OC Transpo union opposes election promises to upload LRT to Metrolinx

An O-Train on Line 1 travels along snowy tracks. (CTV News Ottawa)

The union representing workers at OC Transpo says it is opposed to the provincial government taking control of Ottawa’s light rail transit system, a promise made by both the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties.

Premier Doug Ford said a re-elected PC government would upload the LRT to Metrolinx, a Crown agency that manages public transit in the GTHA. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie also promised to take over the LRT if she forms government, but the Liberals say their plan would not involve Metrolinx. The Ontario NDP said they are promising a 50/50 cost-sharing program with municipalities to fund public transit operations.

In a news release Thursday, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 said Ottawa residents should be wary about provincial control over municipal transit systems.

“Metrolinx is no different than the Consortium used in Ottawa – it’s a Private Public Partnership (P3) model where a Consortium of private companies do the work and maintain the transit service for 30 years for healthy profits and no accountability,” the release said.

Line 1 of the O-Train is currently managed by Rideau Transit Group (RTG), a consortium consisting of ACS Infrastructure Canada, EllisDon, and SNC-Lavalin. The City of Ottawa entered into a 30-year agreement with RTG to build and maintain the line. Since its launch in 2019, Line 1, also known as the Confederation Line, has experienced numerous problems, including two derailments. The ATU says handing the line off to another P3 would not alleviate the issues riders and staff have to deal with.

“When there’s an issue like a mechanical failure or service delays, transit riders and all Ottawans don’t remember that a private consortium (RTG) was awarded a 30-year contract to build and maintain the LRT, instead OC Transpo workers get the brunt of public anger about the unreliable and potentially dangerous rail service – when in fact they are just the operators trying to move people to their destinations,” said ATU Local 279 President Noah Vineberg in the release.

TransitNEXT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin, was awarded the contract to design, build, finance, and maintain the O-Train south extension, Line 2, and the Airport link, Line 4, also collectively known as the Trillium Line, which officially launched Jan. 6, 2025.

The union points to Metrolinx’s management of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto, a project that has been under construction for more than a decade.

“We have been saying for years that these initiatives end up costing taxpayers more and give private corporations total control,” said ATU Canada president John Di Nino. “Public-Private Partnerships deliver billions in profits to corporate friends of Government and leave taxpayers to pay the bill for substandard public transit that does not work.”

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe touted Ford’s promise to integrate Ottawa LRT operations under Metrolinx as a “big win” for the city. The transit system is facing significant budgetary issues. Ford claimed uploading the LRT could save the city $4 billion over the next 30 years.

The ATU is calling for more investment in public transit, allowing the municipal government to maintain ownership of its transit assets.

“We need governments to invest more in public transit - not destroy it by selling it off to private corporations. Ottawa’s LRT like other forms of public services must remain a public asset controlled by the city. Say no to the upload,” Vineberg said.