The interim-CEO of Ontario’s transit planning agency believes greater communication about ongoing construction projects, coupled with “around the clock” work will help residents tolerate the “open heart surgery” being performed on Toronto streets.
During a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade Michael Lindsey, who was appointed interim CEO of Metrolinx in December, also suggested the agency is showing “humility” as it moves away from fixed-price, or P3, contracts in order to avoid painful transit construction delays similar to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Lindsay also told the business-focused audience that Metrolinx will need to “think quickly” about future contracts in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a cross-Canadian desire to diversify economic relationships.
Lindsay took over as interim-CEO of Metrolinx after the former chief executive Phil Verster left the agency in December. The Ford government faced frequent calls for Verster’s dismissal over delayed and problematic LRT projects.
“These projects have long gestation periods, therefore it can be it can be difficult to perceive the incremental progress that is happening,” Lindsey said. “Progress is happening.”
Lindsay pointed to the Ontario Line which, the agency says, is entering a crucial “year of digging” along portions of the 15.6-kilometre subway route.
“That’s another huge challenge that I think collectively we’re going to have to manage,” Lindsey said. “The risk of public disruption as we do effectively open-heart surgery on the city.”
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Lindsey advocated for a multi-government approach to speed up permitting and to better coordinate service interruptions and road closures to minimize the impact.
He also suggested “working around the clock” on the Ontario Line to ensure “as short a (construction) window as we possibly can.”
“On some level, the least disruptive way to build one of these projects is to try to do it as fast as you can, even if greater disruption in the short term is the thing that ultimately happens,” Lindsey said.
While Lindsey didn’t directly reference the Eglinton LRT, he acknowledged that the public-private partnership model used for the Crosstown project grew to be a problem.
“I think we came to understand that, in particular, the application of P3 models to the transit space led to overly confrontational relationships between builders and those who were owners,” Lindsey said.
Multiple LRT projects, including the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT and Hurontario LRT, have encountered legal battles as the construction consoriums and Metrolinx battled over costs and delays.
Instead, Metrolinx has begun moving to alliance contracts, which prevents parties from taking legal action against each other and instead promotes collaboration and collective responsibility.
Portions of the Union Station renovation and the Hamilton LRT are examples of alliance contracts allowing the province to share the risk with the builders. On March 14, Metrolinx awarded an alliance contract to build the East Harbour Transit Hub, near the Don Valley Parkway and Eastern Avenue, which is intended to serve as a Union Station bypass.
“It’s about trying to create intentional space for us to have real and fearless conversations about the risks that go with transit projects and to plan for constructability issues upfront,” Lindsay said.
“I think it’s important for everybody, including owners, to embrace a certain humility that they don’t know everything,” Lindsey added pointedly. “And that being open-minded in respect of what a better partnership could look like or a better way of doing things is absolutely at the heart of what collaboration will be.”
Lindsay suggested that, under his watch, the transit agency is re-thinking its contract tendering process to attract an “international set of bidders” willing to collaborate with Canadian companies on project construction.
He cautioned, however, that with the “fraught” geopolitical situation, the agency has to take a balanced approach that avoids rushing into decisions while also keeping the province’s options open.
“How do we keep sight of the long-term objective and ultimately make sure that we don’t do anything too precipitant to ultimately reduce the sort of partners that we have who can come and help us?,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay added that the impact of U.S. tariffs on the supply chain resembled the challenge the agency faced during the pandemic, which added delays to ongoing projects.
With the uncertainty in mind, Lindsay said future contracts will need to share the risk in a way that’s “manageable and defensible.”
“Especially when we have to turn around and defend it to the taxpayer,” Lindsay said, “In respect to the risks that they’re ultimately bearing.”
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