Metrolinx CEO has contract extended amid ongoing Eglinton Crosstown delays
Posted September 29, 2023 1:26 pm.
Last Updated December 1, 2023 7:08 am.
Despite increasing calls for him to step down or be fired, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster has apparently had his contract extended.
The office of Premier Doug Ford confirmed to CityNews that the province has extended the employment contract of Verster. The premier’s office refused to disclose details of the deal or confirm when it was agreed to.
According to an executive order that takes effect on Oct. 2, Verster has been reappointed for another three years.
The CEO has come under fire for the oft-delayed and problem plagued Eglinton Crosstown LRT project. In an update on Wednesday, he refused to give an opening date for the $12 billion transit line, instead telling reporters that technical problems in the testing phase have led to more delays.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of many factors that led to the years-long delays on top of design, legal and technical issues, calling the Eglinton Crosstown “one of the most complex transit projects” in North America. Going forward, Verster publicly vowed to provide public updates every two months until the job is finally done
Construction on the 19-kilometre, 25-station light rail transit line began under the previous Ontario Liberal government in 2011 and it was supposed to be finished by 2020.
In May, Verster said the project wouldn’t open until sometime in 2024. Crosslinx filed a notice of application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice over a lack of an operating agreement between Metrolinx and the TTC.
Businesses in the area that have been impacted by construction haven’t received any direct compensation from Metrolinx or the province and as a result, hundreds have shut down.
Opposition MPPs questioned why Verster still had a job during Question Period at Queen’s Park on Thursday.
Verster’s last contract extension in 2020 saw his base salary increase by more than $200,000 from 2017, not including performance bonuses. According to the province’s 2022 sunshine list, Versiter was paid more than $870,000 in 2022.
With files from Nick Westoll
