Metrolinx Slashes Public Board Meetings Amid Transparency Concerns

Metrolinx is reducing the number of its public board meetings from four per year to two, according to reporting from CBC News. The agency confirmed the decision on Tuesday, stating the move is part of an effort to streamline processes and reduce costs, which it claims will save taxpayers more than $50,000.

This reduction occurs as the provincial government orders public bodies, including Metrolinx, to reduce spending. The agency maintains that it will continue to hold regular meetings and will publicly post minutes and agenda items.

Critics argue the move undermines accountability, particularly as Metrolinx manages several mega-projects in the Greater Toronto Area, including the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, and the Eglinton Crosstown West LRT. CBC News notes that public board meetings typically offer insight into the planning, cost, and construction of these lines.

Ontario NDP MPP Tom Rakocevic told CBC News that Metrolinx has a multi-year pattern of conducting most meetings behind closed doors and argued that the use of public money should necessitate more public meetings, not fewer. Outgoing Toronto Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher also expressed concern over a lack of transparency, describing two annual meetings as "perfunctory" and noting the need for proper delivery of projects given previous issues with the Eglinton and Finch West LRTs.

According to CBC News, a previously scheduled meeting for Nov. 26 has been removed from the Metrolinx website, and no new dates have been added to the public schedule since the most recent meeting in September.