Transit commissioners demand action in wake of RTG CEO's departure

Members of Ottawa's transit commission are reacting with surprise to news of the departure of Rideau Transit Group's CEO, and demanding his replacement get the city's ailing LRT fixed.

Peter Lauch stepped down from the helm ofRideau Transit Group (RTG),the consortium that built the problem-plagued Confederation Line, onMonday.

"We are so focused on, of course, getting the system fixed, [I] did not see this coming at this point," saidCoun. Riley Brockington, a member of the transit commission.

• CEO of Rideau Transit Group steps down

RTG said it will announce a plan to replace Lauch in the coming days.Brockington said he wants to see a "seamless transition" so ongoing work to make the Confederation Line more reliable isn't interrupted.

"I hope that, you know, sufficient expertise will be brought in, new leadership. Obviously he's not the one on the line doing the fixing, but you need a strong quarterback to coordinate all the different work that's being done to liaise between the consortium ... and [OC Transpo general manager John] Manconi and the city,"Brockingtonsaid.

RTGtrying to 'salvage' contract, commissioner says

One of the city's citizen transit commissioners also expressed surpriseat the timing of the announcement.

"I did not see this coming, to be honest with you,"Sarah Wright-Gilbert said Tuesday morning.

Wright-Gilbert said she thinks the move by RTG is an effort to "salvage" itscontract with the city.

Yes, he's the CEO, but this is an institutional failure by RTM, and so changing out one human is not going to solve all of their problems.- Sarah Wright-Gilbert, transit commissioner

This spring, the city issued RTG a formal notice of default over ongoing problems with the LRT, and demanded a timeframe forfixing the issues. The consortiumstill has not provided a date by which the Confederation Line will finally be madereliable.

The maintenance arm of RTG,called Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM), also has a 30-year contract for both stages of the Confederation Line. Construction on Stage 2 is well underway.

"I think that this is a move by RTM to try to maintain their contract with the city. I think they saw the writing on the wall in terms of where the city was heading," saidWright-Gilbert.

"The failings of the LRT and the launch and maintenance of the LRT, they can't be laid at the feet of one individual. This is not all on Peter Lauch. Yes, he's the CEO, but this is an institutional failure by RTM, and so changing out one human is not going to solve all of their problems."

WATCH: Ottawa Transit Riders reacts

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Kari Glynes Elliott, board member with advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders, says the departure of Rideau Transit Group CEO Peter Lauch may create a leadership vacuum that will make fixing the troubled system more difficult.

'Nothing with RTG surprises me anymore'

When it comes to finding a replacement, Wright-Gilbert said she thinks there could be benefits to finding someone who already knows the systemand has "corporate memory" of what's gone on, but she also thinks bringing in an entirely fresh face could be a good move.

"What I'd like to see is someone who is going to crack the whipand get things going, and get things moving," she said.

Unlike Brockington and Wright-Gilbert, the chair of the transit commission, Coun. Allan Hubley, said he wasn't surprisedby Lauch's resignation.

"Nothing with RTG surprisesme anymore," Hubleysaid.

Hubley said he wishes Lauch well, but added, "quitefrankly I look forward to meeting the new CEO that hopefully will be able to carry it across the finish lineand get us the system that we paid for and that our riders deserve."

Hubley said he wonders if RTG willlaunch a "worldwide search" for Lauch's successor, and consider having more than one person fill the role of CEO.

"Maybe they're going to bring in two people, or three people to do the job. Maybe it is a combination of people that can do this. I wouldn't be surprised," he said.

City looking for solid timeframe

Hubley said he's not concerned that Lauch's resignation will get in the way of improvements,saying the city has a "very good project agreement" with the consortium.

"The agreement is very clear on who's accountable for what ... so I'm not so much worried about who's in charge therewith respects to accountability,"Hubley said.

The transit chair said he's hoping the new CEO will be able to answer the city's demand for a solid timeframe something the consortium has been reticent to provide.

"We're just waiting for them to confirm for us that they can do this by the end of August,sowe're hoping within a couple of weeks we're going to have good indication from the new leadership on whether or not they can make that plan work," Hubleysaid.

WATCH: Transit chair hopes replacement can fix the system

Councillor hopes new transit group CEO will carry Ottawas light rail system over the finish line

4 years ago

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Coun. Allan Hubley, chair of the citys transit commission, said he hopes the new CEO of Rideau Transit Group will be able to fix ongoing issues with the light rail line. Former CEO Peter Lauch announced his resignation Monday.