Instructors who trained Trillium Line operators lacked required experience: auditor general
Investigation also found trainees given hints, answers during exams
Ottawa's auditor general has revealed instructors hired to train operators on the recently reopened Trillium Line themselves lacked experience and the necessary training.
The investigation, tabled at the city's audit committee on Monday, was launched following reports received through the city's fraud and waste hotline.
The city signed an agreement with private consortium TransitNext to design, construct and maintain the north-south LRT extension. TransitNext was also responsible for developing a training program for operators, but the investigation found it fell short of the city's expectations.
Investigators found several gaps in the delivery of the training program, including the hiring of unqualified instructors and their failure to observe testing protocols.
These findings were made prior to the gradual reopening of the Trillium Line extension, which began Jan. 6. On Monday, OC Transpo's managing director Renée Amilcar insisted the system is now running safely.
"Let me be clear, the system is safe and all operators have been properly trained," Amilcar told the audit committee. "Most of the issues have already been resolved, including completing all planned training and reviewing the training files for these operators."
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Unqualified instructors
Federal regulations stipulate that a qualified instructor must complete at least two years as a locomotive engineer, and at least three months in the specific area in which they're providing training.
The auditor general's office found some instructors hadn't met that requirement or had incomplete training themselves. Many were hired based on their experience working on the Trillium Line before it was extended and reopened.
"Through interviews, we learned that OC Transpo prioritized the on-job training of the operators over the instructors," deputy auditor general Joanne Gorenstein told the committee. "This led to instructors training the operators before they themselves had completed all their training hours."
The office also found some candidates were hired as "relief instructors" despite being unsuccessful in previous selection processes.
Coun. Theresa Kavanagh asked staff whether the city ever considered using external operators as instructors.
The city's chief safety officer, Sabrina Pasian, said OC Transpo's collective agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union wouldn't allow that.
"There are contract issues," Pasian said.
Exam protocols ignored
Video reviewed by the auditor general revealed some instructors also failed to follow protocol during exams administered by TransitNext.
Instructors sometimes gave trainees hints and answers to test questions. They also failed to prevent cheating, allowing trainees to talk and copy each other's answers during testing.
Kanata North Coun. Catherine Curry, chair of the audit committee, said she's relieved the auditor general caught these issues before the relaunch.
"We have to make sure our drivers are trained properly, that the instructors have the right training," she said. "Thank goodness this was caught ahead of time."
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5 recommendations
The auditor general made five recommendations to improve the quality of training for operators. Management accepted all five recommendations, and OC Transpo said it began to address them last year.
All operators are now trained by OC Transpo staff, according to Amilcar, who was not immediately able to say how much it cost the city to move training in-house.
"I can tell you it will be never too expensive to have good quality in house," Amilcar said.
Auditor general Nathalie Gougeon said she's satisfied with OC Transpo's response.
"I feel very confident that if management is stating that they have taken action that they have likely taken that action," Gougeon said, adding her office will continue to monitor the city's progress and report back to the committee.