Renée Amilcar’s four-year tenure as general manager of OC Transpo is officially coming to a close, and for many in Ottawa, her time at the helm will be remembered as a turbulent period of both high hopes and deep frustrations.
Amilcar arrived in 2021 from Montreal’s transit agency, the Société de transport de Montréal, during one of the most difficult moments in OC Transpo’s history. The city’s brand-new light rail system had suffered a catastrophic derailment, public confidence was at a low point, and the transit agency was in desperate need of strong leadership. At first, her appointment signalled the possibility of a reset — a fresh face with technical expertise and no ties to the past missteps.
But fixing Ottawa’s transit woes proved to be more difficult than expected.
Amilcar inherited a transit system beset by serious challenges, particularly with the O-Train. Following a lengthy investigation into the 2021 derailment, neither Rideau Transit Group (RTG) nor train manufacturer Alstom could agree on a definitive fix—nor could they guarantee a future free of mechanical failures on Line 1.
The ongoing breakdowns and maintenance issues continued to erode public confidence, making it difficult for OC Transpo to regain momentum. Major setbacks during Amilcar’s tenure included persistent delays in the Line 1 extensions and the repeatedly postponed launch of Lines 2 and 4. While some improvements in reliability were achieved on Line 1 — even acknowledged by critics — the broader light rail system still struggled to meet public expectations.
In 2023, Council launched a dedicated LRT subcommittee to oversee and push for greater transparency. However, Amilcar’s interactions during these periods were often marked by tension. In one transit commission meeting, when asked a series of questions by councillors, Amilcar bluntly responded that her role did not include answering such inquiries — a comment that many saw as dismissive of public accountability.
This kind of defensiveness became a recurring theme in the latter half of her tenure. When faced with questions or criticism, Amilcar often deflected rather than engaged constructively, frustrating councillors who sought clearer answers on behalf of a fed-up public.
Amilcar’s leadership wasn’t without vision. She championed OC Transpo’s transition to an electric bus fleet — a bold move intended to modernize the system and reduce emissions, a target that aligns with the city Council’s key priorities. However, critics pointed out that the shift was rushed. Despite red flags from cities like Edmonton, which faced operational issues with cold-weather battery performance, OC Transpo pushed forward, notably to take advantage of a window of available funding and to update a struggling, ageing fleet.
Two councillors voiced concern that the pilot period was far too short to draw meaningful conclusions before expanding the project. In one of the coldest capital cities in the world, many questioned whether the climate-driven initiative should have taken priority over ensuring buses simply arrived on time.
The city’s bus network under Amilcar’s leadership remained a significant sore point. Chronic delays plagued nearly every route, and riders routinely reported missed connections and unreliable service.
Councillor Riley Brockington repeatedly stressed that OC Transpo would not regain its pre-pandemic ridership levels unless basic service reliability was restored. Instead of laying out a plan to address systemic issues, Amilcar often pointed to external factors — from traffic congestion to employee absences — rarely acknowledging the agency’s internal shortcomings.
Tensions came to a head during a city Council meeting when her performance was questioned. Rather than addressing the concerns directly, Amilcar claimed the line of questioning was a personal attack — an unfortunate moment that highlighted a broader issue of accountability.
One of Amilcar’s more controversial initiatives was the recently launched New Ways to Bus plan, which aimed to streamline the network and reduce costs by pulling ageing buses from the fleet. While financially sound on paper, the real-world impact on riders has been significant. Commutes became longer and more complicated, especially for those in outlying areas. In some cases, travelling across the city by bus began to take longer than a drive to Montreal.
Despite the criticism, Amilcar did have her defenders. Glen Gower, head of the Transit Commission, praised her on CFRA’s The Bill Carroll Show, saying she “definitely put us on the right track.” He cited improved O-Train stability and acknowledged that the scope of work she undertook was “monumental.”
Still, for many transit users, the daily reality never seemed to improve. While Amilcar brought ambition and energy to the role, the execution often fell short of expectations — not necessarily from lack of effort, but perhaps from a lack of responsiveness to the public and political climate in Ottawa.
With Renée Amilcar’s departure in July, OC Transpo enters yet another phase of transition. Her successor will inherit ambitious reforms already in motion — and the equally ambitious task of rebuilding public trust, improving communication, and delivering a system that finally meets the needs of its riders.
Photo: Renee Amilca, ledroit.com
