January 25th, 2022

Investigation into Metrolinx contracts must be independent: NDP

OTTAWA - NDP MPP Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre) and NDP transit critic, Tom Rakocevic, released the following statement after Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney's office said it will investigate contracts Metrolinx awarded to a consulting company while its director was serving as a Metrolinx VP.

“In order for the investigation into these contracts to be transparent and credible, the Ford government must make it independent. A failure to do so would mean this government would be investigating itself. The fox can’t investigate the hen house,” said Rakocevic.

On Monday, Harden and Rakocevic demanded answers from the Ford government following a Toronto Star investigation into Metrolinx that found the agency awarded its Vice-President, Brian Guest, and his private consulting firm, Boxfish Infrastructure Group, contracts worth millions. ​​ Guest and Boxfish played a leading role in Ottawa’s LRT.

“Ontarians deserve to know why a supposedly public agency has become overrun with embedded private consultants, including at the executive level. Ontarians deserve to know the details of these secret consulting contracts, and whether these private consultants are serving the public or themselves," said Harden.

"To get those answers, we can have nothing less than an independent investigation into this private consultant who worked on the Ottawa LRT debacle, and all the other embedded private consultants within Metrolinx. We need to get to the bottom of Metrolinx’s embedded consultants and any conflicts of interest. The only way to do that is with an investigation without this government’s interference."