Tensions preceded TTC chief's exit

Misconduct probe strained ties between CEO and board chair, sources say

- BEN SPURR, MAHDIS HABIBINIA AND DAVID RIDER

Jamaal Myers had nothing but praise for TTC chief executive Rick Leary on Thursday, as the two men held a city hall press conference to announce Leary's surprise resignation as head of Toronto's transit agency.

Myers, chair of the TTC, declared he and other board members were "sad" to see Leary go, and listed what he considered the outgoing CEO's accomplishments, from setting new service standards to increasing employee diversity.

The amicable scene was a stark contrast to the closed-door meeting last October when Myers urged board members to put Leary on leave and call an investigation into allegations against him of workplace misconduct. And though neither of them mentioned it in their prepared remarks last week, the events of last fall cast a long shadow over Leary's decision to step down, which has left an organization responsible for 2.5 million daily transit trips looking for a new leader, and stuck taxpayers with the bill for his departure.

As the Star has previously reported, Myers didn't secure enough votes on the board to suspend Leary, but members did approve an external investigation. According to sources, that probe - centring on claims, which haven't been proven, that Leary violated workers' rights and interfered with investigations is still ongoing, and was a significant cause of tension between Myers and the TTC chief in the lead-up to Leary stepping down.

The Star reported in April the investigation was being led by an Ottawa-based conflict resolution firm, after allegations were submitted through the TTC's integrity portal, which allows employees to lodge complaints without giving their name. The Star has spoken to employees who claimed Leary engaged in bullying that created a toxic workplace.