Despite a decline in revenue with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) due to the pandemic, its CEO Rick Leary received a 21-per cent pay hike in 2021.
According to Ontario’s Sunshine List, released last week, Leary earned $438,495.91 in 2021.
This is an increase of $77,000 from the approximate $361,000 earned in 2020 and 2019 respectively. In 2018, Leary earned around $337,000.
According to Ontario’s public sector salary disclosure from 2017, former TTC CEO Andy Byford made around $346,700 in his final year in the position. That is roughly $91,000 less than what Leary made for 2021.
“As a part of his contract negotiated under the previous TTC Board, the CEO took a pay reduction from his predecessor in exchange for annual increases,” Jaye Robinson, the TTC Chair, said in a statement to Global News.
Robinson said that Leary’s salary is adjusted based on the terms of the contract and following an “industry scan of comparators to ensure that the compensation remains competitive”.
“It should be noted that the CEO’s base salary went down slightly between 2019-2020 and his actual salary for 2021 would be in the range of $410,000 had the increases been awarded annually,” Robinson highlighted in her statement.
In a statement to Global News, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, which represents around 12,000 TTC workers, said they were surprised to learn about the pay hike.
“Like others across Toronto, many ATU Local 113 members were surprised the TTC Board would give the CEO a 21 per cent increase in 2021, a year when workers risked their health and safety and riders suffered through TTC service cuts,” the statement read.
“This raises important questions that the TTC Board needs to answer for its workers, riders and Torontonians,” the statement added.
Mayor John Tory was asked about the hike during a press conference earlier today.
“I will leave it to the TTC to explain what exactly happened here. When you use the term ’21 per cent raise,’ it implies his base salary has gone up by 21 per cent. I think it’s important for them to explain what actually happened here so the public can understand that it is not exactly as it’s been presented,” Mayor Tory said.
This comes at a time that the TTC is experiencing a significant reduction in ridership and a $487.2 million shortfall due to the ongoing pandemic.
— with files from Morganne Campbell