Ottawa LRT inquiry hearings to begin in June
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.
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.
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.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
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.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.