Renée Amilcar to leave OC Transpo

UPDATE | On Wednesday, Quebec's deputy premier and minister of transport and sustainable mobility annouced Amilcar has been recruited as the new president and CEO of Mobilité Infra Québec, the province's transportation agency.

Renée Amilcar, the general manager of transit services at OC Transpo, is leaving her position after less than four years, according to a memo sent to city councillors Tuesday.

Amilcar is leaving to "pursue a new career opportunity," wrote city manager Wendy Stephanson in the memo. Her last day on the job will be July 18.

Troy Charter, the current director of transit service delivery and rail operations for OC Transpo, will serve as the interim general manager after Amilcar departs, according to Stephanson.

"Renée has served the City with dedication and professionalism, leading the Transit Services team through a period of significant operational transformation, modernization and service improvement," Stephanson wrote.

"I want to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Renée  for her contributions and wish her continued success in her future endeavours."

Amilcar's office turned down Radio-Canada's request for an interview Tuesday.

'Unprecedented change'

A longtime public transit official from Montreal, Amilcar was hired in September 2021 and started in her new job the following month. At the time, the city said she was selected following "an extensive, international executive search."

She replaced John Manconi, who left after a 32-year career with the city amid continuing fallout from Ottawa's problem-plagued LRT launch. 

Amilcar arrived in Ottawa shortly after a derailment that August and another one in September that shut down the LRT for 54 days. Those were just the latest serious issues with the new system, prompting the province to launch the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Public Inquiry.

It became her responsibility to implement the inquiry recommendations when the damning report was released in December 2022.

She inherited an agency whose ridership had plummeted as federal public servants worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amilcar's tenure at OC Transpo has been marred by unreliable bus service and unpopular route changes, as well as perennial budget challenges and ongoing legal fallout over light rail.

She also presided over the long-awaited — and delayed — re-opening of the extended Trillium Line, or Line 2, as well as the new Line 4 connecting to the Ottawa International Airport.

Coun. Glen Gower, chair of the city's transit committee, told CBC by email that Amilcar led OC Transpo through "unprecedented change."

He noted that she worked through the successful "stabilization" of the Confederation Line and launch of the Trillium Line, "all while managing significant [funding] challenges since the pandemic." 

"Her leadership at OC Transpo will have a positive impact on our city for many years to come," he wrote. "I will miss working with her, very big shoes to fill."

In addition to her role in Ottawa, Amilcar is president of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). She was the first woman elected to the position in June 2023. 

Amilcar is an industrial engineer who worked at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Nortel Networks and Montreal's Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), where she became executive director of bus services in 2014.