Public hearings starting June 13 to investigate LRT troubles

Public hearings are scheduled for June 13 to July 8 to investigate Ottawa's problem-plagued Light-Rail Transit system.

The commission is to look into “the commercial and technical circumstances that led to Stage 1 breakdowns and derailments of the Ottawa Light Rail Transit System,” according to a release announcing the hearings.

Witnesses representing the parties involved in the “Ottawa Light Rail Transit Project – Stage 1,” will testify under oath, the release says.

The province announced the inquiry last November, with Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney saying problems affecting the system have been “unacceptable and disappointing.”

“To get to the bottom of these issues facing the Ottawa LRT, our government will be launching a public inquiry. Our goal is to get this up and running as soon as possible.”

City manager Steve Kanellakos said on Wednesday that the city has provided over 500,000 documents to the commission, in addition to lists of hundreds of people who could be potential witnesses going back to 2007.

The hearings will be open to the public and the media.

The livestream for the hearings will also be available on the Commission's website.

The hearings will also be broadcast on television on Rogers Channels in English and in French.

There will also be two public hearings, May 25 and May 26, at the Ottawa's Shaw Centre in Ottawa from 7 to 9 p.m., to allow people to share their views.

Go to the commission's public meetings page for more information and to register to attend and/ or deliver a statement.