Negotiations to upload O-Train to Metrolinx must be ‘good deal for Ottawa,’ mayor says

An LRT vehicle at Cyrville Station along O-Train Line 1. (Andrew Adlington/CTV News Ottawa)

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says negotiations to upload the light-rail transit system to the Ontario government must end in a “good deal for Ottawa,” with the city maintaining control over scheduling and hiring for the O-Train service.

Council unanimously approved a motion from Transit Committee chair Glen Gower, directing Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and City Manager Wendy Stephanson to enter into negotiations with the Ontario government regarding the upload of the LRT.

The motion says a future agreement to upload the O-Train to Metrolinx “must be fair to Ottawa taxpayers,” and OC Transpo maintains “local control over service delivery and hiring of personnel.”

Sutcliffe told reporters the negotiations will take a “long time.”

“It’s a major transaction; it’s a big deal,” Sutcliffe said Wednesday afternoon.

“From what we’ve seen in other municipalities, these things can take a year, a year and a half, two years to complete.”

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.”

“My objective, and the objective of that motion that passed unanimously, is to make it clear that, in the negotiations, we are going to be fighting for the best interest of Ottawa transit riders and Ottawa taxpayers,” Sutcliffe said.

“This has to be a good deal for Ottawa; I think it can be, I think it will be, but it has to be a good deal for Ottawa. We need to retrain control over our transit system to make sure we are delivering the highest possible level of service to our residents, to our transit users. We need to make sure that it’s a good financial deal for the City of Ottawa and we get back the money that we’ve invested in this asset if we’re not going to own the asset anymore.”

Sutcliffe says the possible uploading of the LRT to the Ontario government is a “huge opportunity” for the city.

“It has the potential to save us billions of dollars in the years ahead that we can reinvest in public transit to make service better,” Sutcliffe said.

The motion recommends the deal require Metrolinx have a “significant presence and adequate resources in Ottawa to meet its commitments” to OC Transpo, and calls on the Ontario government to consult and collaborate with the city 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.