'The public's trust has been eroded' over LRT, says acting city manager

Ottawa city council and senior staff pledge to commit to being more accountable and transparent after the devastating final report from the LRT public inquiry found council and the public were kept in the dark over serious issues regarding the Confederation Line project.

The report, which found the $2.1-billion LRT system was rushed into service due to financial and political pressures was particularly harsh on the roles of former mayor Jim Watson, former transit boss John Manconi, and former city manager Steve Kanellakos. The inquiry commission found the men withheld information about how the bar was lowered for the contract requirements and in the final testing.

At Wednesday's council meeting, many on council discussed what needs to be done to rebuild the public's trust in city hall around LRT, starting with the acting city manager.

"I want to take a moment to acknowledge that last week was a very difficult one for the city," said Wendy Stephanson, who is replacing Kanellakos after he quit suddenly days before the report was released.

"But sometimes it really takes somebody from the outside to point out where change is needed … I recognize that council and the public's trust has been eroded over the light rail over a number of years. And today I want to assure you that the senior leadership team is taking lessons from the inquiry to heart."

Council members also spoke to the loss of trust. Rideau-Rockcliffe ward Coun. Rawlson King said council has a "massive" oversight challenge for the LRT and he talked about how council will need to work to "improve democracy and accountability at city hall."

Newly elected Barrhaven West ward Coun. David Hill said he's heard his residents describe "a disheartenment and a desire for a call to action."

He said there was a "genuine need" for council to show the public it was taking the inquiry report seriously.

New oversight sub-committee

To that end council created a new LRT subcommittee, which Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called a "first step" in council providing more direct oversight of the ongoing problems with the Confederation Line and the construction progress of LRT Stage 2 currently underway.

Riverside South-Findlay Creek ward Coun. Steve Desroches moved the motion for the subcommittee, which was seconded by Sutcliffe. It would include five members of council, including each chair of the transit and transportation committees. The individual members are expected to be named next week during the committee nomination meeting.

Desroches pointed out that unlike big cities like Chicago, New York and Toronto, the capital hasn't dealt with multi-billion-dollar projects before. These giant projects need a more detailed level of oversight, especially with the $4.66-billion second stage already behind schedule.

"Given the seriousness of the report from the committee last week, I think it's warranted to create a new sub-committee," said Sutcliffe.

The precise details of the new LRT subcommittee's mandate won't be worked out until the new year, but it would receive regular updates from staff and the independent safety auditor.

It's also not clear if the subcommittee would report to the newly named finance and corporate services committee, or to the transit commission if issues were about the daily operation of the Confederation Line.

Of particular concern to some councillors is the ongoing problem with the alignment of the train wheel and track, a "critical" issue the inquiry commissioner believes contributed to the August 2021 derailment.

Updates on the ongoing investigations into the cause of the derailment should be brought directly to this subcommittee.

Other councillors want the city to begin to consider other recommendations from the LRT inquiry report, including issues surrounding how the city should deal with procurement and project management for major undertakings.

"The public is very keen for us to get going on the report and not [take] too long to immerse ourselves in those recommendations," said River ward Coun. Riley Brockington. "The public wants us to get going."