WATERLOO REGION — Most of Toronto's new streetcars built by Bombardier must be sent back for repairs, and now Waterloo Region's light rail vehicles are getting a close look.

"The Region of Waterloo is aware that some of the TTC's streetcars require corrective work," TJ Flynn, regional manager of Ion community relations, said Wednesday in an email.

"At this point, Bombardier is examining the region's light rail vehicles to determine if a similar issue is present on our vehicles."

Flynn did not know when the region would find out if its Ion vehicles would also need repairs due to welding problems.

"We remain focused on ensuring that service will begin in December 2018, and on providing a quality and safe service to our passengers in Waterloo Region."

The Toronto Star reported Wednesday that an investigation by Bombardier found the first 67 of the 89 cars it supplied to the Toronto Transit Commission had a welding defect that needed to be fixed or they could fail prematurely.

The repairs are expected to take until at least 2022, and the recall is only the latest problem to affect the repeatedly delayed vehicle purchase.

Waterloo Region has also been hit by delays due to repeated production issues at Bombardier.

The service was initially expected to start in July 2017. That was pushed back several times and now the launch date is expected for December.

The region announced late last year that the project's construction cost was up by $50 million — almost half of that increase related to vehicle delays. The province kicked in another $25 million and the region will try to recover the remaining from Bombardier.

All of the region's vehicles were complete by mid-June except for the first one that was sent back to Kingston for upgrades early this year and is now awaiting back-ordered parts, according to the latest update to regional council last week.

Six vehicles are being tested here, and an additional two were anticipated to be delivered in late June or early July.

The deadline for completion was June, but not all the vehicles needed to be delivered here by that time.

The region finalized an agreement with Bombardier to install GrandLinq's on-board equipment and make necessary modifications. It's anticipated that 10 vehicles will be retrofitted with the specialized equipment in Waterloo, and four in Kingston.

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The first fully equipped vehicle will be in the region by late summer.