After joining OC Transpo nearly four years ago, general manager Renée Amilcar left the team on July 18 to head up Quebec’s provincial transit organization. She joined Ottawa’s transit services team in October 2021, just months after two train derailments, one in August and one in September that halted service for 54 days.
The derailments were just the latest of challenges plaguing the then-new LRT system, which soon triggered a provincial public inquiry.
Amilcar quickly inherited the controversial and flawed LRT system, ongoing construction to expand the Trillium Line O-Train, and an all-time low in bus reliability and ridership.
She brought with her a wealth of experience, a commitment to data transparency and an impressive technical expertise in transit, says Glen Gower, city councillor for Stittsville and chair of the Ottawa transit committee.
“What she was known for was being a very strong technical expert and engineer who really understood transit, but with an expertise in busses. And if I look over her tenure, I think now she’s recognized as someone who knows trains as well,” he told Ottawa Compass, reflecting on Amilcar’s time at OC Transpo. “And I think it was her technical abilities as an engineer that really helped her put a stamp on the organization.
“I remember her saying that we have technical problems with the train, and that there’s a technical solution.”
As chair, Gower and his staff met with Amilcar’s team regularly for updates on the city’s public transit system.
“We were still very much in the pandemic, our ridership was significantly down on trains and buse, we were still dealing with a lot of technical issues with the trains, and we were on the verge of embarking on the major transformation of the bus fleet to electrical,” said Gower. “So, any one of those things on its own would have been plenty for a new general manager to handle, and she had all three.
“She had quite the list of “to-do” when she came on, and all of them were pretty major projects and challenges.”
In the time since then, Amilcar has overseen the testing, completion and opening of the O-Train’s south extension, which brings service to Limebank Station and to the Ottawa Airport. With her at the helm, the LRT extensions continued, with the east extension to Trim Road nearing completion in the testing phase, and the west Line 3 extension to Moodie Drive and Line 1 to Algonquin Station continuing to progress in construction.
Amilcar was tasked with implementing the recommendations from the public inquiry report and was responsible for the continued transition to electric bus fleet. She also implemented the “New Ways to Bus” route changes this spring.
Through the process of opening the O-Train extension, Amilcar provided reports to committee and city council, held media availabilities and provided updates on the testing and opening phases.
“Her own personal values and approach to leadership was about transparency and communications with council, because we’re the group that governs the organization, but also with the public and the importance of that transparency in rebuilding that trust,” said Gower.
Gower stressed that Amilcar was also dedicated to clearly communicating the organization’s goals and explaining both the positive and negative realities of OC Transpo service.
For example, in summer 2023, a technical issue with the LRT led to service being suspended for about a month. During that time, Amilcar held daily press conferences to inform the media of any updates or new information, said Gower.
“She felt it was important to have staff be able to provide updates about how things were going and answer questions from the media and so that the public would understand what’s happening in the background,” he said. “It’s a huge inconvenience to OC Transpo customers, but I think she felt it was important that people know what’s happening and why it is that the service isn’t running and what to expect.
“I guess it’s like when you’re on an airplane and your plane is stuck on the tarmac; it’s a lot better to know what the timeline is and have regular check-ins from your pilot, than to just sit there without having any idea what’s going on.”
Amilcar officially left OC Transpo this month after announcing her departure in June at a meeting of the transit committee.
“We should all be very proud of the progress we’ve made toward improving customer service, restoring public trust and building a stronger, more reliable transit system,” Amilcar told committee and staff. “I will say that OC Transpo is on the right path, guided by strong civic leaders and a dedicated workforce. I’m very sad to be leaving.”
