Remarks by Mark Laroche, OIAA President and CEO

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Good afternoon, Mayor Watson, Councillors,

My name is Mark Laroche, I am President and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority and it is my pleasure to be here with you today in support of your recent announcement regarding Stage 2 of the City’s Light Rail Transit plan.

First, let me tell you about our plans for YOW over the next five years.

In December, we surpassed the historical five million-passenger milestone; supporting the need for a multi-pillar terminal enhancement program we are calling YOW+.

Le premier projet pilier sera la relocalisation, au troisième niveau, du point de contrôle pré-embarquement des vols domestiques et internationaux.

The second pillar is a major renewal of the airport’s concession program. Stores and restaurants, with Ottawa flavours in the mix, are being reimagined, and the supporting infrastructure, which dates back to 2003, will finally be replaced.

Le troisième projet pilier portera sur la construction par le Groupe Germain d’un Hôtel Alt relié à l’aérogare, conçu pour le confort, et qui offrira un restaurant à service complet et des points de vue incomparables du terrain d’aviation.

The final pillar in the Y-O-W+ program is the LRT terminal station. I have included some of the latest renderings in the leave-behind.

These projects represent more than 100 million dollars of investment in this community, which is in addition to the ongoing capital projects that represent approximately 30 million dollars in a typical year.

Once completed, YOW+ will transform the airport, ensuring that Canada’s Capital Region will continue to be served by the top rated airport for customer satisfaction in North America in its size category. 

When the Transportation Master Plan was announced in 2013, we were challenged to make a case for LRT to the airport and to support the city in its endeavour to secure 100% funding from the provincial and federal governments for the airport link, as a condition to be included in Stage 2.

In 2015, I announced the Airport Authority was prepared to put its financial support behind the project by covering the cost to build the airport terminal station.

Soon after, we were elated to hear that the airport link was back in the plan, and further buoyed by the subsequent funding confirmations in 2016 and 2017 by the provincial and federal governments, respectively, including 100% for the airport link.

The Authority is providing nearly 52,000 square metres of airport land required to complete the Trillium Line extension and the airport link. Construction of the airport station, which is scheduled to begin in 2020, will bring the total Ottawa Airport Authority contribution to nearly $25 million.

J’ai pris attentivement connaissance des documents accessibles au public et j’aimerais partager avec vous quelques-unes de mes observations.

First is the discussion about the expected cost overrides for Stage 2, which, based on what I read, are principally related to increased project scope. Key areas include TransitNEXT’s planned upgrade of the existing Trillium Line and their taking over the maintenance requirements for the entire line.

Ces décisions stratégiques de la Ville contribueront à une infrastructure ferroviaire uniforme et à un service supérieur pour l’ensemble du réseau et, si j’ai bien compris, se traduiront par des coûts d’exploitation moins élevés pour la durée du contrat.

Second, we should not lose sight of the fundamental justifications to proceed with the project, as they have not changed. The project scorecard, as described in the Stage 2 Business case of 2015, remains positive.

If the City wishes to accommodate long-term growth and support sustainable development and economic growth, it must continue on this journey of building an effective, reliable and efficient transit system that better serves the airport, the inner and outer suburbs, with better access to the downtown core.

As a contributor and partner, I am comfortable with the project milestones met to date, the process, the information provided, and the outcome. Simply put, if the Authority had any reservations, we would not be moving forward with the construction of the airport station.

I applaud City Council for its continued leadership despite the inevitable challenges that are inherent in such complex infrastructure projects. 

When the LRT project is completed, Ottawa will be the third airport in Canada to be connected to its city centre by rail, joining Toronto and Vancouver.
The city will continue to be world-class served by a world-class transportation system. It will attract more visitors, meetings, and events to the region, positively impacting the local economy for years to come.

Nous sommes très enthousiastes d’être associés à ce projet-phare.

Thank you. Merci.