Rick Ducharme

Richard C. Ducharme P.Eng. (1948) has served as an administrator for several Canadian transit and transportation authorities, most recently as General Manager of Transportation for the City of Edmonton.

Ducharme graduated from the University of Waterloo as a civil engineer in 1972 and joined Ontario's Ministry of Transportation. He then moved on to GO Transit as a transit coordinator in 1976. He served in various roles and eventually became managing director in 1993. In 1999 he left GO Transit to join the Toronto Transit Commission as General Manager, replacing David Gunn who announced his retirement on October 7, 1998. [http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/coupler/1198/gunn.htm]

Ducharme initially had a better relationship with former TTC Chair Howard Moscoe and other politicians. However, after a wildcat strike staged by the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, Ducharme found out that there were talks between Moscoe and ATU President Bob Kinnear that bypassed TTC management. Ducharme stated that these discussions undermined his authority to negotiate with the union. He also criticized Moscoe for making Bombardier the sole supplier of new subway cars for the TTC, arguing that the lack of competition in the bidding process would cost the city $100 million. Moscoe claimed that he had a responsibility to intervene to prevent another strike, and that the Bombardier contract would keep jobs in Canada. Ducharme stated on June 6, 2006 that he would step down on November 30, 2006, but his departure was fast-tracked by Moscoe and the other TTC Commissioners after Ducharme made his criticism of Moscoe public.

Ducharme was replaced on June 10, 2006 on an interim basis by TTC General Manager of Operations Gary Webster.

On October 10, 2006, Ducharme started a new job in Edmonton, Alberta as General Manager of Transportation, overseeing the expansion of the city's roads and light-rail transit system. After only four months in the post, he announced his resignation on February 8, 2007, effective April 13, 2007. [http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=f5d1a011-c8cd-4987-b720-66e4bf94bee3&p=2] [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061004.TORBRIEFS04-1/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/] [http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/local/story.html?id=9ca409b0-86b6-47de-a9cc-fc87af944660&k=94222]

External links

* [http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/coupler/0999/ducharme.htm Ducharme's TTC Biography]