Ottawa LRT inquiry hearings to begin in June

Workers with Alstom and RTG watch as an LRT car moves along the Confederation Line on Oct. 27, 2021, near the spot where a train derailed on Sept. 19. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)

The commission investigating the troubled Stage 1 of Ottawa’s light rail transit system will begin holding public hearings in June.

The hearings will be held at the University of Ottawa faculty of law’s courtroom, with witnesses testifying in-person or remotely.

Ten applicants have been given full standing to participate in the inquiry, including the city of Ottawa, the province, Rideau Transit Group, train maker Alstom and Amalgamated Transit Union 279, which represents OC Transpo operators.

“All are significant players in the events that led to the construction and implementation of the Project, including in the tendering process, the construction of the Project, the decision to accept the light rail transit system, and the ongoing operation of the system,” the commission said in a news release on Monday.

The public will also be invited to watch the proceeding on a big screen in a large auditorium near the courtroom. The livestream will also be broadcast online.

The Ford government called the public inquiry late last year after what Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney called “unacceptable and disappointing” problems with Ottawa’s Confederation Line.

Those included two derailments in six weeks, one of which shut down the system for nearly two months.

Justice William Hourigan is leading the commission.

The commission is also holding two in-person public meetings at the Shaw Centre on May 25 and 26, where the public will be invited to make statements. Those meetings will be live streamed online.

More information on how people can register for those meetings will be available the week of March 21 on the commission’s website, the news release said.

The hearings will be begin in the wake of the provincial election, which is scheduled for June 2. Its findings are due on Aug. 31, before Ottawa’s municipal election in October.

Mayor Jim Watson initially fought against a public inquiry, saying the city’s auditor general would be best-placed to investigate the problems with LRT Stage One. The auditor general has since suspended her work.

Watson is not running for re-election in October.

Applicants given full standing as participants

• The City of Ottawa
• Amalgamated Transit Union 279
• Alstom Transport Canada Inc.
• Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation
• Morrison Hershfield
• The Province of Ontario
• Rideau Transit Group Engineering Joint Venture
• Thales Canada Inc.
• Transport Action Canada
• Ottawa Light Rail Transit Constructors; Rideau Transit Group General Partnership; Rideau Transit Maintenance General Partnership

Applicants given limited standing

• STV Incorporated
• David Knockaert
• Justin Kelly

You can find more details on the public hearings on the commission’s website.