New head to submit report and recommendations by August
The Ontario government has appointed Justice William Hourigan as commissioner to lead a public inquiry into Ottawa’s light rail transit (LRT) system, the Ministry of Transportation announced.
As the new commissioner, Hourigan will investigate all the commercial and technical circumstances that led to the multiple breakdown and derailment of the first stage of the Ottawa LRT system. He should furnish a final report of his findings by August and include recommendations to help improve the safety of the line.
“The challenges plaguing stage 1 of the Ottawa LRT are unacceptable and disappointing,” said Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney. “This public inquiry is a prudent approach to uncovering the cause of these issues and preventing them from happening again.”
The provincial government has already invested $600 million in constructing the first stage of the LRT system and pledged an additional $1.2 billion to the second stage, which is currently under construction.
“Establishing the scope of the inquiry and appointing Justice Hourigan is an important step towards the safe implementation of the project, accountability, and value for taxpayer dollars,” Mulroney said.
Hourigan previously served as a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and was later elevated to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 2013. Before his judicial stint, he worked as a chair in the litigation department at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, specializing in complex commercial litigation.
