Last Tuesday, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will commit both parties to upload ownership and responsibility for the O-Train and Highway 174 in the east end from the City of Ottawa to the Province.
Both moves would mean savings in the tens of millions of dollars for Ottawa residents, but I want to focus on the O-Train piece, and what it could mean for OC Transpo in the future.
- A $4-billion financial benefit. The upload will remove a $4 billion cost on Ottawa taxpayers, representing the capital, maintenance, and operating costs of the O-Train system over its lifespan. And it would shift the financial risk of the LRT system to the province. That’s approximately $85 million every year that can be reinvested in better transit: expanded bus service, more routes, more frequency, more reliability.
- A partnership with Metrolinx. The provincial upload would put Ottawa’s LRT under the ownership and control of Metrolinx, the provincial agency that runs most of the commuter rail systems in southern Ontario. Metrolinx would bring scale, and leverage, and experience so that problems get solved faster.
- LRT to Stittsville. As part of the upload, the City of Ottawa will be looking for a commitment from the Province to move forward with Stage 3 Light Rail which would bring LRT to Kanata, Stittsville, and Barrhaven. The Premier made this commitment during the 2025 provincial election.
- Fairness for Ottawa. Going back to at least August 2024, Mayor Sutcliffe has flagged a huge discrepancy in how the Province funds transit in southern Ontario as compared to Ottawa. For example, Ottawa taxpayers are paying about 55% of the cost of building Stage 1 and 2 of light rail, with the province and federal government splitting the remaining 45%. Meanwhile in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, and Brampton, local taxpayers pay only about 5%. The LRT upload would fix that imbalance, and return the money that we invested.
There are some legitimate concerns about risk to the City by partnering with Metrolinx. Last fall, City Council approved a motion from me and the Mayor listing the key principles and goals that we have for any upload deal, including:
- that a deal must be fair to Ottawa taxpayers and consistent with precedent deals reached in other Ontario municipalities
- that the governance structure of Metrolinx includes appropriate mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency for Ottawa residents
- that Metrolinx has a significant presence and adequate resources in Ottawa to meet its commitments to the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo
- that OC Transpo maintain local control over service delivery and hiring of personnel
There’s no firm timeline for when construction for Stage 3 light rail may begin, but the MOU is an important step in the process. We’re likely looking at 12-18 months before a final deal is reached – I think 2027 would be a relatively safe bet for a decision.
In the west end, the LRT route would run parallel to the Queensway, cross the highway at Canadian Tire Centre, and continue on elevated tracks to the last station, located at Hazeldean Road and Robert Grant Avenue across from the Chipotle. Rail Fans Canada produced a great video demonstrating the route and stations for LRT Stage 3 through Kanata and Stittsville. Worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiOJCViey1k