Kanellakos said he relied on expert advice regarding testing criteria and felt that informing the council only after the system had passed was in his best interest.
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City Manager Steve Kanellakos on Monday defended his decision not to report early and frequent failures to the city council during the LRT’s Phase 1 test run in July and August 2019, saying he thought it best wait until the tests were complete and the system had passed or failed.
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He also denied that the lowering of the required testing criteria was made to make it easier for the Rideau Transit Group to clear the last hurdle for the Confederation Line to reach the city.
Kanellakos said he relied on expert advice regarding testing criteria and felt that informing the council only after the system had passed was in his best interest, rather than bogging it down with day-to-day results.
“I was relying on the independent certifier and the independent security auditor to give me the certificates that basically said the system was healthy, ready to go and secure,” Kanellakos testified on day 15 of the Ottawa LRT Commission investigation. “That’s what I had to trust. I couldn’t trust what was going on in the making of the sausage.”
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Kanellakos and the city had been criticized by council members who felt alienated from the LRT during the test phase, but he explained Monday that as city manager his authority extended to making decisions about the project, including negotiating , approval, execution. , deliver, modify or extend the contract. If the council was not satisfied with his performance, he pointed out, it could have amended or terminated his authority.
Regarding updating the full board only once the testing phase was successfully completed, Kanellakos likened his decision to writing a university exam.
“It’s like sitting down and writing a three-hour exam in college. I don’t do well on the first three questions, but I get an A on the next 15 and I pass the exam. If I were to report after question 3 and I didn’t do well on the first three questions, what conversation value are we going to have afterwards because I haven’t finished the next 17 questions? I have to finish the whole exam.
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He also defended the decision to change the test run’s total vehicle kilometer ratio (AVKR) test threshold from 98 percent over nine of 12 days to 96 percent, noting that Experts, including Thomas Prendergast of STV Inc., part of an independent evaluation team in Phase 1, assured him that 98 percent would be extremely difficult to achieve, while the lower figure would not affect the functional ability or safety of the device. system.
Kanellakos’ testimony, which lasted more than four hours, also contradicted Mayor Jim Watson’s claim last week that decisions about the city’s beleaguered light rail system were made by a group that included Watson, the chief of Watson staff Serge Arpin, traffic commission chairman and councilman Allan Hubley. , and former OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi. Kanellakos said the group had several discussions about WhatsApp’s VOIP and instant messaging service, but was never pressured, by the mayor or anyone else, to open the Confederation Line before it was safe to do so or make decisions with. those who felt uncomfortable. with.
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“We were under pressure,” he admitted. “It was a shame. But it’s not going to change or influence my judgment in terms of what we had to do. It was clear to me all along that if we didn’t get approval from the independent certifier and the independent security auditor, we would go back to the board and tell them we’re not going to launch.
“I had no problem with that,” he said. “We did it four other times before, and I did it when the trains derailed last year. I would not delay trains or cut service until approved by security auditors and our security advisors. So I have no problem going back to the council. I was never pressured to change my decision-making or judgment.”
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Kanellakos added that keeping the mayor and transit president informed of developments is the “norm” in municipal management.
Monica Sechiari, who led Altus Group’s team of independent certifiers, or ICs, also testified Monday, saying one of the IC’s roles is to complete monthly site inspections and reports, approve milestone payments, provide dispute resolution and compile a list of deficiencies and deferrals. that must be addressed before Revenue Service Availability, or RSA, is approved.
Sechiari also confirmed Altus’ determination that the sinkhole that opened in June 2016 was not a significant factor in delaying the project.
It was also the IC’s job to validate the results of the test run, an important step for operational approval, though, when questioned by city attorney Monica Gleason-Mercier, Sechiari said it wasn’t her job to question the criteria. on which the city and the RTG project group agreed.
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A tense moment in Sechiari’s testimony came when Alstom’s lawyer, Jackie Van Leeuwen, suggested that Altus CI Kyle Campbell, who approved the test run, had a “patent lack of qualifications for this critical task.” , a charge Sechiari refuted.
“I do not agree with that statement,” she replied. “He was the right person to do it. He was the most familiar with the job. He was on my CI team and worked with him for over two years before this.”
He also testified that he was not aware of any pressure to open the Confederation Line before it was ready.
The public can view the LRT investigative hearings on video screens set up in Fauteux Hall at the University of Ottawa, online at www.ottawalrtpublicinquiry.ca or on Rogers TV (channels 470 in English and 471 in French).
On Tuesday, the investigating commissioner is scheduled to hear testimony from STV Inc.’s Larry Gaul in the morning and from Troy Charter, the city’s director of transit operations, in the afternoon.
