Province taps financial executive to chair Metrolinx board

Thestar.com
August 15, 2018
Ben Spurr

The Progressive Conservative government has selected a veteran financial sector executive as the next chair of Metrolinx.

According to an order in council published by the province on Tuesday, Donald Wright has been appointed as head of the board of the agency, which operates GO Transit and oversees transportation planning for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The appointment of the new board chair comes as Metrolinx is in the midst of overseeing billions of dollars worth of transit expansion projects, including the GO Transit regional express rail program and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

His initial appointment is for a one-year term. According to Metrolinx, he’ll earn a salary of $146,700.

During a career in the investment industry spanning more than 30 years, Wright, 70, has held executive positions at several major financial institutions, including stints as president of Merrill Lynch Canada and chief executive officer of TD Securities. He’s also the former board chair of Via Rail. He’s currently the president and chair of the Winnington Capital Group.

“It is a privilege to welcome Donald Wright as our new chair,” said Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster in a statement.

“It’s great news for our team at Metrolinx that our new chair has such extensive business experience, in addition to his time as chairman of the board of Via Rail. Having a chair who is a distinguished leader in the business world, and also knows the transportation industry, will be an incredible asset to every part of our operation at Metrolinx.”

Wright replaces Rob Prichard, a lawyer and former president of Torstar Corporation, the company that publishes the Toronto Star. Prichard resigned as chair in July after nine years at Metrolinx, saying that the Conservatives’ election victory meant it was time for someone else to lead the board.

Metrolinx was created by the province in 2006. Until the Progressive Conservatives took power in June, it had only ever existed under a Liberal government.

The new government’s appointment of a figure with such a strong pedigree from the financial sector is in line with the PCs’ stated intention to tackle what the party has described as “mismanagement” and “waste” at government agencies.

Metrolinx has come under fire for its spending practices in recent years. A 2016 report by the Ontario auditor general found the agency had wasted millions of dollars through inadequate controls on procurement.
Major Metrolinx projects have gone significantly over budget, including the installation of the Presto fare card system on the TTC, the cost of which has ballooned from an initial estimate of $155 million to at least $285 million. The Liberal government’s promise that the Union Pearson Express airport service would break even has fallen flat.

Wright’s appointment comes as Metrolinx is in the midst of overseeing billions of dollars worth of transit expansion projects, including the $13.5-billion GO Transit regional express rail expansion program, the $5.3-billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and proposed light rail lines in Mississauga-Brampton and Hamilton.

Less than two months into their mandate, it remains unclear how the Progressive Conservatives intend to reshape the region’s transit plans, but Wright could help guide Metrolinx in a new direction.