2018 to be a year of project delays, elections in Ottawa

The last year of this term of council is promising to be one of big city projects, all unfolding under the shadow of this fall's municipal election.

Here are the major issues coming in 2018. 

Is LRT on track?

It's not that anyone is particularly surprised that the city's $2.1-billion light-rail system may be delayed, what with the giant Rideau sinkhole that appeared in June 2016 adding considerable challenges to the already tricky project of digging a rail tunnel under downtown Ottawa.

But the timing of that news did raise some eyebrows around City Hall. During December's budget debate, some councillors had asked about what consequences the LRT being late would have on transit operations.

And yet, neither OC Transpo boss John Manconi, nor city manager Steve Kanellakos, nor Mayor Jim Watson informed councillors about the likelihood of the delay — even though they all knew about it before the end of November. Instead, council was told in the days after the budget was passed.

• LRT handover pushed back, city says
• Frustrated councillors left in dark over LRT delay

So exactly when will we be riding Ottawa's new light rail? 

We'll have a better idea Jan. 24. That's when Rideau Transit Group, the consortium building the LRT, has to say whether it will deliver the rail system by May 24, as the contract stipulates, or whether it will be late. Furthermore, if the project is late, RTG must give the city a new delivery date. (Any financial consequences for missing the deadline will be worked out later.)

But once the city takes over the LRT system, we won't be taking the train for weeks, or possibly months, as the city rolls out its communications strategy, conducts its own testing and finalizes its plan to transition from bus to rail transit.

If we're lucky, we may be riding the rails in late summer, but don't be shocked if the LRT isn't operating until the fall — or even not at all this year.

LeBreton deal landing

At its last 2017 board meeting, National Capital Commission chief executive Mark Kristmanson didn't expect to announce an agreement with the Senators-led RendezVous LeBreton Group for the 21-hectare piece of land across from the Canadian War Museum by the end of the year, as he had previously expected.

However, Kristmanson characterized the upcoming Jan. 24 board meeting as a "milestone," where a substantial update on the land deal is expected to be delivered. 

It's hard to know exactly how the negotiations are going as they have been completely behind closed doors. But recent comments by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk — who, on the eve of the Sens' NHL outdoor classic, mused about how he didn't really need to move his team downtown and complained about the lousy fans — indicate the NCC may be driving a harder bargain than RendezVous LeBreton might like.

• NCC to have milestone meeting on LeBreton in January
• Sens fans take aim at Melnyk's arena comments

Even if the NCC and RendezVous come to some sort of agreement over the land sale early in 2018, there are still federal and municipal government approvals required, which will likely take years. As well, the NCC has committed to consult with Indigenous people throughout the process.​

Election season

For the second time in a row, both the provincial and municipal elections will be held in the same year.

The Ontario general election is set for June 7 and the results can have a direct impact on local issues, from gas tax money for transit to rules for city planning. 

But municipally speaking, the electoral main event for 2018 is Oct. 22, when voters go to the polls to choose a mayor, 23 councillors and a phalanx of school board trustees.

Watson has already announced he'll run again, as have a number of councillors who previously said 2014 would be their last campaign. That list now also includes Stephen Blais, who recently said he'll be seeking re-election in Cumberland ward.

Although new municipal election rules have shortened the campaign, which means candidates cannot register until May 1, at least one city council hopeful has begun to campaign unofficially in Alta Vista ward. So far, there are no mayoral contenders, although the rumour that former Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar is considering a run just won't go away.

This year's election will be the first in which corporate and union donations are banned. However, third-party advertising campaigns will be allowed for the first time ever and these ads will allow corporate and union money.

• Think corporate and union donations are banned in the next city election? Think again

City-wide issues sure to be central to the campaign include:

• The light-rail system, especially if it ends up being delayed past the election date. Council is sure to wear the blame should the transition to light rail not go smoothly. As well, Phase 2 of LRT should be awarded this year, as the current plans call for construction to begin in 2019. 
• The property tax increase and infrastructure. This year's budget process revealed that a number of councillors don't believe a 2 per cent tax increase, which has been the norm for the last four years, is enough to run the city. This is especially true when it comes to the city's infrastructure, some of which is not in great shape. The infrastructure plan calls for "asset realization" — that's city-speak for closing down municipal properties — in 2019. Voters will want their candidates on the record committing not to close community assets, or whether they're in favour of closing them down to keep taxes at bay.
• City financial contributions to the LeBreton land deal. While council's "guiding principles" for negotiations include protecting taxpayers, that language is fairly vague. Voters will want to pin Watson down on whether he's open to giving the Senators or the RendezVous LeBreton Group city money, including property tax breaks.
• The controversial Salvation Army 350-bed facility planned for Montreal Road, a development that brought more people to City Hall than any other issue in recent memory. Although it likely won't be a city-wide election issue, it will be a hot topic in Vanier, where Watson may have trouble winning support.

Central library

When council approved the city-owned property at 557 Wellington St. on the eastern edge of LeBreton Flats as the location for the city's new central library back in February, it seemed all systems go.

Library and Archives Canada were bullish on the $168-million project that would see the federal institution partner with the city to build a 216,000-square-foot library. The financing for underground parking, which isn't included in the cost estimate, was to be announced in March. Council's finance and economic development committee was to approve the funding shortly thereafter.

But almost a year later, there's been little progress on the central library, which was one of Watson's 2014 election promises.

• Funding approval for central library delayed

A request for qualifications is underway, but the federal government has not approved the archives' partnership with the city, nor has council approved any funds for what's been billed as a city-building project. 

The project was an election issue last time around, and because it is now so delayed, it may be one this time around as well.