'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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
What happens after we die? Most Canadians say an afterlife does exist, survey shows
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.