Phil Verster is out as CEO and president of Metrolinx, the province says.
The province announced Verster’s resignation Monday.
A memo sent to Metrolinx employees says Verster will be leaving the organization as soon as Dec. 16 to start a new role in the rail industry outside of Canada.
The Ontario government has named Michael Lindsay, the head of Infrastructure Ontario, as the interim president and CEO of the transit service, starting in December.
Verster took over the role in 2017.
Since then, he’s faced criticism over the repeated delays to rapid transit projects, including the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line, which is years behind schedule.
In a statement, Premier Doug Ford said Lindsay’s top priority will be opening Eglinton Crosstown “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Ford also thanked Verster for his years of service.
“The transportation landscape in Ontario will be permanently better because of his contributions,” Ford said.
Work on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT began in 2011 with an estimated price tag of $9.1 billion to build and maintain the 19-kilometre line. In 2022, documents obtained by CBC Toronto showed the project costs had jumped to at least $12.8 billion.
It was supposed to open in 2020, but a series of technical problems have repeatedly delayed the line’s opening.