Rick Leary to resign as TTC CEO Aug. 30

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) CEO Rick Leary will resign from his position, effective Aug. 30. Leary has been with the TTC since 2014.

In a statement, Lerry explains his decision was based on feeling he needed to begin a new chapter in his 40-plus years of serving the transit industry. As for the timing of his resignation, the 61-year-old wanted to see the completion of one last deal before departing.  

“Some will ask about the timing of this announcement and that’s fair. For me it was about seeing one last major undertaking over the finish line – that being the new Collective Agreement with ATU Local 113, our largest union partner. I believed that it was my duty and obligation to ensure the new agreement was in place before I stepped down and if we had not reached that agreement, I needed to be here to steer the organization through a labor disruption,” Leary said.  

Leary, who grew up in the Boston, Mass., area, also served with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in various roles, including COO, for 25 years from 1984-2009. When Leary joined the TTC as deputy CEO a decade ago following a five-year tenure as general manager at York Region Transit, his primary responsibility was bus and streetcar services. In his role, Leary was tasked to improve the services and address poor on-time performance and streetcar short turns that were a regular source of frustration for customers. Leary was also in charge of the Capital State of Good Repair program to address the replacement and upgrades of track, power, facilities and vehicles.

Leary’s efforts helped the TTC win the 2017 American Public Transportation Association’s “Transit System of the Year” award.

In July 2018, Leary was named CEO of TTC. Since being named CEO, Leary has led several firsts for the agency:

• Hired the agency’s first chief of diversity and culture.  
• Created the first Action plan on Diversity and Inclusion.
• Created the first international chapter of the Conference of Minority Transit Officials.
• Created the first Capital Investment Plan for the TTC that outlines where investment is needed to ensure the long-term health of the agency’s infrastructure.  
• Created the first Data and Analytics Group and started using modern technology to improve service performance through real-time data collection.
• Purchased the first battery-electric bus, with a complete conversion to zero-emissions by 2040.

“This year, I turned 61 and I believe there are some new opportunities and challenges that await me before I fully retire and that’s where I’m at today – looking at the next phase of my career,” Leary said.