Good afternoon everyone.
I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me to address the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
My name is Renée Amilcar and I am the General Manager of the City of Ottawa’s Transit Services Department.
We operate OC Transpo, Ottawa’s public transit system, which includes diesel and electric buses, our light rail system and Para Transpo. Every day, OC Transpo keeps the city moving and provides important connections to and from Gatineau.
As you look into expanding the parliamentary precinct to include sections of Wellington Street and Sparks Street, I ask that the committee consider three key issues affecting transit users.
These issues are important because we want to ensure that OC Transpo can maintain current service levels and that transit riders are not negatively affected.
First, we want OC Transpo and the Société de transport de l’Outaouais, or STO, to be able to continue operating along Wellington Street and beyond Sparks Street as we do today. This includes keeping bus stops and shelters at their current locations, at least until the future STO streetcar line is built.
Transit service along Wellington Street is vital for many of our customers who live and work on both sides of the Ottawa River. Access to this street also allows us to efficiently pick up and drop off Para Transpo riders. Changing routes and bus stop locations or forcing Para Transpo riders to be dropped off farther from their destinations would disadvantage our customers.
Second, we want to see the plans for the STO streetcar line, either along Wellington Street, under Sparks Street, or any other future location, go ahead and not be affected by the expansion of the parliamentary precinct.
Third, we would like OC Transpo and STO to continue to be allowed to detour buses along Wellington and Sparks Streets in the event of any future external influences, such as emergencies, without having to obtain approval from the National Capital Commission or any other agency to use federal lands.
Unplanned detours are complex and resource intensive. Adding another layer of approvals could have a significant impact on service reliability for our riders and disadvantage residents who rely on public transit.
As you can appreciate, it is important to implement detours in a timely and safe manner when necessary to ensure that our customers can easily get where they need to go.
This concludes my remarks.
Once again, thank you for inviting me to speak.