Office of the Chief Executive

On Tuesday, a hydraulic fluid spill at Old Mill Station shut down a major section of Line 2 from the first train until midafternoon. This morning, a second spill caused further disruption, compounding the impact for customers who depend on us during the busiest parts of their day.

These are exactly the moments when reliability matters most. Thousands of people rely on our system to get to work, school, and essential appointments. We failed them, again. We are entrusted by the public to deliver a safe, reliable transit system, and when we fall short, we are accountable.

Customers have made their frustration clear, and rightly so. We let them down again at the very time they rely on us most, and we need to be mindful of the impact that has on public trust and confidence in the TTC.

These are incidents we own and must address. While work moved quickly to contain the spills and restore service safely, response alone is not enough. We need to look critically at ourselves and ask whether warning signs could have been identified sooner whether we acted as quickly and effectively as we should have, and whether our decisions reflected the standard we set for ourselves.

Performance is not only about response. It is about anticipation, judgment, and learning. Most importantly, it is about honouring the trust placed in us by the public and by the city, every single day.

The impact goes beyond disrupted mornings. People spend their hard-earned money to ride our system because they trust us to be reliable. When service fails at this scale, it erodes trust and confidence in the TTC. That loss of faith matters, and earning it back requires honesty, accountability, and real improvement.

Effective immediately, I have directed the suspension of the work car fleet, except in exceptional circumstances, pending a full review. That review will examine both incidents in detail, determine root causes, and include inspections across the entire fleet. Any affected vehicles will remain out of service until we are confident they are safe and reliable to operate. This must not happen again.

Earlier this week, I visited the Greenwood Complex to meet employees and see the work that keeps Line 2 moving. Greenwood teams are advancing critical maintenance and state-of-good-repair work in a busy, space-limited facility supported by legacy infrastructure. These conditions require careful planning, strong co-ordination, and disciplined execution to deliver safe and reliable service.

What stood out most was the focus and professionalism people bring to their work despite those constraints. Reliable service depends on how well we organize ourselves, how we manage risk, and how effectively we use the space, tools, and time we have. These same questions apply after incidents like Old Mill.

Everyone needs to understand these challenges and what it will take to address them, and every team must reflect that in how we plan and deliver our work. My expectation is clear: look hard at how we work, find smarter and more effective ways to deliver, and turn plans into measurable performance improvements customers can see and feel.

That same One TTC discipline is essential as we prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. FIFA has declared this a transit-first tournament, which places our system at the centre of how the city functions each day of the event. The eyes of the world will be on Toronto and its transit system. Delivery will depend on consistency, readiness, and precision across the entire organization.

I have been reading the questions and comments coming in through Team Huddle, and I am encouraged by what I see. One question stood out: how will we strengthen cleanliness, safety, and reliability as we prepare for a global event?

The answer is this: urgency, precision, and absolute focus on performance. We are aligning resources, staffing, and system readiness now. This includes higher cleanliness standards, stronger frontline presence, enhanced safety co-ordination, rigorous testing of assets, and rapid response capability across the network. Every department and every essential system matters.

Team Huddle gives every employee a way to ask questions, surface risks, and share ideas as plans take shape. I encourage you to keep using it. Your input strengthens our readiness.

People depend on us.

Trust is earned through preparation and performance every day, as One TTC. This week was a clear reminder that we still have work to do.

With gratitude and resolve,

Mandeep S. Lali

Chief Executive Officer

April 10, 2026