The TTC honoured CEO Rick Leary at a board meeting on Thursday, awarding the embattled executive a pin for ten years of service, coming amid a campaign calling for his firing and just days after a disastrous subway outage left commuters in the lurch for 12 hours.

Toronto Scarborough North City Councillor and TTC Board Chair Jamaal Myers kicked off the TTC's May 16 board meeting with a speech congratulating Leary for his service.

"Today is a special day for our CEO as he marks ten years at the TTC," said Myers to thunderous applause from the board.

"We all know Rick as CEO, but his career with the TTC began in 2014 when he was hired away from York Region by then-CEO Andy Byford to serve as Chief Service Officer," said Myers, going on to list Leary's achievements with the transit agency in the decade since, but failing to mention any of the high-profile shortcomings.

"Rick is the epitome of a true transit professional," said Myers, adding, "his lifelong commitment to the industry is proof of that."

"So, Rick, in honour of your tenure at the TTC, I'd like to present you with this pin. On behalf of the board and the City of Toronto, thanks for all you do," closed Myers, to more applause and even a literal standing ovation from the board.

Commuter advocacy group TTCriders was following along with the board meeting, and posted on social media about the pin bestowed on Leary.

And given the recent Line 2 shutdown that sent Toronto into commuter chaos for the better part of a day this week, many were not too pleased to learn of the CEO being honoured.

#TTC CEO Rick Leary was given a pin to commemorate 10 years of service. To further celebrate this milestone, Line 2 was shut down between Jane and Woodbine. Service may resume next Tuesday. Three shuttle buses have been deployed. #TOpoli https://t.co/PpComWfVgY

— Lloyd Davis (@ldaviseditor) May 16, 2024

"If any of us regular folks whose taxes pay for Rick Leary's salary exhibited the same level of incompetence at our jobs we would have been fired years ago," wrote one user. "This man's term as CEO has directly aligned with eroding ttc service levels. Send this man packing."

The timing of Leary's latest honour has certainly raised eyebrows, coming amid a campaign to have the CEO removed from his job.

Campaign to fire TTC CEO Rick Leary gaining momentum https://t.co/iXgalje2OQ

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 2, 2024

Almost 2,000 people have signed a petition to fire Rick Leary, an appeal launched just over two weeks before a disastrous 12-hour shutdown on Line 2 caused by a hydraulic spill.

Leary apologized for the hydraulic spill during Thursday's board meeting, but raised even more concerns when he admitted that there have been seven such spills since January.