Public Works and Infrastructure Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:

21

Date:

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Time:

9:30 A.m. - 4:30 P.m.

Location:

Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation

Present:

• Chair: Councillor Tim Tierney, 
• Vice-Chair: Councillor Catherine Kitts, 
• Councillor Jessica Bradley, 
• Councillor Steve Desroches, 
• Councillor Sean Devine, 
• Councillor Laura Dudas, 
• Councillor Glen Gower, 
• Councillor Laine Johnson, 
• Councillor Wilson Lo, 
• Councillor Matt Luloff, 
• Councillor Ariel Troster, 
• and Councillor Isabelle Skalski 

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1.

Notices and meeting information for meeting participants and the public

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; in camera meeting procedures; information items not subject to discussion; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and hybrid participation details.

Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.

Except where otherwise indicated, reports requiring Council consideration will be presented to Council on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 in Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Report 21.

The deadline to register by phone to speak, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 4 pm on September 24, 2025, and the deadline to register to speak by email is 8:30 am on September 25, 2025.

2.

Declarations of Interest

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.

Confirmation of Minutes

3.1

PWIC Minutes 20 – June 26, 2025

• Carried

4.

Responses to Inquiries

4.1

OCC-2025-06 – Road Paint

4.2

OCC-2025-07 – Change of Requirements for Line Painting

5.

Presentations

5.1

Alto High-Speed Rail Network Introduction

The following consultants provided a presentation on the item and answered questions from the Committee. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

• Jennifer Falconer, Senior Advisor, Public and Government Relations (ALTO)
• Daphne Hurtubise (ALTO)

The following staff responded to questions from Committee:

• Vivi Chi, Special Advisor, Planning
• Jennifer Armstrong, Director, Transportation Planning

Councillor L. Dudas moved a motion about this topic that got carried with Councillor S. Desroches dissenting.

• Motion No. PWIC 2025-21-01
  Moved by L. Dudas

  WHEREAS the Alto High-Speed Rail project is a transformative infrastructure project, aiming to connect Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Québec City via nearly 1,000 km of dedicated, electrified track; and

  WHEREAS the project will operate trains at speeds of up to 300 km/h, dramatically reducing travel times (e.g., Ottawa–Montréal in under one hour, Ottawa–Toronto in just over two hours), and enabling a real modal shift in intercity travel; and

  WHEREAS the project is expected to generate $24.5 billion in annual GDP impact, driven by increased productivity, labour mobility, tourism, and workforce participation, and create over 51,000 construction jobs; and

  WHEREAS the City of Ottawa stands to benefit significantly from improved connectivity, economic growth, and enhanced accessibility, further positioning our capital city as a globally competitive destination; and

  WHEREAS the federal government has identified this as a project of national sig-nificance, awarded a $3.9 billion development contract, and committed to accelerating its timeline through the newly established Major Projects Office; and

  WHEREAS Ottawa Unlimited — a partnership between Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ot-tawa, and the Ottawa Board of Trade — publicly endorsed the Alto High-Speed Rail project recognizing it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to position Ottawa as a globally competitive, accessible, and attractive destination for visitors, talent, and investment; 

  BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor, on behalf of Council, write to the Prime Minis-ter, the Minister of Transport, and the Minister of Infrastructure to expresses the City of Ottawa’s strong support for the Alto High-Speed Rail project, and to urge the Federal Government to maintain momentum and prioritize Alto High-Speed Rail project through the Major Projects Office; and

  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT City staff be directed to continue engagement with Alto technical teams and report back to Council on opportunities for local in-tegration, community benefits, and with major project updates.

  Carried

6.

Planning, Development and Building Services Department

6.1

St-Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor (Hemlock Road to Innes Road) Environmental Assessment Study – Recommended Plan

File No. ACS2025-PDB-TP-0013 - Beacon Hill - Cyrville (11), Rideau-Vanier (12), Rideau-Rockcliffe (13), Alta Vista (18)

Paul Croft, consultant and Jennifer Armstrong, Director, Transportation Planning, Planning, Development & Building Department, responded to questions from Committee.

The residents Richard Renaud (facilitated by James Dubroy) and Joe Thottungal spoke before the Committee and provided comments on the item.

A written submission was received from Richard Renaud and is filed with the Office of the City Clerk and distributed to Committee Members.

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommend that Council:

  1. Approve the functional design for the St-Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor (Hemlock Road to Innes Road/Industrial Avenue) Environmental Assessment Study, as described in this report; and,
  2. Direct Transportation Planning staff to finalize the Environmental Study Report (ESR) and proceed with its posting for the 30-day public review period in accordance with the Ontario Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process.
  Carried

7.

Councillors’ Items

7.1

All-Way Stop Control – Bren-Maur/Eisenhower-Kelowna

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0105 - Barrhaven East (24)

The item was carried with Councillors G. Gower and C. Kitts dissenting.

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommend Council approve the installation of an all-way stop control (AWSC) at the intersection of Bren-Maur Road and Eisenhower Crescent-Kelowna Street.

  Carried

8.

Office of the City Clerk

8.1

Status Update – Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Inquiries and Motions for the period ending September 16, 2025

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0098 - City-wide

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee receive this report for information.

  Received

9.

In Camera Items

There were no in camera items.

10.

Information Previously Distributed

10.1

Report on the use of Delegated Authority during 2024 by the Public Works Department

File No. ACS2025-PWD-TRF-0002 - City-wide

11.

Motions of Which Notice has been Previously Given

11.1

Motion – Councillor W. Lo - Watershield Neighborhood Parking Re-strictions

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0087 - City-wide

• Motion

  THAT Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends Council direct staff to implement - before 1 April 2026 - a year-round parking prohibition on Fridays from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm on the same side as the existing winter parking prohibition on the following streets:

  • Cicely Terrace
  • Coralroot Avenue
  • Gentian Heights
  • Springbeauty Avenue
  • Sweetflag Street
  • Twayblade Avenue
  • Watershield Ridge.
  Withdrawn

11.2

Motion – Councillor W. Lo - Winter Parking Ban – Grovehurst Drive South Side

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0088 - City-wide

• Motion

  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommend Council direct staff to implement a winter parking prohibition on the south side of Grovehurst Drive, from Crestway to Oldfield, before winter 2025.

  Carried

12.

Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

There were no Notices of Motion.

13.

Inquiries

13.1

Red light turns

Submitted by Councillor A. Troster:

This past summer we saw multiple serious accidents at intersections that involved vul-nerable road users (cyclists or pedestrians). In particular, two cyclists were hit at different intersections on the same day by drivers who, according to witness statements given to the Ottawa Police, were executing lawful right turns.  

Across the city, and specifically at many intersections downtown, we have placed re-strictions on right turns on red (RTOR). This is a safety precaution, to prevent generally permissible vehicle movements that, given the context of the unique intersection, would present an unacceptable risk.

It is relevant that right-turns-on-red were not permitted on North American streets until the 1970s, and Ontario amended its Highway Traffic Act to permit RTOR in 1984. The change was motivated by high gas prices and driver convenience, not out of an effort to make roads safer. As far back as the 1980s, there were reports from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States that permitting right-turns-on-red increased pe-destrian deaths by 60 per cent and increased cyclist deaths via collisions with cars by up to 100 per cent.  

Beyond recording fatalities and major injuries (FMI) associated with RTOR, a new study from the CAA (released in June 2025) found that serious near-misses most often involve vehicles turning right, accounting for 55 per cent of pedestrian and 50 per cent of cyclist conflicts.  

While revising the Highway Traffic Act is out of council’s purview, strategically banning RTOR within municipal boundaries merits discussion.  

What percentage of intersections in the inner urban and downtown wards currently have RTOR restrictions and what are the criteria for these bans? What would be the barriers of implementing these bans more extensively?  

Given the growing number of pedestrian and/or cyclist leads at intersections, is restrict-ing RTOR standard for an intersection when introducing ped/cycling advances? Why or why not? 

Open Ottawa data lists accident impact types including ‘turning movement’, but not whether it is a left or right turn. According to the City’s website, between 2019 and 2023, 26 per cent of collisions resulting in fatal or major injuries to pedestrians involved a left turn movement. What is the percentage for right turns? For cyclists with left and right turns?  

13.2

E-scooter safety

Submitted by Councillor Gower:

The City of Ottawa is participating in Ontario’s e-scooter pilot program, running from January 1, 2020 to November 27, 2029.  Overall, there seems to be a lack of awareness from residents and parents about rules and regulations, for example that e-scooter operators must be at least 16 years old.  

1. How has the City of Ottawa (and its partners) promoted awareness of e-scooter safety and the rules and regulations for operation of e-scooters? 
2. How is the City and Province collecting information and feedback to inform whether or not the pilot is successful?  

14.

Other Business

14.1

Chair T. Tierney - automated speed enforcement in Ontario municipalities

Chair T. Tierney has provided remarks on the automated speed enforcement in Ontario municipalities.

15.

Adjournment

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 23, 2025.

The meeting adjourned at 11:24 am.