Toronto’s transit company is dealing with questions over its use of communications-related consultants as ridership stutters, prices mount and leaders are compelled to attract from rainy-day funds.
Information obtained by International Information exhibits the Toronto Transit Fee (TTC) is at present dedicated to communications and advertising consulting contracts price roughly $3.5 million.
In keeping with figures accessed utilizing freedom of knowledge legal guidelines, the TTC categorizes 5 contracts as associated to communications, disaster administration, social media, advertising, branding and status administration.
The agreements run for varied lengths of time, however all have been lively in 2025.
The contracts the TTC had lively in 2025, which it classed underneath these phrases, have been:
- Media monitoring: $480,500 (1.5-year time period, possibility to increase as much as three)
- Contingency planning forward of potential strike: $113,000 (two years)
- Advertising and marketing companies: $2,700,000 (three years)
- Engagement on annual service plan: $121,825 (one yr)
- Racial fairness evaluation: $39,714 (5 months)
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A spokesperson for the TTC stated lots of the contracts have been for plans that will in any other case divert company sources.
“A few of these are long-term service contracts to assist the TTC for bigger tasks that will require vital employees sources if managed totally by the TTC,” they stated in a written assertion.
Carson Binda, from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, stated the company ought to have sufficient in-house expertise to keep away from counting on exterior suppliers.
“Each single greenback that the TTC wastes on these highly-paid communications consultants and advertising methods is cash that’s not going towards core companies,” he instructed International Information.
“Perhaps the TTC wouldn’t have such a foul PR drawback in the event that they have been investing in these core companies as an alternative of paying these large, eye-watering communications consulting charges.”
Revelations in regards to the contracts are available in a yr the place the TTC noticed ridership fall, and fares stayed frozen, forcing the company to dip into its reserves to keep up service.
As a part of its 2026 funds submission, the TTC plans to withdraw $35 million from its rainy-day fund to “assist offset diminished passenger revenues and keep fare affordability.”
A spokesperson for TTC stated the group at all times labored to be “a accountable steward of the general public purse” in its strategy to signing contracts.
“As nicely, we’re reviewing all communications-related spending (inner and exterior) to make sure we’re specializing in the TTC’s key priorities like security, reliability and efficiency,” they wrote.
The company stated it partnered with different our bodies, just like the Metropolis of Toronto, to signal contracts at extra aggressive costs, citing the media monitoring contract as one instance.
They stated the $2.7 million contract for advertising and artistic companies was an higher restrict of the three-year deal.
For 2025, for instance, the spokesperson stated the TTC spent $650,000 on campaigns together with streetcar security, selling the SafeTTC App and “model technique.”
The TTC stated all its contracts — aside from the $2.7-million advertising settlement — have been one-time prices “for a selected goal.”
© 2026 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
