OC Transpo toilets drain

The cost of an OC Transpo washroom facility at Fallowfield Road has reached $450,000 -- about $100,ooo more than the amount made public in early December.
Mayor Bob Chiarelli and the city's 21 councillors were notified as early as Dec. 21 of the higher cost, yet no one released the information, despite public outrage over the facility's expense, initially estimated by staff at $360,000.
The new tally only became known after an access-to-information request by the Citizen, and an inquiry to staff by Councillor Alex Cullen.
The access request and the inquiry showed staff had not included about $100,000 in servicing and consulting costs in calculating the final tally for the washroom facility at the Fallowfield transitway station.
The washroom facility was discussed in a special two-hour debate of the corporate services committee on Dec. 4. There, a number of councillors said they were left with the idea that the $100,000 servicing and consulting fee was part of the $360,000 cost.
"That was my impression," said Kanata Councillor Alex Munter.
"The impression was $360,000," Mr. Chiarelli said.
The Citizen inquiry also reveals that the cost of the Hurdman station washroom increased by $47,000 when servicing and consulting were added.
In total, the Fallowfield and Hurdman washroom facilities now cost about $720,000.
City infrastructure director Richard Hewitt said he tried to answer questions as accurately as possible at the Dec. 4 debate.
Mr. Hewitt said he was asked by councillors what the construction cost of the Fallowfield washroom was, not the total cost. The construction cost was $360,000. "I'm not trying to hide anything," Mr. Hewitt said. "I had no interest in hiding that kind of money."

City manager Bruce Thom said it would not make sense for staff to send out a low figure because once the high amount became known, it would create more bad publicity.
Mr. Cullen's inquiry was sent to councillors on Dec. 21 at 3:21 p.m., the day municipal employees left for Christmas break, and as such got lost in the shuffle, said Mr. Chiarelli. He said he was unaware of the e-mail, or the $450,000 figure, until it was raised in an interview with the Citizen.
At first considered a big, expensive joke and a graphic example of government inefficiency, the washroom controversy and the $100,000 gap could break the trust of council in its staff, said Knoxdale-Merivale Councillor Gord Hunter.
"You want the total cost in one exposure," Mr. Hunter said.
Mr. Hunter said the $100,000 gap could break the trust of council in its staff.
"You want the total cost in one exposure," Mr. Hunter said.
Councillor Rainer Bloess said the discrepancy was a very serious issue and he will be asking Mr. Thom for an explanation.
"The issue is not the $100,000, it is about are we getting the right information?" Mr. Bloess said.
"If there isn't a logical explanation, council should be very concerned about the information we are getting and the reports we are seeing," Mr. Bloess said. He added the issue could affect the relationship of council and staff.
"If the access request is correct, it brings into question the integrity of reports and information," he said. "I'm praying there is a logical explanation for this," Mr. Bloess said.
Both Mr. Hunter and Mr. Bloess said they were led to believe the total cost of the washroom facility was $360,000.
The corporate services committee will meet today, and Mr. Chiarelli said he expects the new washroom costs to be discussed.

(Highlighting added)

Follow-up story:

Councillor demands accuracy in staff reports

Ken Gray

The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Alex Munter was emphatic yesterday that he wants accurate information from city staff when they report to committees or council. "We should receive all information fully and without exception," the Kanata councillor said.
Mr. Munter's comments followed yesterday's corporate services committee meeting at which Orleans Councillor Herb Kreling raised the issue of OC Transpo's $450,000 washroom at Fallowfield Road.
At a Dec. 4 meeting of the committee, staff left the impression with Mayor Bob Chiarelli, councillors and the media that the washroom had cost $360,000.
"This thing must not happen again," Mr. Munter said.
Yesterday, infrastructure director Richard Hewitt told the committee that his Dec. 4 message must have been unclear.
At that meeting, Mr. Hewitt correctly gave the construction cost of $360,000, but did not mention that there was about $100,000 in additional servicing and consulting costs.
In an e-mail to councillors and staff yesterday, Mr. Hewitt said, "I at no time intended to provide incomplete information and apologize if there was any appearance of doing so."
In the e-mail, Mr. Hewitt provided a final total cost for the Fallowfield facility of $458,633.

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