Watson has not considered resigning over LRT fiasco
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he has not considered resigning over the ongoing troubles with one of his signature achievements, the Confederation Line LRT.
The line opened in September 2019 to fanfare and celebration, even though it was more than a year later than expected. Within weeks, problems began cropping up on the line, leading to long waits, stuck trains and frustrated customers.
There were numerous full-line shut downs over the course of the pandemic to work out the kinks that came up during the first few months of service on the brand new system, but problems persist.
Then, in August 2021, a train derailed, leading to a five-day closure as crews worked to resolve the problems. Six weeks after that, on Sept. 19, a second derailment crippled the line. It remains out of service to this day, nearly seven weeks later.
When asked by CTV News Ottawa's Patricia Boal in an interview on the CTV News at Six, Watson said he has not thought about resigning and he plans to see the fixes on LRT to their end.
"No, I haven't because I want to make sure the problems are resolved once and for all," he said.
Watson had just presided over a special meeting of council to introduce the draft 2022 budget, which includes a 2.5 per cent fare hike for OC Transpo fares, despite the issues on the LRT and the impact those have had on the transit system.
Watson stressed that the bus system is still operational.
"The rest of the system actually is up and running. There's obviously R1 service, it's supplementary to the rest of the service but the rest of the system is working," he said, while admitting the LRT is "not anywhere near the level of reliability that we are paying for and that we demand" from the Rideau Transit Group, Rideau Transit Maintenance, and Alstom, the train manufacturer.
"We've put tremendous pressure on RTG and RTM and Alstom, the supplier of the trains. We've held back all of their funds because we're not getting any service, we're not going to pay them. That's pretty obvious," the mayor said. "And we're continuing to keep that pressure on by hiring and independent safety advisor that will be reporting out to the public and to the media in the next couple of days with their report and their findings on when we can start the train service."
The city hired Transportation Research Associates (TRA) to independently certify the work performed by RTG and RTM before service can be restored. The target date of Nov. 1 set by RTG to restore partial service has passed, but Watson said he was confident there would be some "good news" in the coming days on a resumption of service on the LRT. The city had anticipated a partial return to service within the first two weeks of November, with full service likely restored by mid-December.
"We continue to put pressure on them and we continue to ensure that we're going to come back with the train system but, first and foremost, it has to be done in a safe and secure fashion," Watson said.
"That's my number one priority as mayor of this city."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.