This from Star... Highlighting by me. See:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tt...cle_75c77388-6557-11ef-b1da-1735c3ba365e.html
Toronto’s transit agency has a new temporary boss.
At a closed-door meeting Wednesday, the TTC board selected Bruce Macgregor to serve as acting CEO. He will take the place of Rick Leary, who after more than six years in charge is leaving the commission at the end of this week.
Macgregor has been deputy CEO of the TTC since last October. Before that, he served for 16 years as York Region’s chief administrative officer.
At a press conference after the vote, board chair Jamaal Myers (Ward 22, Scarborough North) confirmed the appointment, which was first reported by the Star. He described Macgregor as a “first class professional” who oversaw transit and other important files in York Region, and is “well respected” at the TTC.
Macgregor is expected to be in the job for only a matter of weeks, until the board appoints an interim CEO. Myers said he expects to announce the successful candidate for the interim role by the board’s September 17 meeting.
The chair couldn’t give a firm date for when Leary’s permanent replacement will be confirmed, but said the board is conducting an international search, which typically takes at least six months.
According to Myers, appointing an acting CEO before the interim CEO was necessary because “we had an issue of timing” between Leary’s June resignation announcement and when the search committee could start interviewing candidates.
According to a document reviewed by the Star, interviews with candidates shortlisted for the interim position will be conducted Thursday.
Applicants have been told their priorities should include improving communication between senior TTC leadership and the board; better messaging to improve public perception of the agency; transforming internal culture to “reignite the excitement and pride” among staff; performance metrics; and a “deep dive” on safety culture, human resources, and the system’s state of good repair, according to the document.
Leary joined the TTC from York Region Transit in 2014. He became interim CEO in 2017, and took the job permanently the following year.
As the Star has previously reported, the board voted at a closed door meeting last October to investigate Leary for allegations of workplace misconduct, according to sources.
The chair has never formally acknowledged the existence of the investigation—which sources have told the Star was expected to cost $250,000—or disclose its status, citing confidentiality requirements around human resources issues.
On Wednesday, Myers again said it was “not appropriate” for any board member “to discuss an investigation” about an employee. But he said he would be open to suggestions made by previous chairs to explore ways to improve the process for investigating CEOs “to make sure it’s fair, accountable, and as transparent as possible.”
In an exit interview with the Star this week, Leary denied creating a toxic culture at the TTC, but said he believed cost-cutting measures he pursued for the good of the organization may have upset employees.
