Rick Leary: Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission

January 14, 2021

The Empire Club of Canada Presents

Rick Leary: Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission

Chairman: Kelly Jackson, Vice-President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada

Moderator
Leslie Woo, Chief Executive Officer, CivicAction

Distinguished Guest Speakers
Robby Sohi, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Business Development & Strategy, Ontario Power Generation
Rick Leary, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission
Daniel Levitan, Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations, Hydro One

Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here at the Empire Club of Canada today, which is arguably the most famous and historically relevant speaker’s podium to have ever existed in Canada. It has offered its podium to such international luminaries as Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi, and closer to home, from Pierre Trudeau to Justin Trudeau; literally generations of our great nation's leaders, alongside with those of the world's top international diplomats, heads of state, and business and thought leaders.

It is a real honour and distinct privilege to be invited to speak to the Empire Club of Canada, which has been welcoming international diplomats, leaders in business, and in science, and in politics. When they stand at that podium, they speak not only to the entire country, but they can speak to the entire world.

Welcome Address by Kelly Jackson, Vice-President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Good afternoon, fellow directors, past presidents, members, and guests. Welcome to the 117th season of the Empire Club of Canada. My name is Kelly Jackson. I am an Associate Vice-President at Humber College and First Vice-President of the Empire Club of Canada. I am also your host for today's virtual event featuring Rick Leary, Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Transit Commission, and Leslie Wu, CEO of CivicAction. They will be discussing how the TTC is working towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization.

To begin this afternoon, I'd like to acknowledge the land we are broadcasting from. It is the Traditional Territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wyandot Peoples. It is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. For those of you tuning in from regions across the country today, we encourage you to learn more about the Traditional Territory on which you work or live. In acknowledging Traditional Territories, I do so from a place of understanding the privilege that my ancestors and I have had since they first arrived in this country in the 1830's. As farmers in Southwestern Ontario, I imagine that they felt a very deep connection to the land, and yet likely did not recognize that that connection was built on the displacement of others. Delivering a land acknowledgement, for me, it's an important opportunity to reflect on our human connection and our responsibility to care for the land. To do so, we must always respect each other.

I'll take a moment, now, to recognize our sponsors. They generously support the Empire Club and make these events possible. One of our Lead Event Sponsors today is Hydro One, and our other Lead Event Sponsor is Ontario Power Generation. Our Supporting Sponsors are AECON, Black & McDonald, and Level5 Strategy. I also want to thank our Season Sponsors, the Canadian Bankers Association and Waste Connections of Canada. Thanks to our Event Partner as well, VVC and LiveMeeting.ca, Canada's online event space, for webcasting today's event.

Before we begin today, I would like to mention a couple of housekeeping items. If at any point you find your internet feed is slow, please see below and click on the "Switch Streams" button. Do not hesitate to press the "Request for Help" button if you experience any technical difficulties. One of our team would be pleased to assist you.

It is now my pleasure to call this virtual meeting officially to order. To introduce Rick Leary formally, please welcome Robby Sohi, Senior Vice-President of Corporate Business Development and Strategy at Ontario Power Generation. Robby?

Opening Remarks by Robby Sohi, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Business Development & Strategy, Ontario Power Generation
Well, thank you, Kelly. Well, first of all, good afternoon everyone. It's my pleasure to be here today and introduce our esteemed speaker for today. Before I do that, maybe I'll just take a minute to wish everyone a Happy New Year. And as you know, 2020 was a year unlike any other, and COVID-19 made sure that, certainly, 2021 has been very challenging so far. But TTC's front line and essential workers have done an amazing job to keep Toronto and its residents moving safely during this pandemic. And I want to take this opportunity to thank TTC staff for their dedication, commitment, and your courage deserves, you know, deepest gratitude and admiration. We have learned to work differently, adopt new skills, and meet challenges head on. Things will get better, as history tells us, right? So, let's be hopeful and positive about the future ahead of us.

My name is Robby Sohi. I'm the Senior VP of Corporate Business Development and Strategy at OPG. And on behalf of OPG, we're proud to be the Lead Sponsor of this virtual event. Today, we'll hear from TTC CEO Rick Leary, who will share with us TTC's Action Plan, and the vision of public transportation in Toronto. In 2020, TTC launched a 10-point Action Plan to attract a more diverse and inclusive workforce, starting with women and then moving to other marginalized groups. At OPG, we embrace diversity—a mix of talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences that increase our collective capability. Not only is TTC leading the charge on diversity and inclusion, but they are also leading the charge by fighting climate change with their work on electrification. TTC now has the largest fleet of electric buses in North America. This milestone comes as TTC's third new electric bus model is now road-ready and starting to go into service. I know I speak on behalf of OPG when I say that we're very excited to be partnering with TTC and Toronto Hydro to deliver North America's largest transit electrification project.

It's now my pleasure to introduce your keynote speaker for today's session, Rick Leary. Prior to becoming CEO of TTC in July 2018, Rick was Chief Service Officer and Deputy CEO for four years. Rick is an award-winning transit executive with a long history in public transit. Before he arrived at the TTC in 2014, he was General Manager of York Region Transit Viva. Rick began his career working for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority out of Boston as a train attendant in 1984, rising through the ranks and eventually serving as Chief Operating Officer. Rick has degrees from Northeastern University, including a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, a Master's degree in Public Administration, and a Certificate of Special Studies from Harvard University in Administration and Management. Thank you for being with us today, Rick. I'll hand it over to you now.

Rick Leary, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission
Thank you. Well, good afternoon, everyone, and thank you very much for having me here today. Thank you, Kelly, and to the entire team at the Empire Club. It's a great honor to be here and be able to speak at this virtual podium. Thank you, Robby Sohi, for that kind introduction. I will tell you that it's very exciting for us to be collaborating with OPG on the charging infrastructure stations that we, we need to further expand our electrification of our bus fleet. We're very proud to have the largest electric bus fleet in North America, and it's only going to get bigger, you know. So, like many of you, we at the TTC have been extremely busy for the last year really navigating through this global pandemic. It's been a crazy time. You know, our response really dates back almost a year now. I remember on January 25th, when the Deputy CEO of the TTC, Kirsten Watson, came to me with a proposal to add additional cleaning measures, or stepping up cleaning measures on our vehicles, as well as providing hand sanitizer to all of our frontline employees. I can tell you, at the time, it came at an unbudgeted cost of 500,000 dollars. But it was the right thing to do. And from there, we've only ramped up our efforts, all in the name of keeping our employees and customers safe and healthy.

You know, when I started at the TTC almost seven years ago, we set out to undertake one of the most substantial transformations that I've ever seen in the, in a large transit agency. And I've been in this business, as Robby said, a long time—37 years now. We were looking at multi-aspects of the business for everything from the life cycle of our assets to innovation and technology, as well as the culture of the organization. And it's cultural transformation of the TTC that I would like to address here with you today. It's a transformation that will result in a workforce that better reflects the diverse city that we serve, and in turn, improve our relationship with our customers and employees.

I want to spend a few minutes explaining why diversity is so important to me, and then briefly touch on the 10-point Action Plan that Robby mentioned. You know, while respecting and celebrating diversity is something that I've long believed in and found essential to public transit agencies, it really hit home for us here at the TTC back in February of 2018, and that was the day TTC employees got into an altercation with a young Black man on a streetcar—an incident that never should have happened. Even the City of Toronto's Ombudsman took issue with how the incident was handled. And it really shook the faith of the TTC as an institution. In the aftermath of that February 18 event, it became increasingly clear that there was a disconnect between what we were trying to do at the TTC and what our customers were actually experiencing. And we learned that our diverse customers did not feel safe while taking the TTC, and we knew that was just not right. It wasn't okay to continue along that path, you know. One key takeaway from the Ombudsman's report for me was the discrepancy that the TTC had in the makeup of its workforce, as well as the population that we serve. It really was this time that the transformation had already begun. But we had to pivot, now, into the realm of diversity and inclusion. And I can tell you that I have made diversity and inclusion a top priority for this organization, and we recognize that we have our work cut out for us, particularly on the front lines.

You know, looking back to 2019, fewer than 16 percent—not even 16 percent—of the 16,000 employees at the TTC identified themselves as a woman, you know. Using the City of Toronto as a benchmark, around half of the city's residents identify as female—that's significantly higher than where we are, as you can imagine, you know.. Another point that I'd like to note is, according to census information, more than 51 percent of the city's residents were not even born in Canada, and a similar number identify themselves as racialized. So, I said, that's why you can see diversity matters at the TTC. And so, the question becomes: what are you going to do about it, and what are we doing about it? And that's what I want to talk about with you here today.

You know, earlier this year, I brought together a cross-section of TTC employees together to really advise on this topic. And the subject, this was a group of frontline employees like bus operators and maintenance employees, and employees who are typically underrepresented in the communities within public transit that we serve. This group was tasked with identifying things that we can start to do right now in response to our diversity objectives. And their first assignment was to get together, and we'd sit down, we got together every other week, and we developed a 10-point Action Plan—10 things that the TTC can do to really make change, both internally and externally, and the things that we knew that the public could hold us accountable for. The 10-point Action Plan—which I'm really thrilled with, was unanimously endorsed by the TTC Board back in December of last year. TTC commissioners were incredibly supportive of this initiative and were really interested in seeing it move forward. But there's more than that—but for me, the board's support to our plan means that these goals are really embedded in the organization, and they'll be here long after I'm gone. And that was really important to me.

We also brought forward the TTC's five-year Diversity and Human Rights Plan, called it Embrace Diversity, at the same time, in December. It was a pair of documents going together. Embrace Diversity looks at approaches the TTC can take over the long term, which complements the 10-point Action Plan. So, I'd like to focus on a few elements of the 10-point Action Plan now because, as the CEO of the TTC, it's my job to make sure that we're attracting talent and skill from all corners of the region. This includes people from groups that have, let's say, for far too long been underrepresented in public transit here in Toronto. And I want everyone to see that the TTC is a safe and inclusive place to work, as well as in a system where everyone feels welcome. For me, the plan starts from the top, by establishing a diversity lens through which all aspects of our company, including hiring, will flow. In September, we announced the creation of a Chief Diversity and Culture Officer role at the TTC, as well as the formation of a Diversity and Cultural Group to support this work. We're actually in the final stages of the interview process now for the chief's role, as well as many of the other positions in this group that will ensure that this work is staffed and properly resourced to move forward.

The new executive will be key in guiding how the TTC addresses systemic issues within the company and outreach into the communities we serve. I look at this as essential to ensure that we continue to promote a culture of respect, equity, and fairness. The chief's is also going to oversee policies, programs, and practices addressing anti-Black racism, diversity, inclusion, as well as recruitment and outreach. And I'll tell you, I find this approach that we've taken to be unparalleled in the transit industry, where the diversity of the Diversity Department is formed to work with our recruiters. Our approach really embeds the diversity of the diversity lens—I should say, into the recruitment process—and I'm very proud in this regard. I'll tell you, I want to bring more diversity to the executive team of the TTC as well. You know, we've done a good job when we look at it from the standpoint of gender diversity, but we are not representative of the city's racial diversity. So, we have more work to do there.

Another element of the plan is taking steps to attract a more diverse workforce, or to attract a more diverse workforce and to put structures in place to really support that objective. You know, we're really beginning our efforts to change the face of the TTC by focusing on gender identity. And as we do this, though, to be sure we're going to continue working towards employing people who identify with underrepresented groups at all levels of the TTC. And to hold the TTC and myself accountable, we set ourselves a goal of working towards having at least four, at least four of every ten new operators hired in 2021 as, identified as a woman. And I do believe it's possible. You know, it's important for us to set a clear target and to begin to develop strategies to help us get there. And I know, and I'm reminded by something that Matt Galloway had asked me on Metro Morning on one of his last days before he left. And now, we were speaking about the 2018 streetcar incident, as I mentioned earlier. And I told him I was committed to making change. And he actually asked me—and I'm gonna paraphrase here—why should we believe you? What makes you any different? Other CEOs have made these commitments, and we don't see changes in outcomes. And I told him the difference this time is that we're not doing it alone, and it's not being done within the TTC. The difference here is we'll be engaging others outside for help. You know, we've already begun reviewing all our outreach activities to make sure that they are working. We're revisiting existing partnerships, as well as forging new relationships with educational institutions and community groups.

You know, an example of this would be that we held a pair of public information sessions in November and December focusing on women interested in the role as an operator at the TTC. It was really about career advancement, you know; it was, we intended to have one event. But because of its overwhelming success and interest, we put a second event together. We advertised these two events very widely and worked with community partners to attract a large audience. I'm very proud to say that 4,500 people participated online in both of those events. It's incredible numbers. It proves that people do, women do want to work at the TTC. It's an incredible place. And I'd like to note that this was a huge change from the way I was recruited or applied for a job just 37 years ago.

You know, at those virtual events, we shared a short video that beautifully sums up why the TTC could be such a great place for women to work. So, what I'd like to do right now is have them play that video for you. So, if we could play the video, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[VIDEO:]
What I love about being a TTC operator is driving around the city that I love the most. Hi, my name is Lauren, and I love driving trains. I love people. I love the public. I love the diversity of people that I get to meet on a daily basis.

My name is Suzette. I've been a bus, streetcar, and now a Wheel-Trans operator. We have some great customers that we get to know over the years. We have some regulars that have been here, and they wave, and they remember you. They know your name, and that's also very rewarding. You're able to take educational programs that you need in order to get to wherever you need to go. Once I completed training, I definitely felt like I was ready to handle this vehicle by myself without any help. Their training program is extremely extensive. It's over like a month long. They train you how to deal with the public and to deal with people, because we are dealing with people from different walks of life. I can guide them, even if I do not understand their language. I can find a way to help them. The thing I took most from my prior jobs into this job is my customer service background. You're not limited here, and that's what I love about it. I feel empowered at the wheel, and I enjoy the ability to work in a predominantly male position.

I absolutely love being a female in this workplace. I'm a mother of two. I have been able to make a balance in my life. You have to work your schedule out. If I can do it, anybody else can do it. This job allows you to pick the schedules that fit best for your lifestyle. I usually choose split shifts because I love split shifts; it works conveniently for my life. During the pandemic, it has been very challenging, but we are doing our part to support the city. I'm like. "I drive the streetcars," and their eyes just light up, and they're like, "oh, that's awesome; good for you," and it makes you feel good. When I have on a Toronto transit uniform and I walk out there, the respect you get from the public is amazing. You're the captain of your ship, right? You're responsible for all those people.

When somebody said to me, "you know what? Thank you so much. I appreciate you. You've done a great job." When I see little kids, and they're like, I always wave back. And in the streetcar, whenever they would do the same thing, I would wave at them. Somebody saying thank you to me with a big smile makes my day. There's nothing that we can't do. And I've been doing it for 10 years. I also like the fact that I don't have to be in an office. The bus is my office, and the bus moves, so my scenery changes throughout the day. If you really like to be on the move and on the go all the time, you'll love it. It's a fantastic, amazing, fun job, and I think you should just go ahead and apply, and just take the leap and just do it. Do it. Like, you will be, you'll be self-sufficient, you can take care of you and your family, if you have one; you're going to meet so many people and have so many opportunities. It's the best thing I've done.

This job will provide you with independence, growth opportunities, and financial stability. After you retire, you will be comfortable; you'll be able to do the things you still want to do still, come your retirement. Working for this company was the best decision I have ever made. I have no problem getting up in the morning to come to Wheel-Trans because I love my job. As a woman working at the Toronto Transit, you're given equal opportunity. The sky is the limit wherever you want to take it. It's a great opportunity for women. TTC has so much to offer, so many opportunities, a lot of education if you want to get it, a lot of flexibility. So, it's such a good opportunity for you and your family.
[END OF VIDEO]

Rick Leary
You know, I've seen that video a dozen times or more, and it always makes me smile. You know, it lets you know that the TTC office is a great job, but—can you still hear me? I'm sorry, I'm hearing, getting different—okay, great, thank you. You know, the TTC is more than a great job; it really is a, a source of pride for this organization. And it's a wonderful thing to see. It's my third transit system that I've worked for, and the pride here is just something, I wasn't used to it at the others. I love my jobs; but here is really incredible. But building on a diverse and welcoming workplace is just one piece of a broader strategy.

You know, another part of the action plan is really looking at how we deal with our customers and how we can improve upon that. Again, stemming from the Ombudsman's report on the February 2018 streetcar incident, we've implemented new anti-Black racism training, developed in partnership with the City's Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit. It began with the TTC's executive team, the entire senior leadership team, group managers, supervisors, as well as our fare inspectors and special constables. And I'm proud to say that it will be rolling out to the entire organization shortly throughout this year. We are continually looking at ways of updating our training and ensuring that we remain relevant with our training. Also, this year, we're adding additional content around anti-Indigenous racism, disability awareness, respect and dignity, accessibility, and LGBTQ+ awareness.

We've also taken big steps when reorienting two departments: our fare inspectors and our special constables. These two groups now report to our Chief Strategy and Customer Officer so that there's more clarity and transparency on how they should be engaging our customers. Respect and dignity are key to their interactions now. Additionally, we keep going—there's so much going on here. There's so much to talk about. You know, additionally, the TTC reached out to the University of Toronto to bring Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Dr. Scott Wortley in to conduct a review of its historical race-based data collected by fare inspectors and special constables. Now, this review is also going to include recommendations on how we should collect, review, and store data going forward, as well as policy recommendations on how to better identify and monitor systemic racism.

Now, the last piece of the plan that I'm going to highlight for you today is the inclusion of an external advisor to help monitor our progress, and who works independent from the TTC. I've set it up so that she reports to the board. We have engaged the services of Arleen Huggins, a labour and human rights lawyer and partner at the firm Koskie Minsky. Arleen, I can tell you, has significant experience in investigating workplace harassment and discrimination allegations in both the public and private sectors. Reporting to me directly, Arleen is pivotal in enhancing our work to combat anti-Black racism on the front lines, and across various levels of the organization. Because embedding and advancing greater diversity and inclusion across all parts of the TTC is why we are doing this. Arleen presented her first interim report to the board, as well, in December, and again, it was a report that was just submitted with a cover letter from myself to the board; but she'll ultimately be developing a final report and submitting it later on this year, as well. Again, this was designed to hold management accountable to both our customers and employees. So, I do look forward to coming back next year to the Empire Club and talking about the successes of that report when it comes out.

Now, the last thing I'm going to mention today, if I could, is talk a little bit about our local chapter of COMTO; it's the Conference of Minority Transit Officials, which TTC employees, I should say, were instrumental in establishing last March. And it's the first chapter of what I consider a great organization. Now, I'm familiar with COMTO from my years in the business, and I've let people know that that's where I've met many of my mentors. And I tell you that COMTO is a leading advocacy organization focused on bringing diversity and inclusion to the transportation industry. It's been inspiring to see this grassroots initiative take hold, and I really love watching it gain momentum. So, I would encourage many of you out there with an interest to look up this organization and get involved.

So, wrapping up, I'd like to just kind of reiterate a couple of the TTC key deliverables over the coming year and what we're going to do. It really is about us collaborating externally with our partners, accelerating our key initiatives that are identified, and coming up with new initiatives, and finally, holding ourselves accountable to both the public and our employees. I really want the TTC to be a diverse and inclusive organization in a way that Torontonians can be proud of and feel welcomed by. I can tell you that I'm incredibly proud of this organization, and all the people who work here tirelessly for the citizens of Toronto. And as I often find myself reminding others, the future of growth in this great city is linked to public transportation. In public transit, you know, when you have tens of thousands of people moving to this city every year, transit will play a critically important role in the success of the city. I know these topics are not always easy to talk about, and I know that people may find them radical at times, and it puts people in an uncomfortable position. But I'm going to let you know that we are going to continue talking about this at the TTC. And I also know that these are not typical issues that you hear people talking about who run public transit systems. But when you talk about the transformation of the TTC culture, this is incredibly important to talk about, and we can't be afraid to take on tough challenges and make change for the, to achieve change for the greater good. So, with that, I, I welcome the opportunity to hear others' thoughts, and then get into discussion and talk with Leslie. So, thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today. This is fabulous.

Kelly Jackson
Thank you so much, Rick, for that overview and, I think, for, you know, your forthrightness in acknowledging the, the challenging nature of talking about some of these, these different initiatives, and the work, and the reason why these initiatives have to happen. And, you know, I think many of us understand, and work at organizations that are committed to and dedicated to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion, and, and are also looking and saying, you know, how do we represent our communities, and what, you know, for? At Humber College, for example, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's in senior leadership, you know, we're also looking at those, those issues, and really thinking about, you know, how can we always be fostering, you know, a diverse and inclusive environment? Especially if you think about, you know, where we have students and staff who are stepping off TTC transit and walking in our doors, right? And so, it's a continuum across Toronto in a lot of different ways.

I'd now like to formally introduce Leslie Woo. She's the Chief Executive Officer at CivicAction, and she's going to be leading us through a bit of a conversation with Rick. Leslie is a respected leader with over 25 years of experience. She is known for building sustainable communities and shaping urban growth in Canada's fastest-growing urban region, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. She took over as CEO at CivicAction this past September. And for those who may not know, CivicAction, it is a really key civic engagement organization that helps leaders from all sectors address and solve pressing issues in the GTHA and beyond. Prior to joining CivicAction, Leslie was Metrolinx's Chief Planning Officer, where she worked for over a decade. Leslie also founded SheBuildsCities.org, where she uses her voice and platform to amplify and celebrate other women city builders. Finally, Leslie has won many awards—so I won't try to name them all, but I will highlight a few—these include Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 by WXN, Toronto's Transit Changemaker in 2016, and Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network's 2015 Outstanding Leader.

I just want to remind everybody that this is an interactive event, and we encourage you to take advantage of the question box that you will find to the right of your screen. Let us know what's on your mind. With that, I will turn it over to Leslie.

Leslie Woo, Chief Executive Officer, CivicAction
Terrific, thank you so much, Kelly, and greetings to everyone from my second bedroom, here in downtown Toronto. It was actually a delight to be invited to have this virtual fireside chat—minus the fireside—with Rick, because I, I've sat across the table for many, many years with Rick, and my time at Metrolinx. And when we had the preparation for this event, I realized I had not really gotten to know the real Rick Leary. And we talked about, in preparation for today, many things. And as we—and I have known Rick for quite a long time, but I didn’t realize how many things Rick and I actually had in common that didn’t manifest when we were sitting across the table, representing different organizations. So, we're, we're both transplants from other countries—Rick from the US, and myself from Trinidad. I think we both have a great appreciation of how difficult it is to make change happen, whether it’s physical change of our built environment, or in this case, what Rick is talking about: cultural change. I didn’t know how much of a champion Rick has been in his organization for gender equity and women as leaders in the TTC, now. And I think we've all seen from Rick's presentation how well he walks the talk. We are different, however, in one particular thing: there's a thing called code-switching. And I think I, you know, I have sort of code-switched my Trini accent. But Rick has been near and dear true to his Boston roots—and continues to keep that with him. So, he is, you know, really, truly, more authentic than I can say to myself.

But now, let's peel back the onion a little bit, Rick. Inclusion is a choice, you know, we talk about diversity and representation, it is really about representation. But the further you go into the, into, and deeper into the concept of how we create more inclusive workplace, it becomes a very deliberate choice. And the world has chosen to call Toronto home. From some of the most diverse cities on the planet, and now, as this city we, we open our doors to include many people. The fact that you chose Toronto as your home, I think it's about 11 years ago—or the Greater Toronto Area as your home—and that, in our conversations, you talked about your own personal journey. So, it, you know, leadership on a topic like diversity, equity, and inclusion goes beyond a checkbox, Rick. There’s usually a deep passion that comes from somewhere that individuals bring. And I would, I mean I know you shared a little bit with me; but talk a little bit about how the perspective you bring to this—and I, and I'll, you know, we did talk that these are uncomfortable conversations. But you're a white male guy with—and all of us bring to these conversations our own degree of privilege to these efforts, which we always have to put in check. But talk a little bit about how, you know, Boston, your career, your journey, how really that, in my mind, when you told me the story deepens your passion and commitment to the issue.

Rick Leary
Well, thank you, Leslie. It's great to see you again.

Leslie Woo
It's always good to talk.

Rick Leary
Yeah, we had a great conversation the other day, and you guys—so did they get to learn a little bit more about me. I would tell you though, I think we all sound alike. I don't hear a different video. That's kind of funny, but people mention it, you know. I just, I tell people that I am one of the most fortunate individuals in this business. You know, when I started in 1984, where I came from, you kind of grow, and from the experiences where you are. Many people know that Boston was not a welcoming city going through the '70s and '80s. Many people are aware of the bustling issues that took place in the '70s, the racial issues that were occurring there. And I was one of those very fortunate ones. I don't pretend I wasn't. When people talk about the nepotism of patronage, right? In the history of Boston, white Irish Catholics, you know, running Boston, I had opportunities that were open to me, you know, because of that. And, you know, don't pretend that didn't happen. You know, my father worked for a transit system in Boston. The door was open for me, and others opened doors. But what I did see as I came along? I don't know how it happened, but I was very open in my mind to seeing the doors weren't open for everyone. And some of my mentors, for instance, a former general manager who's still my mentor today, a Black gentleman, as I got to know him more and he started mentoring me, he kind of just brought to my, my side, my vision what was happening out there. And he reminded me that people opened doors for me, and that my obligation as I move up is to make sure I open doors for others, right? I saw friends that didn't have the same opportunities, and that resonated with me.

And when I moved up and became the Chief Operating Officer in Boston, there was a lot of question about, oh my, oh my, you know, a white Irish Catholic male back at the top of the operating at the TTC. And to my, my pleasure, it was having people come to me and say, no, he's, this is, he's not the history of Boston, right? He's the new Boston. It's about working with us, and some pride in that opportunity. So, I have always taken that to heart, and I've worked in that direction, to make sure that I do for others what others have done for me. And I think it's important. And I also realized, you know, very clear, you know, in Boston in the '80s, people remember, you couldn't get a Black ballplayer to play for the Red Sox. And I remember being there saying, what, what is this? You know, kid from the suburbs; you really learn quickly, right? And your heart goes out. And I'd just like others to kind of open their minds and see it and continue. For me, it was always continuing the conversation because it's not always well-being welcoming by, by people.

Leslie Woo
Thanks, Rick. And, and, you know, this is a difficult topic. I know often folks don't like to use the word racism. But much of what we're trying to do is address both unconscious bias—but it really, at the heart of some issues, is issues of racism. And I see in your presentation your, your desire to kind of tackle it front-on. So, you know, public transit, as the name implies, is very public-facing in nature, and always open to lots—not just the kudos, but also the criticisms—because what you're describing, the transformation you're talking about, is a journey. And in so doing, you know, you've started with your foot forward and you've identified the ten actions, you're going forward, you're looking at how you're changing the organization. But inevitably, this is an exercise that will need to be sustained through accountability. So, talk a little bit about the challenges that this cultural transformation is going, is that you are facing, or will face as you look ahead. And a little bit about how you think not only in what you're doing now, but where, where more you're going to have to go. Where is,, you know, beyond the ten actions and what you're doing?

Rick Leary
No, absolutely. It's a great question. Because I do say it starts from the creation of the Chief of Diversity and Culture, and the concept of what is that group of, that department look like, and what is their role and responsibility for making change in this organization. I've seen a lot of organizations that will create a department but they don't have the power, right? And really insert and implement that change. So, for me personally, it was making sure that the talent management, human resources of this organization was under this. And I tell people, it really is you have to step-by-step through it, what do your job postings look like? Where are you doing an outreach and recruitment? Who are your colleagues? Who are your selection committees that are going to do the interviews? What are the questions that you're going to ask people?

You know, we had an outreach program that happened here a year or so ago—and it was on the online one, you know, up in the Lawrence area—and I said to staff, well, you know, for entry-level jobs, don't you want to go to the communities, all right, that we serve? Don't you want to be there, right? And make sure they're aware of what the opportunities are for the TTC? So, for me, taking that department right, hiring great people that'll be coming in to help us learn to help us do better, I embed the change that way. And some of the comments that I get internally and from those, the outside is, you know, we can help people do better themselves, right? We all know that a more diverse workforce would create greater innovation, right? A better environment to work. It'll help our customer interaction, right?. It's good for the organization. So, you know, it's those steps that we're going to take along the way to ensure that it's embedded long-term.

That's why I mentioned I want this to be long after I'm gone, right? That's not somebody else; that's what I said to everybody, here at the organization. We're taking it to the board, and we're going to have it approved by the board. Now, we weren't going to ask the board, 'Are you okay with a procurement equity strategy?' We weren't asking the board if it was okay to hire a Chief of Diversity; we told the board 10 things that we were doing that would help improve this organization and be embedded long-term. Because, you know, when you ask people, how long does it take to change culture? Many of us don't, we're not sure, we don't know, right? It's long. This, this organization turns 100 years old this year, right? We have work rules that date back over 70 years, right? So, it's about doing it right now, identifying the issues, developing a plan, right, and taking actions.

And I'd like to think that you saw the 10-point action plan, things we're going to do. Now, a lot of people have a habit of planning, right—and talking about things.

Leslie Woo
Come on, Rick, I'm a planner.

Rick Leary
It's okay.

Leslie Woo
All right.

Rick Leary
But yeah, we create these plans. And I said to myself, and people said to me, I'm going to tell you, people on the outside were hurting and people inside were hurting. Right? I was having a relationship with people, it says, that's great you can plan, Rick, but what are you doing now? What are the—and that's how this group was, the front-line operator, in the form, and maintenance, and said, you know, let's just do a virtual outreach to that community now. And I said, we've never done that—it's a great idea. So, it's taking those actions. That's why I embedded the five-year plan with a 10-point Action Plan. So, people said, it's right now. It's happening. And then we have to measure our successes, right? Are we making change? We're, we've been less than 16 women, right, for years now, right? I had friends in the industry say, 'Rick, that's not statistically possible to have less than 16 women. Most transit systems are fighting to get beyond 35 to 36 or approach 40. And so, we have our challenges. And that's why at the end, I talked about, we're not going to stop talking about it. We're going to keep delivering. We're going to do more out, which is going to go to universities. You look at the universities in the city and the graduate students, right? That's a very diverse, we, there's plenty of opportunity here. 16,000 people work for this organization. We have 300 to 500 turnover every year, as a turnover. So, the opportunity—and we just, we don't want to miss the opportunity now. That's what the front-line people, and that's what people in our system are telling me, and they're watching us very closely.

Leslie Woo
Terrific. And, and I think, Rick, that's a lot that you are moving forward on the bar here at TTC. And so, maybe I'll have one more question, and then we'll start to go to the questions from the audience. But so, what is it that you, advice you would give to not only other transit agencies, but other large corporations or institutions in how they themselves can affect change? Where do you see, when you—so you've been talking about what your organization is, is doing. But when you look around at others, is there any advice you give, you know, to—could be private sector, it could be public sector, it could be not-for-profit sector. What advice do you give them, in your experience on this journey you've been on?

Rick Leary
So, I would tell them, don’t wait for the incident to happen, which happened to the TTC, right? Everybody here remembers February of 2018, right? Everybody remembers the incident, because you don’t want to wait for the incident. And I'm going to tell you, I kicked myself. I was in the midst—I had just taken over the acting position. I just started having conversations internally, and people were engaging in dialogue. So, I wouldn't wait for the incident.

The other thing I would do—I’d go right down and start talking to employees, right? Engage in conversation. Sometimes, as an executive team, we think we know, right? But when you start the engagement, and the discussion, and talking about the issue, right, those within the organization, they—once you stop initiating the conversation, they feel more comfortable: okay, I can talk to you, I can tell you. Engage with your customers, right? When all of a sudden, like, you sit down with someone, and they start telling you about how they feel, how they view—you know, perception is reality. And if you don’t know how people are perceiving you, right, it’s not good for your business. So, I tell everybody, don’t wait for that event to happen. We’re a microcosm of society. We’re looking at what happens around society, right? If we want to pretend it’s not enough, it's not happening here, we have blinders on.

QUESTION & ANSWER

Leslie Woo
So, for the audience, that incident—the young man’s name is Reece Maxwell-Crawford. And I think we always need to talk about it, because it’s about him as much as it is about what happened and how that triggered. So, Rick, there's been a number of questions here, and it actually was on my list of questions. when it’s all said and done, you know, your TTC riders—because that includes me—how will we feel different? Like, getting on that subway, getting on the bus, streetcar, what will be different for me or any of your clients and riders?

Rick Leary
No, fabulous. You know, people like to see others that look like them in all aspects of life. And I hear this from, from our operators—you know, they would feel more comfortable if they saw bosses that look like them engaging with them, talking with them, right? You have to make your employees feel real welcoming, right? We talk about our frontline employees being the ambassadors to our customers. We have to make sure that they feel comfortable within our organization to begin with, so that they, that then translates to that type of ambassadorship towards our customers. And our customers, many they feel a lot more comfortable, many of them. I’ve heard them.

Thank you for using his name. I should be remiss by not saying that he was a real nice man. I met him—and I think I told you, too, that when I went public with this, it was about making sure that I apologized publicly for the humiliation and embarrassment that we put on him, right? As opposed to defending ourselves. Too many big organizations defend themselves. But I, for your question, I think it’s important that the customers see more people that look like them, our employees see more people that look like them at all levels of the organization. Because, as I say to everybody here, we have to look like the community we serve, and we have to look like the customer base we serve. Everybody will start feeling better, and there’ll be better communications and better comfort—more welcoming, both internally and externally. And that’s what we’re working towards.

Leslie Woo
So, we have time for maybe one or two more questions. And this has, it's sort of come up in some of the questions that are coming in. The people are interested to know, on one hand, how they themselves can sort of, you know, what is the process like for—clearly, you’ve done a good job with the video; there are a bunch of our audience members who now want to come work at TTC. And they want to understand what you’re doing different on that front to remove the barriers. And then, related: once people are in—and this is the inclusion part—once they’re in the TTC, career progression for racialized people or those from equity-deserving communities. What is it that people would actually see happening in the TTC now, today?

Rick Leary
No, fabulous. You know, it’s one thing to do things, actually, but you’re absolutely right—you have to look at inside, what you’re doing. We, you have seen that our executive team at the TTC is greater than 50 percent women. But internally, we have a lot of work to do, and I’ll give you a number of examples. This is the first budget that we submitted to our board back in December that actually identified funding, capital funding, to make sure that we had appropriate bathroom resources in some of our old buildings that we don’t have for women, right? It’s taking an inner look at all of the areas that we’ve failed.

Right now—just because we feel we should have been doing this all along—we have, in some steps, but not enough. So, we were looking at that, mentoring opportunities, secondment opportunities, you know, we were seconding people. And that could have been viewed as, you know, you had to be in the know to be seconded. Changing our policies. We can, you know, it’s a posting for secondment, it’s a rotation of the secondment. It’s making, doing outreach, so it’s much more well-known as opportunities that are here. So, those are the type of things that we’re working on. It’s bringing frontline people in. We’re going to be doing you know, workshops shortly, getting out and talking to people. You know, there’s, there's a list of issues that are going on in this organization, as is going on in society. And that’s why I keep talking about being welcomed within, and that’s what we want to look at.

You know, I talk about this organization. It’s incredible. The people are incredible. The benefits are incredible. You know, it’s just, you know—it’s the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, we’re doing something different now, right? Looking for different results. And it’s doing it from a grassroots effort, not from any top-down.

Leslie Woo
Thanks, Rick. And we're sort of out of time. And, and I do want to thank the audience for, for their questions. We, I tried to roll them all up and get as much out of Rick as we humanly could in this amount of time we have. Rick, it's been such a delight and a pleasure. I think the audience can see the commitment and passion you have for the change that you're trying to make at TTC, and I think the city is fortunate to have you in the leadership role at this stage of where we are. And I wish you all the best, as we navigate through this pandemic. Over to you, Kelly.

Kelly Jackson
Thank you, Leslie. I'd like to now introduce Daniel Levitan, Vice-President of Stakeholder Relations at Hydro One, to deliver formal appreciation remarks.

Note of Appreciation by Daniel Levitan, Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations, Hydro One
Thanks, Kelly, and good afternoon everyone. Daniel Levitan, Vice-President of Stakeholder Relations at Hydro One. You know, as a born and raised Torontonian, growing up, St. Clair West Station was my starting point on, on my adventures in Toronto. And, you know, I remember never leaving the house without my laminated student card. And as much as I'm sure it is for everyone else who grew up here or lives here or, or commutes to Toronto for work, or visits, or vacation, it's so meaningful to hear all the positive things happening over at the TTC. I'd really like to thank Rick and Leslie for sharing such, I think, important insight into the steps that have to be taken to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in, in your organizations. We at Hydro One are really proud to support today's event and be part of this, this discussion. You know, as we advance our own diversity and inclusion strategy, I look forward to taking some of what I've heard today back to Hydro One.

Achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace is an ongoing and reflective process. It requires courage, transparency, and leadership at all levels in the company in order to produce tangible results and really meaningful outcomes. But Rick, as you articulated well, it has to start at the top. As many of us have learned in both the private and public sectors, the social elements of sustainability are a requirement to ensure affordability for our customers, remove racism, and build an inclusive culture. Doing the right thing just happens to be good business as well. Discussions like today are, are really important to allow us to share ideas, and learn from each other, to grow and evolve together as a business community, a city, and a society. So, with that, I want to thank you again, Rick, for, for the discussion; Leslie, thank you so much for, for leading this, and to everyone who joined; a special thanks to the team at the Empire Club for continuing to put on meaningful events; and to the audience and sponsors for making all this possible. I just want to say, be safe and thank you again. Back to you, Kelly.

Concluding Remarks by Kelly Jackson
Thank you, Daniel, and thank you to our audience for joining us today. I want to highlight before we adjourn that we do have one other great event set up for January 28th. It's going to be a dynamic panel focused on systemic racism and housing and the realities of Black Canadians. So, if you're interested, registration is free, and you can sign up for that at empireclubofcanada.com. This meeting is now formally adjourned. I wish you a great afternoon. Stay safe. Thank you.