Consultants hoping to work with one of the lead companies on the City of Ottawa’s $2.1-billion light-rail line will have to complete an ethics exam.
SNC-Lavalin, an engineering company that’s part of the consortium the city wants to build the line, adopted the measure in response to a fraud investigation of a former chief executive.
Permanent employees, as well as those individuals who work with the company on a fixed-term contract, will now need to answer questions to make sure they understand the company’s updated code of ethics, SNC Lavalin spokesperson Lilly Nguyen said in an e-mail.
On the other hand, contractors – those working for companies that are hired for a project – do not need to pass the exam, she added.
City officials faced several questions when they decided to award the contract to SNC-Lavalin after police arrested former chief executive officer Pierre Duhaime for fraud in late November over a contract for the McGill University Health Centre.
SNC-Lavalin is part of the consortium of companies known as Rideau Transit Group the city selected in early December to build the 12.5-kilometre line.
