Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by acottawa

With semi-WFH semi permanent, and the Feds employing thousands of fully remote workers now, don’t see how they put the genie back in the bottle. I think Truenorth is right that transit is still slightly cheaper if you look at costs from a holistic perspective, but most people won’t do that and even if they did, the quality of life gains probably outweigh the small marginal cost.

Yep. With hybrid a lot of people aren't commuting enough to buy passes. And for two people to commute, the transit cost is ~$14. If parking is anywhere close to that, the additional cost is just gas in the mind of most people. And most would pay $4-6/day to have a more comfortable and faster commuting experience. Going to be hard to sell dual commuters on using transit. This was true before COVID. It's even harder now.

Parking will become less accessible and more expensive over time as lots in the core get developed. But really, even for a single commuter, I doubt the idea of spending $10-15 more than transit to commute is a substantial deterrent when it's only being done to 2-3 days per week. Parking probably has to be close to $20, before we really start seeing people come back to transit. Maybe with enough development in the core...

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by roger1818

I have said this for several years now. I do like the idea of having the tax depend on the permeability of the surface (permeable parking surfaces would be taxed less than non-permeable ones as they help absorb storm water, but still taxed more than buildings).

For sure. Anything to push for at least some improvements to the watershed, if not full on redevelopment.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Yep. With hybrid a lot of people aren't commuting enough to buy passes. And for two people to commute, the bus fare is $14. If parking is anywhere close to that, the additional cost is just gas in the mind of most people. And most would pay $4-6 to have a more comfortable and faster commuting experience. Going to be hard to sell dual commuters on using transit. This was true before COVID. It's even harder now.

Parking will become less accessible and more expensive over time as lots in the core get developed. But really, even for a single commuter, I doubt the idea of spending $10-15 more than transit to commute is a substantial deterrent when it's only being done to 2-3 days per week. Parking probably has to be close to $20, before we really start seeing people come back to transit. Maybe with enough development in the core...

Heck, there are even people at work who'll spend on Uber to get to and from, which is far more expensive than transit, and arguably more than driving your own car.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Yep. With hybrid a lot of people aren't commuting enough to buy passes. And for two people to commute, the transit cost is ~$14. If parking is anywhere close to that, the additional cost is just gas in the mind of most people. And most would pay $4-6/day to have a more comfortable and faster commuting experience. Going to be hard to sell dual commuters on using transit. This was true before COVID. It's even harder now.

I don't have an issue with people carpooling to work downtown. It is the single occupant vehicles that we need to focus on. Even if it is only 2 in the vehicle, you are halfling the traffic.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Parking will become less accessible and more expensive over time as lots in the core get developed.

Does anyone have any statistics on what percentage of the all day parking downtown is on the surface, vs in some type of garage? While the surface parking is very visible, my gut tells me that most of the parking is under/above ground. If so, elimination of surface parking may not cause a significant reduction in the total parking available.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

But really, even for a single commuter, I doubt the idea of spending $10-15 more than transit to commute is a substantial deterrent when it's only being done to 2-3 days per week. Parking probably has to be close to $20, before we really start seeing people come back to transit. Maybe with enough development in the core...

Certainly people are much more likely to splurge when their commute is less frequent. Not getting a discount from being able to buy a pass further adds to the problem, but is only half of the issue.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Heck, there are even people at work who'll spend on Uber to get to and from, which is far more expensive than transit, and arguably more than driving your own car.

It might be cheaper to take an Uber than driving in some cases, if it means you don't need to own an (extra?) car, especially when the cost of parking is considered.

Having OC Transpo partner with Uber, with the rider paying the full Uber fare, could work, allowing people to take an Uber to/from the nearest transit station with an integrated solution (on the far end, the Uber could be timed so that it is there when you arrive). The total bill for transit and Uber could be combined into one charge. Uber could also suggest the routing as an option to its customers.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Does anyone have any statistics on what percentage of the all day parking downtown is on the surface, vs in some type of garage? While the surface parking is very visible, my gut tells me that most of the parking is under/above ground. If so, elimination of surface parking may not cause a significant reduction in the total parking available.

I'm sure the vast majority of parking is underground. Place de Ville alone has over 1k spots. Surface parking lots though, at least the ones that are a few blocks away from the CBD, are the cheaper options. If those are redeveloped, the people who are willing to walk for a better price may be willing to take transit when those cheaper parking options are gone. So it's not as much a question of prices going up due to supply and demand, but of the reduced availability of cheap parking.

[SidetrackedSue]

Originally Posted by roger1818

It might be cheaper to take an Uber than driving in some cases, if it means you don't need to own an (extra?) car, especially when the cost of parking is considered.

My only experience is taking Uber to downtown one day and it was $16 for the two of us (coming from Westboro.) We took Uber rather than transit because we couldn't risk delays on transit. But that was only one way, not return.

I'm sure both parking and Uber are more expensive now, but I can certainly see the justification for taking Uber from here (almost walking distance and certainly on transit) vs driving a car if one has a child in daycare therefore has to have a reliable ride which OC isn't, and is on WFH for 2 - 3 days a week. Cars have got so incredibly expensive in the past 3 years, all our 'recent' (i.e. prepandemic) expectations of costs are now out of whack making something like taxis/uber actually not as crazy as they sound at first blush.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'm sure the vast majority of parking is underground. Place de Ville alone has over 1k spots. Surface parking lots though, at least the ones that are a few blocks away from the CBD, are the cheaper options. If those are redeveloped, the people who are willing to walk for a better price may be willing to take transit when those cheaper parking options are gone. So it's not as much a question of prices going up due to supply and demand, but of the reduced availability of cheap parking.

That certainly makes sense but I feel that your usage is a corner case as we agree that those surface lots likely represent a minority of the parking downtown. It is true that as those lots get redeveloped, the people who use them will need to find an alternative (possibly transit), but I don’t see it pushing the needle on transit usage significantly unfortunately.

I don’t see the underground parking disappearing, nor do I see us implementing road diets to increase congestion to encourage transit use (we’re doing the opposite and widening the Queensway*), so we will need to find other ways to support OC Transpo.

* I do think the fourth lane on the Queensway should be made into an HOV lane, but I don’t see that being much of a solution to the issue at hand.

One option would be to encourage Toronto (if people are going to call the federal government Ottawa, I’m going to start calling the provincial government Toronto) to allow transit agencies to apply parking taxes downtown (or any other employment node that they provide quality service to). The primary benefit of this would be a new source of funding for OC Transpo, which could then be used to provide better service.

[J.OT13]

The current Provincial Government would never go for any additional charge for drivers. They've already cut costs between reducing the gas tax and eliminating license plate renewals fees (yet not sending reminders to renew, which seems like a way to make money for the police. but I digress).

I wonder how the new Health Sciences Building has impacted transit ridership at Lees and uOttawa, and overall, if at all.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The current Provincial Government would never go for any additional charge for drivers. They've already cut costs between reducing the gas tax and eliminating license plate renewals fees (yet not sending reminders to renew, which seems like a way to make money for the police. but I digress).

They have started sending reminders by mail (I received one the other day). I do agree that the current provincial government wouldn’t do this and Sutcliffe wouldn’t let OC Transpo do this as he would see it as a war against cars.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by roger1818

That certainly makes sense but I feel that your usage is a corner case as we agree that those surface lots likely represent a minority of the parking downtown. It is true that as those lots get redeveloped, the people who use them will need to find an alternative (possibly transit), but I don’t see it pushing the needle on transit usage significantly unfortunately.

I don’t see the underground parking disappearing, nor do I see us implementing road diets to increase congestion to encourage transit use (we’re doing the opposite and widening the Queensway*), so we will need to find other ways to support OC Transpo.

* I do think the fourth lane on the Queensway should be made into an HOV lane, but I don’t see that being much of a solution to the issue at hand.

As more office space gets converted and new condos get built (with substantially less parking than the past), and as few remaining surface lots get developed, you will see supply go down while demand grows. This should drive up parking prices in due course.

I'm also curious about the emerging issue with heavier vehicles and whether that will massively drive up maintenance cost of parking structure, also driving up rent.

https://www.curbed.com/2023/04/parking-garage-collapse-heavier-electric-vehicles-suvs.html

Originally Posted by roger1818

One option would be to encourage Toronto (if people are going to call the federal government Ottawa, I’m going to start calling the provincial government Toronto) to allow transit agencies to apply parking taxes downtown (or any other employment node that they provide quality service to). The primary benefit of this would be a new source of funding for OC Transpo, which could then be used to provide better service.

I don't think there's anything stopping the City of Ottawa from imposing parking taxes, except a mayor and council who don't want it. It doesn't have to be a transit tax. It can just be a tax on parking spots applied by the city with revenue committed to transit. But I doubt this will be supported by municipal or provincial politicians.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by roger1818

They have started sending reminders by mail (I received one the other day). I do agree that the current provincial government wouldn’t do this and Sutcliffe wouldn’t let OC Transpo do this as he would see it as a war against cars.

It's about time. Ridiculous that they stopped for a few years. Not as ridiculous as not charging for renewal.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

As more office space gets converted and new condos get built (with substantially less parking than the past), and as few remaining surface lots get developed, you will see supply go down while demand grows. This should drive up parking prices in due course.

My point is that surface parking is a small minority of the downtown parking, so the amount of parking that will be lost is small, especially when you consider that most new downtown buildings have at least some underground parking. Also condos have significantly less demand for parking than office buildings so converting office buildings to condos will reduce the demand for parking downtown.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I'm also curious about the emerging issue with heavier vehicles and whether that will massively drive up maintenance cost of parking structure, also driving up rent.

https://www.curbed.com/2023/04/parking-garage-collapse-heavier-electric-vehicles-suvs.html

This Forbes article says that vehicle weight is has stayed relatively consistent over the past 50 years. It is true today’s EVs are heavier than their ICE counterparts, work is being done to make the batteries lighter.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsam...es-keep-getting-heavier-or-are-they/amp/

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I don't think there's anything stopping the City of Ottawa from imposing parking taxes, except a mayor and council who don't want it. It doesn't have to be a transit tax. It can just be a tax on parking spots applied by the city with revenue committed to transit. But I doubt this will be supported by municipal or provincial politicians.

AFAIK, the city is not able to charge any type of sales tax, so they can’t apply any type of parking surcharge. They could charge some type of property tax but most parking is mixed use, which makes administrating such a tax complicated, considering that the existence of that parking is largely the result of a previous minimum parking requirement.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by roger1818

My point is that surface parking is a small minority of the downtown parking, so the amount of parking that will be lost is small, especially when you consider that most new downtown buildings have at least some underground parking.

Prices are set at the margin. Take away whatever surface lots are there and you'll see other parking providers raise prices.

Originally Posted by roger1818

Also condos have significantly less demand for parking than office buildings so converting office buildings to condos will reduce the demand for parking downtown.

True. But some of those buildings might also take some underground parking off the market. How all this works out in the wash, is too early to tell. But I think, on balance, if the number of spots stays the same or declines, as population and jobs in the core grow, the costs will rise.

Originally Posted by roger1818

This Forbes article says that vehicle weight is has stayed relatively consistent over the past 50 years. It is true today’s EVs are heavier than their ICE counterparts, work is being done to make the batteries lighter.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsam...es-keep-getting-heavier-or-are-they/amp/

The Forbes article is comparing the same models over the years and not considering the general growth in vehicle size. Yes, a Corolla has not gained much over 20 years. But the proportion of car sales that are Corollas (or others in that class) is not the same.

Originally Posted by roger1818

AFAIK, the city is not able to charge any type of sales tax, so they can’t apply any type of parking surcharge. They could charge some type of property tax but most parking is mixed use, which makes administrating such a tax complicated, considering that the existence of that parking is largely the result of a previous minimum parking requirement.

Maybe. I think the bigger issue is municipal willingness than anything else.

[rocketphish]

Report on destructive 2022 LRT lightning strike released

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 07, 2023 • Last updated 30 minutes ago • 1 minute read

The lightning bolt that fried the LRT power lines in the summer of 2022 carried a current of between 30,000 and 100,000 amperes and downed nearly a kilometre of wire, according to a report on the incident for next Friday’s Transit Commission meeting.

The lighting strike during a thunderstorm on the night of July 24 hit the uppermost wire of the train’s overhead catenary cables near Hurdman Station. The sudden and massive surge of power — by comparison only about 15 amperes flows into your toaster — defeated the LRT’s surge protectors and travelled along the cable until it reached the Highway 417 overpass near Lees Station, the report says. There it “flashed over” to the bridge itself and went to ground.

The overheated cable, still carrying power, broke and fell on the track, damaging the rails in three places. Two heavy concrete weights, meant to keep tension on the cable, also crashed to the ground.

The strike was captured on LRT security cameras.

It took three days to put it all back together again by repairing the rails, installing and splicing in 900 metres of damaged cable and reinstalling the weights. Since then, maintenance crews have tested and made adjustments to the LRT’s electrical system, increasing the cables’ clearance from surrounding structures, for example, and removing nearby metal where possible.

LRT service resumed four days after the strike.

In keeping with Ottawa’s hard luck experience, the report noted “there is little published data available on the lightning effects and design experience from other transit agencies.”

OC Transpo presented the electrical report to the commission for information purposes.

The Transit Commission will also receive reports on the shutdowns that occurred twice last winter due to storms as well as the ongoing work to fix faulty wheel-axle assemblies.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/report-on-massive-2022-lrt-lightning-strike-released

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Prices are set at the margin. Take away whatever surface lots are there and you'll see other parking providers raise prices.

While prices will go up if supply goes down but demand remains the same, it will only go up to what the market will bare. A 1% reduction in parking spaces will not result in more than a 1% reduction in the number of vehicles parked.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

True. But some of those buildings might also take some underground parking off the market.

True, but they won’t let those spaces sit empty. If the building has more spaces than the tenants need, the owner will rent out those spaces.

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

How all this works out in the wash, is too early to tell. But I think, on balance, if the number of spots stays the same or decline, as population and jobs in the core grow, the costs will rise.

If office space downtown is converted to residential, the number of jobs downtown will go down, not up. Also, many of those new residents will be working within walking distance of work, so that will also shift the modal split away from transit

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The Forbes article is comparing the same models over the years and not considering the general growth in vehicle size. Yes, a Corolla has not gained much over 20 years. But the proportion of car sales that are Corollas (or others in that class) is not the same.

Compared to the cars built in the height of the oil crisis in the 70’s, yes, but if you go further back a decade, cars were much bigger and North American building standards were based on the huge boats of the 50’s and 60’s, not the economy cars of the 70’s

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Maybe. I think the bigger issue is municipal willingness than anything else.

Depends which politician you are referring to, but for Sutcliffe, no argument from me. He wants hand outs from Toronto and the federal government like The Man with the Twisted Lip.

[rocketphish]

No quick end to speed restrictions on Ottawa's LRT system, report says
The report for the transit commission summarizes work done by the city, RTG and Alstom since the first of several mishaps and derailments blamed on problems with the trains' wheels, axles and bogeys.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 07, 2023 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 3 minute read



Speed limits at curves on the Confederation Line won’t end anytime soon.

The restrictions will stay in place until the troublesome axle and wheel assemblies on the LRT’s Alstom Citadis trains are redesigned and replaced, and approval of that redesign isn’t expected until late 2024, according to a report to be presented to the City of Ottawa’s transit commission this coming week.

“RTG (Rideau Transit Group) has committed to the city that Alstom has commenced a redesign of the axle bearing assembly and expects that an approved design will be in place by the end of 2024,” the report says. “The axle bearing assembly redesign will focus on strengthening the assembly to better withstand the lateral forces experienced on the Confederation Line and ultimately deliver an axle bearing assembly that meets expectations from a safety, service and maintenance perspective.”

The report, which is for commissioners’ information only, contains little new information, but summarizes work done by the city, RTG and Alstom since the first of several mishaps and derailments blamed on problems with the trains’ wheels, axles and bogeys. Most have been reported before or were described in a special technical briefing to council by Transit General Manager Renée Amilcar in August.

On Aug. 8, 2021, a train with no passengers on board derailed just outside Tunney’s Pasture Station because of an axle problem. Alstom began inspecting the cars after every 7,500 kilometres of operation.

On July 21, 2022 a driver noticed an unusual vibration and stopped his train. The problem was found to be caused by a “severely degraded axle hub.” As a result, axle inspections were increased to every 3,750 kilometres and the leading and trailing bogey axles, which would receive the most wear and tear, were to be completely replaced every 175,000 kilometres.

On July 17, 2023, an inspection found leaking grease and a failed bearing on one train. The LRT was shut down for three weeks and a new protocol was put in place to replace leading and trailing bogeys every 60,000 kilometres.

(The most serious derailment, near Tremblay Station in September 2021, wasn’t directly caused by an axle failure, but was blamed on poor maintenance work during an inspection.)

The report also lists all the work that has been done as an interim fix for the wheel-axle problems, including adjusting guide rails that are a safety feature at curves, greasing the tracks to reduce friction and installing electronic monitors that RTG hopes will tell it exactly what kind of vibration is causing the trouble. It’s hoped the monitor will detect and record the forces at work immediately before a failure, but so far that hasn’t been successful, the report says.

The speed restrictions at curves have been in place since May 2022. In places, such as the bend in the tunnel just east of Rideau Station, trains must slow to just 25 km/h.

With a new design not expected until the end of 2024, it will likely be 2025 before all of OC Transpo’s LRT trains can be refitted.

“While the timelines to design and implement the new axle bearing system are long, solid plans are in place to monitor and manage the current axle configuration until the solution can be implemented,” the report concludes. “This work should result in Ottawa being one major step closer to having the reliable and dependable rail system that it deserves.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ctions-on-ottawas-lrt-system-report-says

[lrt's friend]

Very slow trains for at least two more years. How does this impact Stage 2? Are we delaying the arrival of additional trains until a permanent solution is finalized?

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Very slow trains for at least two more years. How does this impact Stage 2? Are we delaying the arrival of additional trains until a permanent solution is finalized?

They have continued to accept new vehicles even after the LRT resumed service in its current state. In fact, having more vehicles could mean that more of them could be put into service thanks to the larger spare ratio. Stage 2 trains have been spotted on the line doing their burn in tests even in the last few weeks.

The Confederation Line won't need its full complement of trains in service until at least 2026. There's (luckily) still some wiggle room there.

[J.OT13]

Root cause report:

https://pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=146966

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo officials say 56 of 103 recommendations from LRT inquiry have been implemented so far

Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 09, 2023 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read

The City of Ottawa and OC Transpo have implemented 56 of the 103 recommendations identified in last year’s Light Rail Transit Inquiry, a report stated, and officials said they expect to have another 19 recommendations completed by the end of this year.

The light rail sub-committee was formed in April to address the recommendations made by the public inquiry, which were issued in November 2022. At the time the sub-committee was formed, 36 of those recommendations had been completed or integrated into revised corporate policies, according to a report submitted last month by general manager of transit services Renée Amilcar.

The report is to be tabled at this week’s council session.

The recommendations “reflect directly” on the Confederation Line and span several areas, including procurement models, contractual arrangements and the project agreement, design of the system, testing and commissioning, and the timing of “substantial completion.”

Eight of the 103 recommendations fall within the responsibility of provincial or federal governments, according to the report, with the remaining 95 under the city’s jurisdiction.

Amilcar noted the “collaborative approach” to address the inquiry recommendations has been “very successful with significant progress made” since the city’s plan was presented to the sub-committee in April.

As of Sept. 20, 56 of the 103 recommendations “are considered complete or have been incorporated into ongoing City policies for implementation in future projects,” Amilcar said in the memo.

Another 14 recommendations that are currently listed as “in progress” will be considered complete following a Finance and Corporate Services policy update later this year.

“Staff expect to have approximately 75 of the 95 recommendations complete by the end of 2023 with the remaining well in progress or incorporated into ongoing work or processes,” Amilcar stated.

City staff led councillors on an “orientation session” and technical briefing in August to address the status of LRT issues related to the wheel hub assembly, axles and bearings, according to the report.

“Staff confirmed that a final fix had been identified and a framework to replace the bearing hub assembly and reposition the restraining rails was underway,” the report states. A “Root Cause Analysis” report is scheduled for this week’s meeting of the transit commission Thursday.

A second report will be tabled at the same meeting updating members on other issues that have caused problems on the LRT line, such as freezing rain and lightning strikes.

Amilcar stated the “key recommendations” of last year’s public inquiry centred around “ensuring transparency with the public and elected officials.”

“Transit Services agrees with the recommendations and is currently communicating in a manner to restore public trust,” Amilcar stated.

“Staff expect to close out more recommendations at the next update,” Amilcar stated, which is expected at the end of the year or early in 2024.

“Although there will be a few remaining items that are considered ongoing or sufficiently in progress, staff anticipate being able to close out the Action Plan, identifying those actions which will be taken over the longer term, or which will be incorporated into future infrastructure projects.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/oc-transp...lrt-inquiry-have-been-implemented-so-far

[rocketphish]

Ottawa council grants Happy Goat Coffee first right of refusal at five future LRT stations
In 2019, the company won much sought-after five-year leases in stations for the current Confederation Line.

Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 11, 2023 • 3 minute read

Ottawa city council has given the Happy Goat Coffee Company the first right of refusal for locations at five future spaces in Stage 2 LRT stations.

Whether or not Happy Goat picks up that option remains up in the air after the local coffee company failed to meet sales expectations at existing LRT locations.

“I am saying, ‘Yes, but not now.’ It’s something to think about,” Happy Goat owner Henry Assad said in an interview from Calgary, where he is looking for opportunities to expand the Ottawa chain.

In 2019, Happy Goat won the sought-after five-year leases in the Blair, Hurdman, Rideau and Tunney’s Pasture LRT stations after its proposal was ranked the highest in a competition for retail operations that would offer amenities to improve the LRT customer experience.

Among its seven core principles, the city said a successful bidder for the station spaces would comply with design and development standards, provide convenient on-site amenities for transit users and employees and be supported by the market.

“We thought it was a big win,” Assad said. “It was a great opportunity for a small company.”

The lease agreements were signed on Oct. 1, 2019. Months later COVID-19 led to lockdowns, changing transit habits that have never recovered. On top of that, there were lengthy Confederation Line shutdowns in 2021 and 2023.

Happy Goat has never reached sales targets in its LRT locations and has so far only opened kiosks in two stations: Rideau and Blair. The locations at Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations have not opened.

The Rideau Station kiosk closed about a month ago. Not only was ridership down, but LRT riders also complained of a bad “rotten egg” smell at that station.

“It was a big disappointment. It never really took off. Even after COVID, we really struggled. We banked on the numbers given to us by OC Transpo in 2019, which never materialized,” Assad said.

The Blair Station kiosk has been breaking even.

“Blair has been progressing fairly well under the circumstances. Given our progress at Blair, we feel optimistic about Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture,” Assad said. “It really has been an uphill battle, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can see the progress.”

Under COVID-19 relief measures, the city abated rents for the leases to recognize the hardships Happy Goat faced, temporarily reducing the original rent costs. Recommendations in a report to the city’s finance and corporate services committee, approved by city council on Wednesday, advised the city to tie new rents to LRT ridership levels.

Happy Goat is set to renegotiate its leases in the new year, Assad said. Both the Tunney’s Pasture location and the one at Hurdman are larger than the existing kiosks. The Tunney’s Pasture location is on track to open before the end of this year, and Hurdman is expected to open next spring, he said.

The city’s leasing policy requires that public notice be given for any city space that is available for lease. The city report recommended that the requirement be waived, allowing the city to enter into an agreement to allow Happy Goat to have a first right of refusal.

“The intent of this proposal would provide additional investor interest and growth opportunities for Happy Goat while maintaining customer service standards,” said the report, which added that the city should assess the balance of risk and advantages between the city and Happy Goat.

Happy Goat had six Ottawa locations in 2019. It now has 13 locations in the city, with two more in the works, and it is looking to open franchises in Calgary and the Greater Toronto Area, Assad said.

The five new Ottawa LRT locations would include the Trim, Place d‘Orléans, Alqonquin, Bayshore and Lincoln Fields stations.

Happy Goat spent $1.2 million on designing and building LRT kiosks and an additional $500,000 in operating costs, Assad said.

“We need to put our house in order. Right now, we’ve been bleeding money,” he said.

“We would like to exercise that right (of refusal), but we need to speak to our financial supporters. The banks pulled out during COVID. I would definitely consider it. We don’t have to make a decision right away.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...t-of-refusal-at-five-future-lrt-stations