Ottawa's new public library is late, way over budget, and it gets worse | Opinion

Ādisōke library at 555 Albert St. The new library will offer much more than just books. Photo by JEAN LEVAC /POSTMEDIA

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The Ādisōke project that was supposed to give us a new and much-needed central library is over a decade in the lack of works, shows no sign of being ready anytime soon even though it’s significantly late, and at twice the price we were promised. Now it needs another $18.5 million of your dollars, and we can’t tell you why.

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You may recall I blew a gasket a few months ago when the city very quietly — almost imperceptibly — told us there was no way it would open in 2026, for reasons that were secret. The reasons for the delays were given to a select group of councillors in a closed-door meeting, and they involve “contractual matters that are subject to a reasonable prospect of litigation.”

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According to a brand new report that will be discussed at the June 2 Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting, construction is about 85 percent complete but there is no opening date set. And that new money? It’s needed to pay for “project management, contract administration, and third-party experts required to support the extended construction period.”

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The cost was supposed to be a touch under $175 million, of which the feds would pick up about $71 million. We’re now at $334 million plus this $18.5 million ($7 million paid for by the feds) which is a lot of dollars for a facility that was designed to be the best it could be… back in 2014 when we determined the project’s scope. Some fine municipal governance this ain’t.

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But wait. It gets worse.

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When I asked the people in charge of those things for explanations or, failing that, reassurance that they’re really watching out for us, I didn’t get that at all. Matt Luloff, who chairs the Ottawa Public Library Board (the “client” in the new central library project), wrote back to say he is “not in a position to provide additional comments on delays or related issues at this time” because it could “jeopardize the City’s legal position in future proceedings.”

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It’s better than Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s response, which was silence. Current councillor and mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper also declined to comment before he could consult with staff. Of the other two candidates, only Neil Saravanamuttoo agreed to speak. He had no involvement in the project other than showing up for consultations with the architects as a member of the general public.

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He doesn’t have information about the delays and cost overruns, since he’s not among the select group of people who get secret briefings. But he does have things to say about what he would do to ensure future mega projects don’t wind up in court.

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Four things are needed, he says. 1. Have a much higher degree of design completion before finalizing costs and have those validated by external and independent experts; 2. Independent oversight of city staff by a team reporting to council; 3. Greater public transparency; 4. Meaningful public engagement before decisions are made.

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You don’t seem to have a lot of faith in staff, I asked. He didn’t waffle.

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“I am simply going to echo what Justice Hourigan said in his public report on the LRT that we have to question where the loyalties of senior city staff lie,” he said, adding that he hasn’t seen any changes since that report was released. “I’m not pulling any punches on that.”