Transit Alliance will be holding a virtual meeting via zoom with Phil Verster CEO Metrolinx on May 14 at 3 pm focused on COVID preparedness and recovery for Metrolinx. This should be a fascinating discussion with the top transit person in Ontario if not Canada. Transit Alliance is disappointed we can’t have the regular dinner meetings right now as we are all respecting physical distancing but we are excited to have this opportunity to discuss the future of transit in the GTA in our current circumstances. We hope you will join us. Register by submitting your email address. There will be no charge for this event but it is only open to Transit Alliance members.

Our speaker:
Phil Verster is the President & Chief Executive Officer at Metrolinx.

Phil oversees a team committed to transforming transportation in the GTHA. With a strong community and customer service emphasis, Metrolinx is delivering quality transportation services on time and on budget, and working collaboratively with our partners – all key elements to delivering on the promise of Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan.

Prior to joining Metrolinx, Phil was one of the UK’s rail leaders, having managed train operations, infrastructure builds and infrastructure management for passenger rail systems in England, Scotland and Ireland. An engineer by training, Phil began his career in the electricity sector in his native South Africa. From 2001 to 2003, he was Depot Manager and Production Director for a UK division of Bombardier Rail. In 2003, Phil moved from the supplier side to passenger rail operations at Southeastern Trains. He then spent five years at Irish Rail, where he served in different roles, including Deputy CEO. In 2011, Phil joined Britain’s Network Rail. His first assignment was Managing Director London North East and East Midlands Route , the second largest route in the Network Rail system. He pioneered a new approach to structured continuous improvement that delivered improved safety and train performance as well as an enhanced passenger experience. Phil put the same innovation and discipline to work in his subsequent assignment for Network Rail running Scotland’s ScotRail passenger rail service, from 2015 to 2017. In early 2017, Phil served as Managing Director of Network Rail’s East West Railway.

Phil has a Bachelors of Engineering and a Masters of Engineering, both from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He has an MBA from the University of Newcastle Business School and an LLM Post Graduate Diploma (Commercial Law) from the University of Northumbria, both in the UK.

Sauga 960 AM

Our Chair, Brian Crombie, continues his nightly radio shows, The Brian Crombie Radio Hour, on Sauga 960 AM every night at 6 pm on 960 AM in Toronto. Or streamed on line at www.Sauga960am.ca  You can also access all the podcasts at: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour/  You can find many of the shows as videos at: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery/

Some topical ones for business include:

• Hussein Amed Yorkville Asset Management on the economy
• Politicians including Andrew Scheer, Elizabeth May, Andrea Horwath etc
• Businesses including Spartan BioScience which receives approval for a hand held DNA Covid 19 test, D2 Medial devices that ships face shields and Drone Delivery Canada.
• As well as emergency preparedness, health care and mental health experts on Covid 19.

Brian Crombie
www.briancrombie.com