Watson pushes for free transit for all riders in December
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he will be pushing to make transit service in the city free for all riders this December.
The mayor made the announcement in an interview with CTV Ottawa Chief News Anchor Graham Richardson on Tuesday.
He said he and transit chair Coun. Allan Hubley would put a motion forward at Wednesday's city council meeting to come up with a plan.
"We will be putting forward a motion tomorrow at council that directs the city manager to come up with a plan that would allow the month of December to be a no-charge month for all of our passengers," he said. "People will not have to pay the fee, they would not have to buy a pass. We say in December because that will also help the retail industry and Christmas shoppers and people who go out to parties and have a drink or two to use the service at no charge."
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.
This comes following Sunday's derailment on the Confederation Line near Tremblay Station. New info from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada showed that the train had derailed just before the station, and kept going for about 500 metres until it hit a signal mast and switch heater just beyond the bridge over Riverside Drive. It was the second derailment in six weeks. Rideau Transit Maintenance told reporters on Monday that it could take three weeks to repair the damage.
The mayor says no-charge transit in December is a way to apologize to transit riders who have had to deal with a service he called substandard.
"It's a small gesture to say we're sorry to our passengers, first and foremost. Secondly, it will also help to stimulate the economy in different parts of the city by encouraging people to take this transit ride without a charge," he said.
The plan must be presented to and approved by council before it comes into effect.
Watson also apologized for the recent issues on the line.
"I apologize and certainly my colleagues do for a service that is substandard," he said. "We had a year and a half of really good service and then the last two incidents have shaken the confidence of me and our passengers and our staff, and RTG and RTM and Alstom have to get their act together or they're not going to be paid."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.