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Year 33 • issue 23
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FRIDAY • November 10 • 2023
Mayor optimistic light rail will reach Barrhaven — one day at least By Charlie Senack
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he isn’t giving up hope that light rail might one day be rolling through Barrhaven. This despite the head of OC Transpo and many councillors saying it might be time to pivot away from the ambitious plan and instead focus on funding bus rapid transit. In an interview with the Barrhaven Independent, Sutcliffe said he feels the Phase 3 extension is crucial to completing the system. “I still believe in light rail as a long term solution for the residents of Ottawa. I think one day when the problems with Phase 1 are fixed, we will have the reliable and safe service that the residents of Ottawa expect, deserve [and] paid for,” Sutcliffe said. “When we do, I don’t think it should stop at Moodie and at Algonquin College. I think it should go well beyond that and serve the residents of Barrhaven,
Stittsville and Kanata. Those residents have been paying for light rail along with everyone else for 10 years. We have time to talk about the funding model for that.” If LRT to Barrhaven was built today, it would cost an estimated $6.5 billion, which many councillors say isn’t worth it financially. Initial plans were to see trains role onto Barrhaven within the next decade, but timelines now appear to be at least 25 years away for it to make financial sense. The extension to Barrhaven alone would cost $4 billion. Last publicly available estimates were pegged at $3.5 billion. To put it bluntly, OC Transpo is in financial trouble. Twenty-five year revenue projections are down $3.7 billion — more than $100 million per year. OC Transpo had to dig into its reserves last year to cover its budget gap. The deficit for this fiscal year is now $40.8 million. And 112 million bus and train rides were
Plans for light rail into Barrhaven are still in place, though Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says it may take 25 years instead of 10 years due to financial constraints.
expected this year, but the actual numbers won’t come close. Sutcliffe had previously said he wasn’t aware of
just how bad OC Transpo’s books were when he was elected mayor in the fall of 2022. OC Transpo general manager Réne Amilcar has
said tough decisions will need to be made. That could include upping fares, decreasing service, and revitalizing routes.
Sutcliffe said the transit system will need to reflect a pre-pandemic world.
light rail
continues on page 8
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