Native Information
Coaching movies confirmed some instructors supplied hints whereas trainees copied solutions and made jokes about dishonest throughout exams.
Get the newest from Joanne Laucius straight to your inbox Signal Up
Printed Feb 10, 2025 • Final up to date 17 minutes in the past • 4 minute learn
. .
OC Transpo’s Trillium Line opened after 17 months of delays in in January. Photograph by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia
Article content material
An investigation into the coaching of Trillium Line operators and controllers has raised questions concerning the integrity of the method.
After reviewing a pattern of video recordings of exams administered by TransitNEXT, the consortium liable for constructing the north-south rail line, investigators with town auditor’s workplace noticed situations the place instructors supplied hints and course past clarification, deputy auditor Joanne Gorenstein informed town audit committee on Monday.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
.
Unique articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, meals evaluations and occasion listings within the weekly publication, Ottawa, Out of Workplace.Limitless on-line entry to Ontario Chronicle and 15 information websites with one account. Ontario Chronicle ePaper, an digital reproduction of the print version to view on any gadget, share and touch upon.Each day puzzles, together with the New York Instances Crossword.Help native journalism.
.
Unique articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, meals evaluations and occasion listings within the weekly publication, Ottawa, Out of Workplace.Limitless on-line entry to Ontario Chronicle and 15 information websites with one account. Ontario Chronicle ePaper, an digital reproduction of the print version to view on any gadget, share and touch upon.Each day puzzles, together with the New York Instances Crossword.Help native journalism.
.
….
.
.
Entry articles from throughout Canada with one accountShare your ideas and be a part of the dialog within the commentsEnjoy extra articles per monthGet electronic mail updates out of your favorite authors
or
Article content material
The investigators additionally noticed inappropriate behaviour among the many trainees, corresponding to speaking amongst one another, copying solutions, and making jokes about dishonest in the course of the exams.
In a single case, investigators noticed a trainee taking unauthorized images of the examination solutions which might doubtlessly be shared with different coaching cohorts.
“OC Transpo cannot be assured that those successful candidates have the necessary proficiency to undertake their roles effectively,” Gorenstein informed the committee.
“Further, these behaviours could be considered a violation of the city employees’ code of conduct.”
Nonetheless, the committee additionally heard that the investigation into the coaching of diesel path operators, controllers and instructors, sparked by complaints to Ottawa’s fraud and waste hotline, was carried out earlier than the Trillium line was open to the general public.
The outcomes of the investigation had been delivered to the eye of OC Transpo managers. A coaching program, which takes a minimal of 14 weeks, has since been introduced in-house. Coaching for the Confederation Line is already achieved in-house beneath a settlement with Transport Canada.
Night Replace
!
Article content material
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
“While obviously training is a very critical, very important factor, we do want to state that it’s only one aspect of an overall safety management system,” auditor common Nathalie Gougeon informed the committee.
The Trillium Line is a federally-regulated railway and town should adjust to federal laws.
The challenge settlement with TransitNEXT stipulated that the consortium was liable for growing all operations coaching packages, in response to the auditor common’s report. This included making a coaching curriculum and supplies, in addition to coaching and certifying eight OC Transpo diesel rail instructors liable for coaching the rail operators and controllers.
The investigation didn’t embody a evaluate of the coaching program contents.
All operators had been correctly educated earlier than the Trillium line went into service in January, OC Transpo supervisor Renée Amilcar informed the committee.
“I do not want this to investigation to weaken anyone’s confidence in the safety of the transit system,” stated Amilcar. “OC Transpo’s number one priority is the safety of its system and the passengers. As the auditor herself identified, the investigation had a very narrow scope and focussed only on the training component and only for a given period of time.”
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
Coaching is just one of many many checks and balances designed to catch safety-related points that would come up, stated Amilcar.
All practice motions are consistently being monitored by diesel rail controllers within the practice operations management centre and are rigorously monitored for points corresponding to pace and platform overshoots, she stated.
Trains even have techniques that mechanically forestall trains from travelling too quick or taking turns too rapidly.
“If there are any issues noted with any of our operators, they would be taken out of service immediately for assessment and would be retrained,” stated Amilcar.
Investigators with the auditor common’s workplace realized that instructors to coach Trillium Line operators had been primarily chosen on account of their expertise as “legacy” diesel rail operators, stated Gorenstein.
A few of the instructors had been coaching the operators earlier than that they had themselves had accomplished all their coaching hours. Throughout the hiring course of, 9 reduction instructors had been employed. Six had been employed for the function regardless that that they had been unsuccessful in earlier Trillium line teacher competitions, stated the auditor’s report.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
A pattern of 33 operator, controller and teacher coaching information discovered that for 23 trainees, there was at the very least one lacking examination of their coaching file. In 21 instances, there was no report of an examination retake on file when one was required.
Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill, a member of the audit committee, requested whether or not properly-trained operators had been working the system in the course of the take a look at part earlier than the Trillium line was open to the general public.
“How is it that we had unqualified or potentially inappropriately assessed instructors teaching driver operators, but we can state that we were operating the system safely during the trial and evaluation period?” Hill requested Amilcar.
“We confirmed that we are OK now, so there is no doubt for us,” she replied. “And, as I said, the training is one of many, many tools that the system has.”
Amilcar stated she has at all times stated if the system was not prepared, the practice wouldn’t run.
Sabrina Pasian, OC Transpo’s chief security officer, stated there was no rush to get the Trillium line into service.
“One of the lessons we learned both from Stage 1, but also from the public inquiry is that training needs to take place at the end,” she stated.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
Within the first part of Ottawa’s LRT, OC Transpo needed to do numerous retraining, stated Pasian.
“So this time with the Trillium line, we waited until until all the infrastructure, the vehicles, everything was ready to go, so that the trainees were being trained on the system in its entirety.”
OC Transpo recruited 103 operators for the Trillium line, however 20 have left as a result of they discovered the practice was too sophisticated or too boring, and one other 10 have acquired promotions inside the Trillium line, stated Amilcar.
“We had to start re-training. Currently, we are in a good position to drive the train. But this is something that was in mind since day one — to ensure that training be part of our security and safety.”
Really useful from Editorial
Deachman: Trillium Line’s first day — small hiccups however largely hoorahs
O-Practice Trillium Line given inexperienced gentle to start Saturday service
Article content material
Share this text in your social community
