Council, with the Mayor as an ex officio member."
The report states the proposed new transit advisory body would provide advice, informed by user experience, to the transit commission and council on public transit.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sutcliffe was asked about having no citizen representatives on the transit commission
"City councillors are the elected representatives of the public; they're there to represent the public's interest and so I'm confident that the city councillors that sit on the transit commission going forward will represent the interests of the public just as they do on every other city committee deals with important matters," Sutcliffe said.
The 2010-14 Governance Review proposed the establishment of a transit commission with members of council and the public to oversee transit operations. Four citizens were first appointed to the commission in March 2011.
Other proposes changes to the committee structure include separating the community and protective services committee into separate committees: the community services committee responsible for the "community services" mandate, while the emergency preparedness and protective services committee responsible for "emergency and protective services", along with emergency management, by-law reviews, and Ottawa Paramedic Service issues added to the workload. The work of the former IT sub-committee will fall under the mandate of the finance and economic development committee.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.