Ottawa Now - Is Rick Leary the right person to lead OC Transpo?

OC Transpo has a new General Manager – and his name is Rick Leary. Ottawa’s City Manager feels confident that he is the guy to get Ottawa’s LRT back on track, and in a reliable state year-round. He spent 10 years with the TTC, including 7 years as its CEO. And prior to his time in Toronto, he held executive positions with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. But in 2024, with 2 years remaining on his TTC contract and a mayoral change looming in Toronto, he stepped aside. That’s when the complaints started flying around, as a membership-based organization of transit users criticized Leary’s time with the TTC. The transit agency was also the subject of multiple lawsuits, with workplace bullying and harassment among the series of allegations. Kristy Cameron chats with Laura Shantz, a Board Member of Ottawa Transit Riders, on today’s Ottawa Now.