The City of Ottawa is looking to get the wheels in motion to upload the responsibility of the O-Train to the province. Premier Doug Ford announced during the Ontario election campaign in February that Ontario would upload oversight of Ottawa’s light-rail transit system to Metrolinx, potentially saving the city $4 billion over 30 years. May’s provincial budget said the Ontario government would be “exploring options” for uploading the O-Train to Metrolinx, “to help reduce costs for Ottawa taxpayers.” A motion for Wednesday’s council meeting, submitted by Transit Committee chair Glen Gower and seconded by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, recommends council direct the mayor and City Manager Wendy Stephanson to enter into negotiations with the Ontario government on the LRT. The motion recommends several principles “be foundational” to the negotiations, including the deal must be “fair to Ottawa taxpayers and consistent with precedent deals reached in other Ontario municipalities” and the “governance structure of Metrolinx includes appropriate mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency for Ottawa residents.” It also recommends the deal require Metrolink has a “significant presence and adequate resources in Ottawa to meet its commitments” to OC Transpo and the city maintain “local control over service delivery and hiring personnel.” The motion also proposes the Ontario government consult and collaborate with the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo on the “planning, design, procurement, construction, delivery and operation” of Stage 3 LRT to Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven.” Metrolinx operates the Go Train and UP Express system in the Toronto area and is responsible for building some Toronto transit projects, including the Ontario Line and the Hazel McCallion LRT. The discussion over uploading the O-Train to Metrolinx comes as OC Transpo struggles with multi-million-dollar budget deficits. OC Transpo is projecting a $46.6 million deficit this year due to lower-than-budgeted ridership and no funding boost from the upper levels of government. Council directed staff to draft the 2026 OC Transpo budget with a transit fare increase up to 7.5 per cent and a hike in the transit levy between 3 per cent and 15 per cent.
