Officials say the work to repair Ottawa’s LRT line after freezing rain Wednesday night is expected to continue into the weekend after efforts to remove ice caused further damage.
More than 36 hours after freezing rain shut down the city’s light rail system, a section of the line remains closed and two trains are still stuck.
On Friday morning, crews sent a third train to the area between Lees and Hurdman stations with a special attachment called a “winter carbon strip” to remove ice from the overhead wires, but the train caused more damage to the wires.
Instead, crews are removing the ice manually, Mario Guerra, Rideau Transit Maintenance CEO and acting general manager, told reporters Friday afternoon.
“We have our staff up in the bucket truck removing the ice manually,” he said. “Before we were trying to use the vehicles themselves.”
Once the ice is clear, crews will resume work to try to repair the overhead catenary wires that broke when the third train was brought in, Guerra said.
After that, they will work to move the two trains that first became stuck Wednesday night near Lees Station as freezing rain fell and ice built up on the overhead wires.
“Once we have done that, we will test the system to make sure the repairs that we made are safe,” Guerra said.
In a memo earlier Friday, transit general manager Renee Amilcar said there is “significant” ice buildup in that area of the tracks because no trains have run there since Wednesday, making it more challenging to remove.
Officials say there’s no estimate on when the work will be completed, but they anticipate the work will continue into the weekend.
Here’s an update, with the latest information:
⚠️Line 1: Train service is operating between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east and between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations in the west.
➡️ R1 service is operating between St. Laurent and Rideau stations.
Trains are running between Blair and Tremblay stations in the east and Tunney’s and uOttawa stations in the west. Replacement bus service is still running between St. Laurent and Rideau stations.
Troy Charter, OC Transpo’s director of transit operations, said two trains are running between Tunney’s and uOttawa, and four are running between St. Laurent and Blair.
Video on Twitter Friday morning showed a broken wire on the closed stretch of the tracks.
A spokesman for Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe declined an interview, saying Sutcliffe was in budget meetings all day. He referred interview requests to Coun. Glen Gower.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA Friday, Gower said trains would not be operating if there was a safety issue with the track, adding that although there isn’t a definitive answer on the cause of the outage, but freezing rain is “very likely” a contributing factor.
“Anytime we have an outage of the train lasting 24 hours, that’s a major outage and a concern,” he said.
Gower is the new chair of Ottawa’s Transit Commission and a member of the newly formed LRT subcommittee. He said OC Transpo needs to look at the practices it has in place to deal with freezing rain.
Amilcar said two trains ran overnight from Blair to Tremblay stations to keep the wires clear of ice.
LISTEN: “We don’t have a definitive answer on that yet.”
Transit Commission Chair Glen Gower tells @RoseyEdeh that OC Transpo is investigating the root of ongoing issues, but ice is likely a factor and that trains would not be running elsewhere if there were safety concerns. pic.twitter.com/un5Ul4y2P9
A video posted on Twitter just after 11 p.m. Wednesday showed sparks flying from the overhead catenary system as a train approached Hurdman Station.
Around 11:45 p.m., two trains got stuck in that area. Passengers waited about an hour before they were escorted off the trains to a bus at Hurdman station. Amilcar said Thursday that early analysis showed ice buildup on the catenary system caused the stopped trains.
There was also a power outage on the system shortly after midnight. Replacement bus service ran on the eastern part of the line for all of Thursday.
Rideau Transit Maintenance is now concerned the flashes of light spotted in the trains, known as “arcing”, may have damaged the OCS.
“While arcing is a contributing factor to the current situation, the root cause investigation continues to identify the full scope of any issues and required corrective actions,” Amilcar said in a Thursday memo.
Guerra said Friday that riders should not expect this kind of outage to become a normal occurrence during freezing rain.
“I would say riders can expect that we will be much better prepared and react better in the future with regards to vehicles getting stranded,” he said.
Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you’re following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that’ll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Your level of interest in the company and the role.
Contributing to your employer’s success is essential.
You desire a cultural fit.
Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they’ve become cliché questions you should avoid asking:
“What are the key responsibilities of this position?”
Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn’t read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, “How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?” “What will be my monthly revenue target?”
“What does a typical day look like?”
Although it’s important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don’t focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a “typical day.” However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you’re capable of meeting the employer’s expectations.
“How would you describe the company culture?”
Asking this question screams, “I read somewhere to ask this question.” There are much better ways to research a company’s culture, such as speaking to current and former employees, reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they’re presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? “Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he’ll make your life miserable.” “Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up.”
Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”
When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer’s.
Cliché questions don’t impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.
Here are my four go-to questions—I have many more—to accomplish this:
“Describe your management style. How will you manage me?”
This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who’ll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I’ll accept the job.
“What is the one thing I should never do that’ll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?”
This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, “What are your pet peeves?”
“When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you’d want to see from me in the first six months?”
Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. As I mentioned, focus on the results you need to produce and timelines. How realistic are the expectations? It’s never about the question; it’s about what you want to know. It’s important to know whether you’ll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss’s expectations.
“If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?”
Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn’t looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.
Other questions I’ve asked:
“What keeps you up at night?”
“If you were to leave this company, who would follow?”
“How do you handle an employee making a mistake?”
“If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?”
“What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?”
“What are the informal expectations of the role?”
“What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?”
Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. Cliché questions don’t lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CALGARY – Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $2.27 billion, down from $2.34 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared with $1.06 per diluted share a year earlier.
Product sales totalled $10.40 billion, down from $11.76 billion in the same quarter last year.
Daily production for the quarter averaged 1,363,086 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 1,393,614 a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, Canadian Natural says it earned 97 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 90 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
CALGARY – Cenovus Energy Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year as its revenue edged lower.
The company says it earned $820 million or 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.86 billion or 97 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $14.25 billion, down from $14.58 billion in the same quarter last year.
Total upstream production in the quarter amounted to 771,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 797,000 a year earlier.
Total downstream throughput was 642,900 barrels per day compared with 664,300 in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Cenovus says its funds flow amounted to $1.05 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from adjusted funds flow of $1.81 per diluted share a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
