Damning LRT inquiry report says city leadership withheld the truth

Good morning!

Today is a special issue of the Lookout, where we dive deep into the earth-shattering LRT inquiry report that was just released. It’s a huge report, both in the number of pages — the full report is more than 600 — and in its implications.

The report reveals a process that was deeply flawed, a city and private consortium that were indifferent to the public interest, and a train system that was riddled with problems. It is a shocking document that highlights deep problems within the city. Helpfully, the inquiry put together this short video clip explaining their findings.

We are lucky this inquiry happened. The final report, and the testimony leading up to it, highlight just how much we didn’t know.

So, buckle up, it’s quite the ride. Let’s get to it.

And if you found this report useful, please consider sharing it with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and email.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

Weather Report

Friday: +3 🌡️ +2 | 🌤

Saturday: +8 🌡️ -6 | 🌧

Sunday: +2 🌡️ -5 | 🌤

Monday: +2 🌡️ -4 | 🌤

THE LRT INQUIRY

Lies, damned lies, and LRT construction

What happened: The LRT inquiry report was released Wednesday, and it paints a devastating picture. The LRT was opened before it was ready, and everyone involved knew it.

The inquiry’s commissioner, Justice William Hourigan, identified two overarching failings in the LRT project: 

1. Rideau Transit Group gave deadlines for completion it knew were false, and 

2. City officials — including former mayor Jim Watson — did not tell council or the public the truth about the state of the trains.

Many problems: Beyond the two major themes, Hourigan found numerous problems with LRT project:

• The city chose trains that were never used before, and built a system that pushed the limits of typical LRT systems;

• RTG did a poor job overseeing its subcontractors;

• The system was rushed into service for political reasons;

• The testing criteria was changed mid-testing to ensure the trains passed, despite many problems;

• And RTG and the city developed an adversarial relationship, leading to more problems.

The commissioner’s assessment: “While human errors are understandable and expected, deliberate malfeasance is unacceptable in a public project. When participants deliberately mislead the public regarding the status of a public undertaking, they violate a fundamental obligation that underlies all public endeavours. The public rightly trusts both the government and private-sector entities to act in a manner that furthers the broader public interest,” Hourigan said in the report.

• Dig deeper: Ten takeaways from the Ottawa LRT inquiry final report [CTV]

The people at fault: Hourigan lays much of the blame for the poor quality of the LRT on senior city officials, including former mayor Jim Watson, former city manager Steve Kanellakos, former OC Transpo head John Manconi, and former transit commission head Coun. Allan Hubley. 

• Their rush to push the train line into service, and their unwillingness to be truthful with the public all contributed to the system’s failures.

Kanellakos abruptly resigned Monday, while Manconi left the city for the private sector last year. Watson did not run for re-election. Only Hubley remains.

They all shared WhatsApp group where they got timely updates about the progress of testing the trains, and how badly it was going — information they deliberately withheld from council and the wider public. The report calls out each of them for either misleading council, or choosing not to correct the record once council had been misled.

• “Without changes to the information-sharing process and a fundamental shift in the approach of senior city staff, the statutory oversight function of council will be irreparably compromised,”

Read the executive summary 

Read the full report 

Correction: In Wednesday’s newsletter, we inadvertently dropped the word “not” from a sentence, which should have read: “[Kanellakos] said while he had not seen an advance copy of the report; he expected it to be negative based on the questioning during the inquiry.” The Lookout regrets the error.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥫 $10,000: The Holiday Helpers Food Drive raised this much for the Ottawa Food Bank. [CTV]

💥 14%: Insurance premiums in the province rose this much in the past year, the highest in the country. [CityNews]

🚌 2: The number of wheels a school bus lost near the village of Lansdowne. Fortunately, no one was injured. [CityNews]

THE LRT INQUIRY

Reaction from around the city

Reaction: Former councillor Diane Deans said former mayor Jim Watson should make a public apology. She also said Coun. Allan Hubley, the former Transit commission chair, should resign from council for his role in the LRT fiasco, CBC reported. Hubley was one of the few people who were part of the WhatsApp group where critical decisions about the LRT were made, particularly during testing.

• "I don't know how [he] could sit at the council table and make decisions about the future of this city when there could be no public confidence left in him whatsoever," Deans told the broadcaster.

From the premier: "I think they did a terrible job. Mayor Watson — I'm being very frank here — he wasn't transparent, he didn't oversee the project properly," Premier Doug Ford said, according to CBC. "He's gone, and so is the city manager and some other people that worked on it. [They] high-tailed out of there because they knew it was a disaster."

From the new mayor: “I understand the frustration and disappointment of so many Ottawa residents,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said, according to CTV. “Frankly, I share their disappointment.” He said he has instructed staff to come up with an action plan to implement the report’s recommendations.

• Dig deeper: What happens next will define Sutcliffe's term as Ottawa mayor [Ottawa Citizen]

From the old mayor: Former mayor Jim Watson has yet to speak about the report and his central role in the problems with the LRT, as he is on vacation.

From RTG: “We acknowledge that all parties, including RTG and its subcontractors, have work to do to restore the public’s confidence in the city’s light rail system. That work starts with a renewed commitment to working together on a path forward in the spirit of partnership required of all of us,” the consortium said, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

If you found this report useful, please consider sharing it with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and email.

THE LRT INQUIRY

What the inquiry report recommends

Recommendations: The inquiry made 103 recommendations for how to improve the LRT, and prevent similar problems arising in the future. We won’t go through all 103 of them, but here are four of the key recommendations the inquiry highlighted in its press release:

• Collaboration and the public interest should be at the heart of the relationship between city and its and private-sector partners;

• Reliability and safety issues must be honestly identified and communicated to project partners and the public:

• Trial testing requirements should be detailed in the relevant contracts;

• And prior to public opening, there should be an extensive running of the entire system under conditions designed to mirror those of public service.

Watching progress: The report also recommends hiring a third-party overseer to report directly to either the transit commission or council as a whole because of city staff’s lack of honesty. This points to a deeper problem at city hall. The problems with the LRT project are part of a culture of secrecy within the bureaucracy that persisted even during the inquiry itself:

• “Is there any reason to believe that their conduct regarding the trial running testing results was an aberration or that transparency has improved within the city? Unfortunately, based on the city’s conduct during this inquiry, there is not,” Hourigan wrote. “Throughout the hearings, the city published, at taxpayers’ expense, a summary of the proceedings that was a blatant attempt to spin the testimony in a way that was favourable to the city.”

Still to do: There are still “critical” safety issues that need to be addressed. There were temporary fixes to how the wheels and rails interact, which is thought to be the cause of the first derailment. But there has been no permanent fix, the report said according to the Ottawa Citizen.  

In conclusion: Hourigan said there is definite sign for optimism, as both RTG and the city now seem to be working better together. But, he warned the system is not out of the woods yet. “Until such time as the private and public entities involved in the OLRT1 project understand that their first obligation is to the public, there is reason to be concerned that the project will continue to suffer problems,” he said.

If you found this report useful, please consider sharing it with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and email.

THE AGENDA

🚍 The city will likely no longer have regular citizens sit on the Transit Commission, following a recommendation from a new report. Regular citizens had been appointed to the oversight body for the last 12 years. [CTV]

🎄 Ottawa is the Christmas capital of the silver screen. This year it was the backdrop for a record 16 films. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 Someone is setting unauthorized snares in the city to catch coyotes, and it’s not the city. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚔 Three people, two of them from Ottawa, were arrested as part of a gun smuggling ring bringing in weapons from the US. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚗 The city had the biggest drop in the number of commuters driving to work in the country. In May 2021, there were 26 percent fewer people driving compared to five years earlier. [CTV]

😷 The province will continue to offer free COVID rapid tests until June of next year. [CTV]

🦷 You can now apply for the federal Canada Dental Benefit to receive money for your childrens’ dentist visits. [CTV]

🏒 Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton remained unsigned by yesterday’s deadline, and won’t play this year. He’s one of the players on the Hockey Canada team under investigation for sexual misconduct. [The Athletic]

SURVEY

What is wrong with the Lookout?

Okay, wrong is a little harsh! But we do want to hear how to improve the Lookout in 2023.

Our annual year-end survey is your chance to choose what we cover. Should we write about more events? Review more restaurants? Cover more provincial issues that impact Ottawa? Let us know!

The survey closes Tuesday at midnight, so get you answers in before then

EVENTS

Your weekend guide

Music

🎶 Come Sing Messiah, tonight 7pm: Open to anyone who wants to try, this is a chance to sing Handel’s Messiah alongside a real choir, no experience required. Tickets start at $22.23.

🎼 Rideau Chorale Christmas Concert, Saturday 7 pm: Featuring John Rutter’s Gloria and other holiday songs and carols. At the Southminster United Church, 15 Alymer St. Tickets start at $20.

Food

🍷 2027 Cellars Pop-up Wine Shop, Saturday 10:30 am: A pop-up wine shop from a Niagara grower at Chef’s Paradise at 1314 Bank St. Tickets are free, reserve in advance.

Kids/Family

🦖 Jurassic Quest, Friday to Sunday: Limited tickets left for this interactive dinosaur adventure for the whole family at the EY Centre. Tickets start at $27.50.

🥿 Mādahòkì Farm Make and Take Workshops, Saturday and Sunday: Multiple workshops at various times to make dreamcatchers, moccasins and deer hide gloves you can take home once you’ve made them. The farm is at 4420 West Hunt Club Rd. Tickets start at $22.60.

🎄 A Very Vintage Christmas, Saturday 10 am-3 pm: Put on your PJs and head to the Nepean Museum for a different kind of Christmas activity. Play with 70s toys, do a scavenger hunt, craft a Christmas card and listen to stories. Tickets start at $7.25.

🎅🏻 Stittsville Parade of Lights, Saturday 6 pm: A parade down Stittsville’s Main Street, which ends in a tree lighting ceremony in Village Square Park. Free, of course.

General

🥾 Women Who Explore Jack Pine Trail Hike, Saturday 1 pm: Head on out to this Nepean trail. Dress warmly and bring plenty of sunflower seeds to feed the chickadees. Tickets are free.

Market

🖼️ Holiday Fundraising Art Sale, until Sunday: The Ottawa School of Art is hosting its annual fundraising market. Find an original piece of artwork at a great price. Admission is free.

Film

🎥 European Union Film Festival, until Saturday: The final weekend of this festival at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Several feature films will be shown, including the Ukranian film Klondike Saturday a 4 pm to raise money for health services in that country. Tickets start at $14.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Santa will be taking your questions live on CFRA every night at 7pm until Dec. 23. [CTV]

• Chelsea Elementary School is raising money to make its playground accessible for students with disabilities. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Looking for an interesting gift for the foodie in your life? Try some of the products recommended by our food editor like canned butter clams.

• The new registration site for City of Ottawa recreation activities is now open! 

• Rosemary the cat up for adoption and looking for a new home, ideally just with adults. [CityNews]

• The Sens have recalled Nikita Zaitsev from the AHL, where the defenceman had been sent after a rough start to the season. [CityNews]

• An education worker is looking to hire a mural artist to lead a workshop for kids at their school. [Reddit]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from Stacey Cohen, who took this great shot of a sunset at Ault Island near Morrisburg, south of the city.

Would you like to share a photo with the Lookout community? Send it our way!

OTTAWA WORDLE

Congrats to Adam, Stephanie, Gord, Ron, and Charles, who all knew this week’s OttawaGuesser was from Prince of Wales at Hog’s Back.

Today, we’ve got the Wordle. Think you’ve got the skills to solve it? Play now.

LATEST COVID STATS