Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster has resigned his role as the head of the transportation planning agency, the Ford government has announced, as the province faces consistent challenges in completing multiple transit projects.
A statement from the government said Verster had accepted a new position elsewhere and would leave as early as Dec. 16. It did not say where Verster was heading.
Michael Lindsay, who heads up Infrastructure Ontario, will take temporary charge of the massive transit agency.
Verster’s tenure at Metrolinx has been productive at times and controversial at others as the transit agency struggles to deliver on a number of transit projects including the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT.
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Verster has been singled out by political detractors who believe the CEO should be held accountable for the ongoing delays in delivery of key transportation projects.
Premier Ford, however, has praised Verster for taking on the government’s plans for transportation infrastructure growth including the signature Ontario Line – The 15-kilometre project which will cost $27.2 billion to build, maintain and operate the trains for 30 years.
“I’m a fan of Phil,” Ford said during a recent Ontario Line announcement. “This is no easy task that we put on his back.”
The premier’s confidence in Verster was reflected in his yearly salary which increased by 65 per cent when his contract was renewed in 2020. Verster had an annual salary of around $506,280 in 2018 before gradually increasing to $838,097 by the end of 2023.
The NDP, however, has consistently called for Verster’s ouster as the agency struggles with getting multiple projects over the finish line.
“I am so thankful,” said NDP MP Joel Harden in the Ontario Legislature who called the departure an “opportunity” for the province to right the ship.
“I hope the premier encouraged that action,” Harden said. “The NDP certainly did.”