City Council, Standing Committee and Commission
Conseil, comités permanents et commission
Motion

Notice of Motion / Avis de motion

Council / Conseil
Report / Agenda: Agenda 47 - Finance and Economic Development Committee Report
21
Rapport / Ordre du jour:
Item / Article: Light Rail Transit Implementation – Project Definition and Procurement
Plan
Re: Collaboration Ottawa-Gatineau Collaboration
Moved by / Motion de:
Seconded by / Appuyée par:

Councillor K. Egli
Councillor J. Leiper

WHEREAS the City of Ottawa and the City of Gatineau have recently strengthened
their collaboration in the areas of tourism, economic development and transit
coordination;
WHEREAS both Mayor Watson and Gatineau Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin have
identified the benefits of working more closely together on interprovincial transit
coordination in advance of the opening of the Confederation Line;
WHEREAS there is a benefit to Ottawa and Gatineau working together to
understand each city’s short, medium and long-term rapid transit goals with a
view to improving the transit experience for residents and visitors and increasing
economic development and tourism opportunities;
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa is working to significantly reduce the number of OC
Transpo buses on surface streets by investing in the Confederation Line tunnel;
WHEREAS hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors travel between both
cities annually;
WHEREAS approximately 60,000 commuters travel between Ottawa and Gatineau
on a typical weekday;
WHEREAS the demand for interprovincial transit trips is expected to increase by
over 65% by 2031;
WHEREAS both cities have indicated a desire to explore the potential future use

 of the Prince of Wales Bridge as a rapid transit corridor, which could significantly
contribute to reducing the number of buses traveling in both directions between
Ottawa and Gatineau while improving air quality, enhancing environmental
outcomes and reducing commuter times for residents of both communities; and
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has worked closely with both the Province of
Ontario and the Government of Canada to leverage unprecedented investments in
public transit infrastructure by all governments in the region;
WHEREAS capital works associated with the interprovincial transit strategy, such
as the rehabilitation of Prince of Wales Bridge, are currently outside the City of
Ottawa’s affordability envelope for transit;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct staff to continue to work with
their counterparts in the City of Gatineau, to explore potential enhancements to
public transit and active mobility connections between Ottawa and Gatineau,
including, but not limited to, the future use of the Prince of Wales Bridge, to
inform the next update to the Transportation Master Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Council ask Mayor Watson to formalize the
exploratory discussions, already initiated by both Mayors, aimed at improving the
rapid transit experience for residents of both cities, including, but not limited to,
the potential future use of the Prince of Wales Bridge for rapid transit and active
mobility with the goal of establishing next steps, and reporting back on the
progress of these discussions before the end of this term of Council.