Transit Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:

24

Date:

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Time:

9:30 A.m. - 5:00 P.m.

Location:

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

Present:

• Chair Glen Gower, 
• Councillor Riley Brockington, 
• Councillor Marty Carr, 
• Councillor David Hill, 
• Councillor Jeff Leiper, 
• Councillor Wilson Lo, 
• Councillor Shawn Menard, 
• and Councillor Tim Tierney 

Absent:

• Vice-Chair Steve Desroches 

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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, April 8, 2026 in Transit Committee Report 24.

The deadline to register by phone to speak, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 4 pm on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, and the deadline to register to speak by email is 8:30 am on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

2.

Declarations of Interest

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.

Confirmation of Minutes

3.1

TC Minutes 23 – February 12, 2026

• Carried

4.

Presentations

4.1

OC Transpo Update – Rail, Bus, and Para Transpo

The following Transit Services Department staff 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.

• Troy Charter, General Manager
• Chad Maahs, Manager, Bus and Para Transit Operations
• Daniel Villeneuve, Manager, Zero Emission Bus
• Oliver Monahan, AGM, Transit Services Department
• Bart Cormier, Director, Transit Strat Commu & External Rel
• Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer
• François Quirouette, Program Manager, Service Strategy

Joel Lemieux, Director, Transit Services Delivery & Rail Operations, also responded to questions from Committee.

The following residents spoke before the Committee and provided comments on the item:

1. Ajay Ramachandran
2. Thuy Do
3. Benjamin Obeng-Apori (Ottawa Mission / Ottawa Food Bank)
4. James Scott MacKillop

Written submissions from Thuy Do dated March 4 and March 11, 2026 were received by, and are filed with the Office of the City Clerk, and were distributed to Committee Members.

5.

Transit Services Department

5.1

Stage 2 Light Rail Transit Project

File No. ACS2026-TSD-RCP-0001 - City-wide

The following Transit Services Department staff 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.

• Richard Holder, Director, Rail Construction Program
• Jacelyn Daigle, Director, Rail Construction Program

The following staff also responded to questions from Committee:

• Troy Charter, General Manager
• Richard Holder, Director, Rail Construction Program
• Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer
• Pat Scrimgeour, Director, Transit Customer Systems & Planning
• Amanda Thompson, Manager, Transit Strategic Communications

Following discussions and questions of staff, the Committee received the recommendation as presented.

• Report Recommendation(s)

  That the Transit Committee receive this report for information.

  Received

6.

In Camera Items

There were no in camera items.

7.

Motions of Which Notice has been Previously Given

7.1

Motion – R. Brockington – Implement of a communication protocol

File No. ACS2026-OCC-CCS-0015 - City-wide

Following discussions, Pat Scrimgeour, Director, Transit Customer Systems & Planning answered questions from Committee and a friendly amendment proposed by Councillor M. Carr was 'CARRIED'. The motion was 'CARRIED AS AMENDED'.

• Motion

  That Transit Committee recommend that OC Transpo staff:

  1. Be directed to implement a consistent, standardized communication protocol using existing tools and resources to complement existing reporting and notify all Councillor offices of:
     1. temporary or planned trip cancellations that form part of service adjustments, winter service changes, or recurring reliability patterns;
     2. recurring route reliability issues; and
     3. significant schedule adjustments with anticipated customer impact,
        for awareness and constituent support; and
     4. known technological issues.
  2. Report back to the Transit Committee on how real-time service information is managed, including:
     1. how last-minute cancellations are communicated within real-time information systems, including what triggers updates and where delays occur;
     2. what improvements are being made to ensure real-time tools reflect service changes as early and accurately as possible; and
     3. how riders who rely on specific trips are proactively informed when temporary cancellations are introduced, extended, or reassessed; and
  3. Be directed to document their procedure for how route cancellation decisions are made.
  Carried as amended

8.

Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

There were no Notices of Motion.

9.

Inquiries

There were no Inquiries.

10.

Other Business

There was no other business.

11.

Adjournment

Next Meeting: April 9, 2026.

The meeting adjourned at 2:11 pm.