Not going to make everybody happy'

Outgoing TTC CEO Leary rejects bullying allegations, says he made cuts for the right reasons'

- REN SPURR

Rick Leary said after he took over as TTC CEO, he supported shutting the Scarborough RT down rather than continuing to extend its life as his predecessors had done. "Why was it allowed to go 13 years beyond its useful life? That's the question I would ask.."

The outgoing head of the TTC denies creating a toxic workplace at the transit agency during his more than six years as CEO, but acknowledges that changes he saw as necessary for the organization may have turned some employees against him.

In an interview in his final week at the TTC, Rick Leary addressed claims he bullied and intimidated employees, and created “a culture of fear” at the organization.

According to sources, those allegations from former managers and executives, which the Star reported last November, were consistent with anonymous complaints that prompted the TTC board to launch an investigation into Leary at a closed-door meeting last October.

The board has never released details of the investigation spearheaded by TTC chair Jamaal Myers, who, according to sources, unsuccessfully tried to suspend Leary until the probe concluded. The CEO said Monday he had no knowledge of the outcome of any probe against him. Myers didn’t answer questions about the probe’s status.

The TTC board will meet Wednesday to appoint an acting CEO, who will serve until an interim CEO is hired. No timeline has been given for when the board will confirm a permanent replacement.

While Leary rejected allegations he created a hostile work environment, he told the Star cost-cutting measures, like reducing employee overtime, which he believed were required to avoid fare hikes and higher city subsidies, may have upset some workers. “I did it for the right reasons. I’m not going to make everybody happy. And people make accusations,” he said.