TTC names temporary leader as search for new CEO continues

The Toronto Transit Commission is getting a new temporary leader.

The TTC board has appointed Bruce Macgregor as the acting chief executive officer. Macgregor, currently serving as the agency's deputy CEO, will step into the role at the end of the business day on Friday.

Macgregor replaces departing CEO Rick Leary, who is resigning after six and a half years at the helm of the organization that runs Toronto's subway, bus and streetcar transit system.

TTC board chair and city councillor Jamaal Myers expressed his thanks to Macgregor for taking a leadership role during the transitional period.

"I want to thank Bruce for helping guide the Commission while we finalize the appointment of an interim CEO," Myers said in a statement.

Myers also said that the search for an interim CEO is nearly complete, with a permanent replacement expected in the coming months.

Leary's last day on the job is Friday. His resignation, announced June 20, comes amid allegations of bullying and workplace misconduct.

A Toronto Star story published in October cited unnamed sources who said the TTC board would be investigating allegations of workplace misconduct against Leary. CBC News has not independently verified those claims.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBC Toronto this week, Leary could not confirm if there is an investigation against him. 

"If you're asking me, am I aware of an investigation? I'm not sure if there's an investigation on me right now. I can tell you that for a fact."

Leary said he thinks criticisms of his leadership are due to his efforts to find efficiencies at the TTC and new ways to do business. 

"There's been changes here from a focus, and people aren't happy about it," he said.

CEO should focus on 'pain points': board chair

In a scrum with reporters, Myers said he cannot confirm nor deny any investigation into Leary.

"It's not appropriate for me or any board members to discuss an investigation," Myers said. "It's unfair to announce that particularly when it involves an HR matter."

Myers said Macgregor is a "first class professional" who worked for 16 years as chief administrative officer of York Region, where he oversaw a number of departments, including transit, water and infrastructure. He said Macgregor is "well respected" at the TTC and by its unions.

He also said the TTC board has appointed an acting CEO before it selects an interim CEO, with the help of a third party, because of a gap in time between Leary's resignation and when the search committee members could actually meet. That third party will also help the board find a permanent CEO, he said.

Myers said the process to find an interim CEO is well underway and he expects to make an announcement about an interim CEO in the coming weeks. He said the search for a permanent CEO is an international one and such a process can take a minimum of six months.

He added that he would like the permanent CEO to focus on customers and that means taking a look at "pain points," such as bus bunching and transit safety.

"We want to make sure that public transit is safe for everyone so that nobody has a second thought about letting their kid use the subway at night. That's the Toronto I grew up in and that's the Toronto we all want," he said.