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A new multimillion-dollar radio system plagued by bugs is scheduled to be implemented across the City of Ottawa this year, spurring staff to fix the errors before the police and fire departments hit the airwaves.

“We have work to do,” according to Pierre Poirier, head of security and emergency management.

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“When we deal with first responder agencies, there’s another level of importance to make sure everything operates as intended.”

The problems with the city’s new radio system go beyond the “leap second” snafu on New Year’s Eve, when workers with OC Transpo and public works lost radio service.

There has been a problem at Transpo in recent months where the radio system crashes when several users switch over to one channel.

The city wants to have all 5,900 radios across multiple departments on the new system in 2017. Ottawa Fire Services is scheduled to switch to the new radio system this spring, followed by the Ottawa Police Service.