Deeply moved by employee efforts during Toronto’s deep freeze

Dear TTC colleagues,

The dying days of 2013 have shown TTC staff at their very best as we continue to battle the effects of this past weekend’s catastrophic ice storm.

Staff across the TTC have worked tirelessly to clear fallen trees, remove ice from streetcar wires, update customers, and repair our infrastructure to keep Toronto moving and our customers safe. There are too many departments to list, but I’d like to record my tremendous appreciation and admiration for a job well done by each of you.

It’s been an incredibly busy year. We coped with summer floods, moved record numbers of customers, and faced some of the most intense political and media scrutiny that I have ever witnessed in 25 years in transit.

We launched a Customer Charter and a Five-Year Corporate Plan, and rolled out the first of our new articulated buses. We finished Pape Station renovations and we completed tunnelling on the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension. We introduced Wi-Fi at two stations, commenced testing of the new accessible streetcar, and edged ever closer to the roll-out of Presto.

Customers report that the stations and vehicles are cleaner, that information is clearer and that staff are noticeably more engaged. This is all down to you and the professionalism you display everyday.

I am hugely optimistic about our future, especially now that we have a five-year plan to guide us. I know there is still some uncertainty out there, but employee town halls have helped reassure many that by pulling in the same direction, we can transform the TTC and its reputation, making it a transit system that makes Toronto proud, and a better company to work for.

For these and many other reasons, I would like to end the year by acknowledging the great work you do, day in and day out, to keep our city moving. I will continue to passionately advocate for the TTC and its employees, and I will carry on the fight for sustainable funding so we can further improve.

Finally, I’d like to wish you and your family a happy and joyous holiday season, and a healthy 2014. And for those that celebrate, a very Merry Christmas!

Andy Byford
Chief Executive Officer
December 23, 2013