Michael Fenn, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Fenn was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto
Transportation Authority in February 2007. He was previously CEO of Mississauga
Halton Local Health Integration Network (an Ontario regional health authority
serving over a million residents) after serving as Deputy Minister of the
Ontario Ministries of Municipal Affairs & Housing, and Community Safety, for
eight years. His municipal career includes being city manager of the City of
Burlington and then Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Regional
Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, for a total of 11 years. In both of the
latter positions, he had overall managerial responsibility for transportation
and public transit, environmental services, corporate budgeting and economic
development, among other functions. Throughout his career, Michael Fenn has been
known for bringing customer-focus, productivity and innovation to the delivery
of public services, as well as pioneering work with public-sector strategic
plans.
Formerly Vice-Chair of the multi-billion dollar Ontario Municipal Employees
Retirement System (OMERS), Mr. Fenn has been President of the Ontario Municipal
Administrators Association (OMAA) and Chair of the Ontario Public Service United
Way Campaign. He has served on the Ontario Civil Service Commission, the Public
Sector Accounting Board of Canada (PSAB), the Board of the Burlington Hamilton
United Way, and the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), the Ontario Government’s
real estate authority (serving as Chair of ORC during 2004 and 2005). He remains
a Director on the Boards of the Canadian Urban Institute and the Institute of
Public Administration of Canada (as Chair of Research & Professional Practices
and a member of the National Executive). As a community member, he also serves
on the Board of the innovative “brownfields” project, the Imperial Cotton Centre
for the Arts, in north Hamilton and as a member of the Burlington Performing
Arts Centre fundraising cabinet.
In addition to two degrees from York University, Mr. Fenn holds an MA and a
Diploma in Urban/Regional Public Administration, both from the University of
Western Ontario. He has also completed the Program for Senior Executives in
State and Local Government from the Kennedy School at Harvard University. His
articles on public policy and public administration have appeared in a number of
journals and books.
Mr. Fenn has received the highest awards for career achievement from both of
Ontario’s major municipal management organizations (from the AMCTO in 2000 and
the OMAA’s Robert Baldwin Award in 2006). His contributions to environmental
preservation projects have twice been recognized by awards from the Ontario’s
Environmental Commissioner. He has also received the Award for Program
Excellence in Citizen Involvement, from the International City/County Management
Association and the “Canada 125 Medal” for community service to Burlington. In
1997, he was awarded Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public
Administration for Ontario.
Michael was born and educated in downtown Toronto, where he also lived for many
years – taking public transit every day. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two
adult children and they live in Burlington. He enjoys opera and blues, graphic
arts, cycling, canoeing, and international travel, having visited over 40
countries.