Congratulations to Rewards & Recognition Gala 2018 winners

People who work at the TTC do so for a variety of reasons. They enjoy talking to people. They appreciate being in public. They love driving. Or perhaps there’s a more personal connection. I started with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority as a Train Attendant because I had a fascination for transit. Both my father and great grandfather worked in public transit.

Another possible reason is because, in Toronto, you’re joining for one of the most reputable and hardest-working transit systems in the world. The TTC has the ability to move one billion people every 22 months. That can only be achieved when 15,000 professional and caring women and men, on the front lines and behind the scenes, pull together with a common goal to safely and reliably serve its nearly 1.8 million daily customers.

Rewards & Recognition Gala 2018 winners

Last evening at the third annual Rewards and Recognition Gala, we congratulated several of those people who represent the best-of-the-best in customer service, safety, leadership, teamwork, innovation and creativity and safe service from the past year.

Through their inspiring stories, they exemplify the top qualities that make the TTC one of the most vital and visible public service organizations in the GTA.

For their tireless dedication and commitment, congratulations again to: Rameez Nauth-Ali, Charles Spiteri, Andrew Marsh, Lou Raggiunti, Aristidis Vagdatis, Deborah Brown, Gemma Piemontese and the late Robert McGrath. Mr. McGrath passed away suddenly last November. His award was presented posthumously to Phil Foubister, Group Station Manager, Bloor-Danforth.

Stories like theirs, and similar efforts by so many others across the workforce, are leading the way to reaching the goals in our new Five-Year Corporate Plan. The Plan is about setting up the TTC to be strong and sustainable in a world that is more crowded and competitive. The TTC Way is our new approach, our new value system, which recognizes that everyone has a part to play. And it’s our employees – our greatest asset – that are going to get the TTC to the next level.

I would like once again to personally and publicly congratulate all of our outstanding winners, and everyone who was recognized for their outstanding achievements in 2017. And a special thank you to our long-service employees who have built our good reputation into a world-class and award-winning public transit service.

Richard J. Leary
Chief Executive Officer (Acting)
March 2, 2018

News Release

TTC recognizes employee excellence, names 2017 Employee of the Year

At an event this evening to celebrate employee excellence, the TTC honoured the late Robert McGrath as its Employee of the Year for 2017.

Robert, who died late last year, was a Station Collector in the Bloor-Danforth East area. He embodied the TTC ambassador in all that he did. On one occasion, he helped a young man who approached him after being beaten up. He cleaned the youth’s wounds, listened to him and offered support and comfort. Robert is missed by all who knew him. This is the first time such an award has been made posthumously.

The Rewards and Recognition program celebrates TTC employees’ demonstrated diligence and dedication to the organization, honouring top performers in the areas of Leadership, Creativity & Innovation, Safety, Customer Service and Teamwork. A key focus of the TTC’s recently released Corporate Plan is to recognize staff for the contributions they make every day and to share stories of TTC employees who exemplify The TTC Way.

“The recipients of these awards exemplify the best of the best at the TTC,” said Rick Leary, Acting CEO. “We’re incredibly proud of this year’s nominees and award recipients, and all of our nearly 15,000 employees for their tireless commitment to delivering safe, reliable service to our customers.”

2017 Award Recipients

Leadership
Charles Spiteri
Garage Foreperson, Arrow Road Garage Bus Maintenance & Shops

Innovation and Creativity
Rameez Nauth-Ali
Revenue Equipment Analyzer, Revenue Operations

Safety
Andrew Marsh
Manager, Facilities, Plant Maintenance

Customer Service
Robert McGrath
Station Collector, Bloor-Danforth East Stations

Teamwork
Lou Raggiunti
Instructor, Bus & Maintenance, Human Resources

Aristidis Vagdatis
Electrical Equipment Mechanic, Plant Maintenance

Lifetime Achievement Award
Gemma Piemontese
Chief People Officer

CEO Special Award
Deborah Brown
Head, Customer Communications (Acting)

Employee of the Year (Posthumous)
Robert McGrath
Station Collector

News release issued March 1, 2018.