Mayoral candidate Bob Chiarelli suggests a review of City of Ottawa finances if elected

One of the individuals vying to become the next mayor of Ottawa is suggesting a review of the City of Ottawa's finances should he be elected. 

Bob Chiarelli, who once served as the mayor of Ottawa, is looking to once again lead the city into the future. He told The Rob Snow Show on Tuesday, July 5 that anything the City of Ottawa does moving forward involving funding needs to be put on hold, which includes Stage 3 of Ottawa's light rail transit (LRT) system. 

“There needs to be a thorough examination of the books at city hall,” he said. “If I were mayor, I would bring a senior, experienced auditor from outside and do a 100 day analysis.”

Chiarelli has been following the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Public Inquiry into the city's LRT system, and said the inquiry has shown there was a significant failure in the building management of the system and operating system to date. 

He said if he was elected mayor, he would commit to a “top to bottom service review of transit operations.”

“The unsafe and unreliable transit system has led to public distrust,” he said. 

Chairelli said private chats between City of Ottawa officials shows a failure in leadership. 

“It's totally inappropriate,” he added. 

Listen to the full interview with Bob Chiarelli below: