The Toronto Transit Commission has voted 5-4 to dismiss chief general manager Gary Webster. The Globe and Mail reports that a likely successor is the recently appointed chief operating officer, Andy Byford. Mr. Byford was recently appointed and arrived in Toronto from Australia in November. The close vote of the commissioners saw Ward 26 Councillor John Parker vote against the motion (i.e. in favour of keeping Mr. Webster in place). The newspaper reaction to the commission’s decision has been predictable. The Toronto Star called Mr.Webster’s firing unjust and said Mayor Ford “hurts Toronto” by ending his tenure. The Toronto Sun on the other hand calls the resistance to the firing theatrical and says Mayor David Miller fired many top bureaucrats, including former police chief Julian Fantino.
