Thread by @OccTranspo

Day 11 Transit Commission Highlights thread.

Today's Guests:
Thomas Prendergast (STV Inc.) – Morning
AND YA BOI John Manconi – Afternoon

ottawalrtpublicinquiry.ca/public-hearing…

So nothing important in the first hour I got called into my day job meeting just got out of it.

Now continuing with interrogations leading into lunch.

And we're on break till 2:00 p.m.

Not a great start to the mega thread but, you got to go with what life gives you 🤣

John Manconi is up and we are just going over project history.

Looking at the trial run score cards.

Still love that that "we managed 95%-97%" of our KM's but when you need us most, we didn't preform for the 3 hours during rush hour, but 6pm-2am no problem.

And were back. More talk on the issues. Some grilling about optimism in memos.

Manconi sounds like from his tone, running out of patience, just like at councils marathon poop sessions.

Manconi reminds everyone that we will only tell council when trail running was completed - not before.

Council will only know when things are done. They are to stay in their corner and not to mingle in the operational affairs of other departments.

So as Counsel points out if everything goes nuclear, only once it is all settled, or at their judgment, they will consider letting them know.

The follow up - is the questions from City Council would only clog up the pipes and slow down the process.

Counsel points out, that is the point of a City Council - to be informed and make judgments.

The part is missed out is that need to be well informed.

Manconi points out they didn't need to inform City that things where so bad they needed a pause in testing - and that fedco and memos where good enough.

Counsel points out [obviously not hombre... Look at this mess, and you memo's are not conveying the alarm]

Counsel leaning into Manconi about City Manager (his boss) playing defense against #OttCity Council.

I don't know the org structure, but as the leadership at the table - I wouldn't be to pleased that my underlings are off deciding what and what not the management needs to know.

Counsel points out that the people that got to know things. Where @AllanHubley_23 @JimWatsonOttawa and the City Manager.

The rest, even though they are asking for updates, got what they got - because they didn't want debate...

woa... no dispute... that was intentional.

Yikes. Manconi is sticking to his guns that he was following orders - where he basically just admitted, to avoided the BS of Council, so they don't ask questions.

His choices were right, His choices were appropriate for the time. No debate needed.

And he doubles down, that he would he would do it over and over and over again.

Counsel is going a little ham on the theatrics, but he is hammer the point - there was willful avoidance of scrutiny.

Oh Jesus. Manconi is getting sliced here. Grave dug, and he dug deeper, and now they are tossing on dirt.

I always enjoyed Manconi to sticking to his guns, (Council can pathetically theatric at times) but if your groups 'choices' causes an problem - explains the retirement.

Manconi states that he would have never compromised on safety and all post service launch system issues - did are not the same as pre-launch issues.

*Counsel has a mild stroke*

Manconi clarifies, they are new issues, repeat offending parts, different problems.

And he quotes the 95% uptime numbers...

Which don't fking matter when its down 1h at each rush hour each day, having stations with hundreds to thousands of people trying to get home...

But I can't yell though the screen at the BS :P

Counsel tries again his common trick. People asking you questions equals pressure to preform.

Naaa, in this line of work you got to be thick skinned and able to tell people that they get what they get.

But... that said, we are likely seeing the extreme pendulum swing here.

Manconi makes his pitch to protecting the public. Counsel for RTG comments that his words were harsh - and that doesn't sound like a "partnership" *yawn*

Manconi: [if they didn't suck so immensely & frequently mislead about deadlines. He would have used nicer words]

Another message "destroyed with penalties" - RTG asks is this an example of a collaborative approach.

Manconi points out the BS of having to call to wake them up to get they to deal with a issue in the trail yard.

Again he reminds that it speaks to the frustrations.

RTG cries a short river about missing out on payments from the first months of operation - in a witty remark.

Manconi drops the hammer of god on RTG with a fast and painful retort, and the Commission Chair stepped in to back off the legal/protentional privileged information.

Hahahaha OccTranspo just got a shout out. Listed as a "a hammering in social media".

Manconi holding his ground gives me the deepest council flashbacks.

Everyone after RTG passed till we ran across the Union. Self promotion moment now....

*Yawn*

Transit union:
Did my staff do good?
Are my staff skilled?
Can my staff be trained?
Can they use tools?

Me: Are you trying to sell an union of simple apes?

(After complaining about staff outside of the unions control)

Union: Is it not the role of (I think he said Alstom) to provide safe and reliable service?

Manconi: If they want to get their monthly payments. Yes.

Accurate and to the point 😂

Holy crap captain union... He keeps going on and on, about the perks of unions and how he isn't happy that Alstom cleaning crew isn't under his control.

Trying to ask Manconi if he understands how Alstom makes their money 😂

Now for Mr. Jeans, to bring some life back to this grandstanding parade.

On the stranded people at stations on degraded service.

Manconi: Even if we had a 100 trains. The issue was we couldn't [get to the people stranded at the stations]

Jeans: [People mentioned that it took them hours to make it across the line]

Wardle (City Laywer) points out The City has bylaws/procedures that tells council they can't meddle with the affairs of the delegated workings of those below them.

Accurate, but odd take to defend not reporting things to your bosses.

Wardel is pointing out that if you failed making a train 20 times, but in the end succeeded. The 20 failures doesn't matter. Avoiding telling people of your failures reduces questions.

All that matters is the 21'st time you made it.

To be fair he used the analogy of failing your driving test a few times. I switched it over to hammer home the logic.

He is arguing that meeting the contract is what matters, how you get there less relevant.

Which of course doesn't hold up to basic logic.