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March 27, 2026
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March 06, 2026
Horizon Ottawa Condemns City Decision to Hire Disgraced Former TTC CEO to Head OC Transpo
Horizon Ottawa Condemns City Decision to Hire Disgraced Former TTC CEO to Head OC Transpo
OTTAWA – Horizon Ottawa, a municipal advocacy organization, is troubled to learn of the decision to hire Rick Leary as the new GM for OC Transpo. The organization's concerns are based on both allegations of abusive behaviour, as well as a poor record in his previous transit leadership positions.
Rick Leary resigned from his role as the CEO for the Toronto Transit Commission just months after an investigation into his corrupt and abusive behaviour. At the time of the investigation over two thousand people had signed a Change.org petition calling for his termination.
Transit advocates in Toronto including TTC riders criticized Leary for withholding critical information from the public and the TTC board on numerous occasions including:
- Hiding documents about the 2023 Scarborough RT derailment
- Failing to report a series of hydraulic leaks on subway work cars until it caused a shutdown and was exposed by whistleblowers
- Concealed information about a near-miss subway crash and only brought it forward after it was reported by the Toronto Star
Leary demonstrated poor asset management through a pattern of deferred maintenance that led to severe cuts to streetcar service. This is particularly concerning considering the current maintenance issues faced by OC Transpo.
His tenure also saw a significant operator shortage that led to cancelled trips, another issue in Ottawa for which he is unequipped.
“It’s shocking that the Mayor and City Manager have landed on Leary to take over OC Transpo”, said Tom Ledgley, the Coordinator at Horizon Ottawa. “Not only did Boston and Toronto’s transit suffer under his leadership, but many of his biggest controversies stem from a lack of transparency and accountability. After everything this city has been through with the LRT, someone who has proven to be unaccountable should never have even been considered”.
Horizon Ottawa will continue to advocate for accountability and service improvements from leadership at City Hall and OC Transpo, and they encourage members of the media and public to do the same.
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For media inquiries:
Tom Ledgley
618-663-7018
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