Report into Ottawa LRT failures says municipal megaprojects need better oversight
A scathing report into Ottawa's problem-plagued light-rail transit system illustrates why municipalities with limited experience stickhandling large-scale projects need better oversight if they are going to take them on, says an expert on infrastructure.
"There is a point where you have to admit that you screwed up and you're not capable of doing this," said James McKellar, a professor of real estate and infrastructure in the Schulich School of Business at York University.
Last week's final report from a public inquiry into the LRT system pointed fingers at both the company managing the project and the City of Ottawa for its many failures.
The deliberate decision by municipal officials to withhold vital information from Ottawa city council on the state of the LRT system prevented the council from "exercising its statutory oversight function on the critical issue of the system's reliability and readiness for operation," Justice William Hourigan, the commissioner of the inquiry, wrote in his report.
A model that had the Rideau Transit Group, a consortium of companies, design, build, finance and maintain the LRT system also contributed to a loss of oversight and control by the city.
McKellar said this goes back to the lack of experience that municipalities have in handling large infrastructure projects, which is also something Hourigan mentioned in his report.
He suggested that going forward, the city needs to own up to its lack of expertise and either ask to collaborate or hand over the reins to those who will be able to bring the project to completion.
Joel Harden, the NDP member of provincial parliament for Ottawa Centre, said the report suggested all levels of government need to carefully evaluate their use of public-private partnerships to fund projects.
"The story we've heard here is a cautionary tale about how we cannot pursue private, secretive agreements that elected officials cannot scrutinize. We have to be able to ask the questions so that people get the answers," said Harden.
He also noted the Rideau Transit Group is involved with the Stage 2 expansion of the system.
McKellar said the public-private partnership model is a tough one to navigate, but it is not the model itself that is flawed. It is about the level of knowledge of those working within it, he said.
Hourigan was critical of the lack of support from the provincial and federal governments. He recommended the province investigate how to develop the skills and capabilities needed to lead large infrastructure projects at the municipal level.
The report said the province should ensure "ongoing access to expert advice and guidance throughout the project, from procurement through to construction and operations, particularly with respect to managing the relationship with the private-sector partner."
McKellar said municipalities are sometimes reluctant to give oversight authority to other governing parties.
But Ajay Agarwal, an associate professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Queen's University, said oversight means more than one party hovering over another -- it's a process that can be highly beneficial when participants collaborate.
"I would hope that the City of Ottawa gets its act together," he said, adding that it should not treat the Ontario and federal government as "meddling into their affairs." He said the city should "embrace them as somebody who's inviting you to work properly."
John Fraser, a Liberal member of provincial parliament, said all levels of government need to work toward restoring public trust. He said the way to do that is by sharing the responsibility.
"It has to be shared governance," he said. "Everybody's got financial skin in the game, they're making significant contributions. Part of the oversight over that project (is) to ensure that portion, which you had contributed, was spent the right way."
The federal and provincial departments of infrastructure did not immediately respond to questions about oversight for their share of funding for the LRT system project.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.