Ottawa transit riders will get free service in December (if the LRT is running)
City council has approved a plan to offer transit service at no cost to the riders in the month of December if the city's beleaguered light rail system is up and running.
Mayor Jim Watson first announced his plan to propose free ridership in December on the CTV News at Six on Sept. 21, following the LRT train derailment outside Tremblay Station that has kept the system shut down for nearly a month.
The plan passed by a vote of 17 to 6, with councillors Rick Chiarelli, Diane Deans, Mathieu Fleury, Catherine McKenney, Jeff Leiper, and Carol Anne Meehan voting against it.
The mayor said at the time that no-charge transit in December would be a way to apologize to transit riders who have had to deal with a service that he called substandard.
Watson said the money to cover a month of service at no charge to the passengers of OC Transpo buses, the LRT and ParaTranspo would come from the funds that would have been sent to the Rideau Transit Group. The city has the power under its contract to withhold funding from the consortium that built and maintains the Confederation Line if a certain level of service is not met.
Staff estimate it would cost $7.2 million to make ridership on the city's transit system free for a month.
However, the mayor noted during council debate Wednesday that the free month of service would only come into effect if service on the LRT has resumed by then. If not, it will be delayed until the month following the resumption of service.
There is no timeline for a return to service for the Confederation Line, which has been closed since the Sept. 19 derailment. The Rideau Transit Group will present the city with a return-to-service plan, which must be vetted independently by Philadelphia-based TRA Inc.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.