Longtime spokesperson Brad Ross leaving TTC for city hall job

TheStar.com
November 15, 2018
Ben Spurr

Brad Ross, the “trusted voice of the TTC” for the past 10 years, is leaving the transit agency.

In a message sent to employees Wednesday morning, Ross said he has taken a job as the city’s new chief communications officer.

After 10 years with the TTC, Brad Ross has taken a job as the city’s new director of strategic communications.

“As a teenager growing up in Scarborough, my friends and I took the TTC everywhere. It was our connection to the city. Not in a million years would I have dreamed of being the TTC’s executive director of corporate and customer communications,” he said in the message.

“I don’t have to tell anyone here that the TTC is in the news every day. We’re Toronto’s fishbowl. Yes, there were stories we’d have preferred didn’t materialize, but that’s not unique to us ... I am proud of the TTC and will look back fondly at my time here. It’s a special place filled with good people.”

In his time as the transit agency’s chief spokesperson, he became known for his near daily media appearances and his frank approach to discussing the many challenges of operating the transit service. He often avoided corporate communications language and spoke in plain terms the transit-riding public could relate to.

He attempted to lift the stigma around discussing subway suicides by eschewing official terms such as “injury at track level” and by bluntly informing riders if someone had tried to take their life on the system.

He told the Star in 2016 that he didn’t want suicides to be considered merely another statistic.

“It is somebody’s son or daughter, or mother or father, or brother or sister, or friend or lover or spouse who has tragically chosen to end their life, and I think that perspective is important for all of us to understand,” he said.

Ross was active on social media, often sparring with critics he thought were unfair to the TTC, but also frequently fielding questions directly from customers using his @BradTTC handle.
Around TTC headquarters, the avuncular Ross was recognizable for his custom tailored suits and numerous tattoos, including a skull emblazoned with the words “No comment” on his arm.

Despite his high-profile position, he wasn’t above poking fun at himself. In a 2016 video the TTC posted to educate the public about its fare policies, Ross showered himself in Coca-Cola while riding in the back of a streetcar.

In a message to the TTC board, CEO Rick Leary called Ross “the trusted voice of the TTC.”

“He’s been an incredible asset to this organization in his 10 years. He’s helped make it much more customer-centric,” Leary said Wednesday morning.

“Brad was part of a new customer-first ethos at the TTC and an early adopter of social media, engaging directly with the public and customers,” Leary said. “The city has gained a valuable member (for) its communications team ... We wish him every success in his new position.”

In a pair of Twitter messages, outgoing TTC chair Councillor Josh Colle called Ross “the best in the biz” and thanked him for his “exemplary service.”

His new job marks a return to city hall for Ross. Prior to working at the TTC he was manager of media relations and issues management at the city for eight years.

He will be the first person to hold the title of chief communications officer at the city. The municipal government has been without a chief spokesperson since Jackie DeSouza left her job as director of strategic communications in July.

In a news release, city manager Chris Murray said Ross “brings a wealth of experience” to the city.

“He is a champion of best practices, has deep relationships with the media, can capably manage emerging situations and will be a great steward of the city’s brand,” Murray said.

Ross’s last day at the TTC will be Dec. 14, and he will start his job at city hall on Jan. 7.

According to the Ontario public sector salary disclosure, Ross made a salary of $163,995.42 plus benefits at the TTC last year.