Top consultant gives up role at Metrolinx amid scrutiny over potential conflict of interest

The consultant at the center of a controversy over a potential conflict of interest at Metrolinx has given up his title at the provincial transit agency.

The move by Brian Guest comes after a Star investigation revealed his consulting firm received valuable government contracts from the agency while he was serving as an executive there.

Metrolinx confirmed Thursday night that Guest “has relinquished his title at Metrolinx.” The organization said Guest had informed Metrolinx’s chief legal officer of the decision earlier this week.

Guest did not immediately return a request for comment.

As the Star reported on Monday, from March 2018 to May 2020 Guest was appointed to vice-president roles at Metrolinx while he was also a director at Boxfish Infrastructure Group, an Ottawa-based consultant firm that did work for Metrolinx. While he was a vice-president, the agency awarded Boxfish contracts in 2019 and 2020 for advice on major transit projects. One of the two contracts was sole-sourced.

Guest did not receive a salary from Metrolinx while working as vice-president there. Instead, Metrolinx paid Boxfish, which was responsible for his salary.

On Wednesday, Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney’s office said it would investigate the deals, stating that the Progressive Conservative government is “extremely concerned about any perceived or potential conflict of interest.”

The position Guest is giving up is lead, strategic initiatives group, at Metrolinx, a less senior role than the vice-president roles he previously held.

Although he will no longer have a title within Metrolinx, the agency has not said it will no longer work with him or his firm, or that it is canceling the contract Boxfish won in 2020 when he was a vice-president, which is still active .

Metrolinx has refused to reveal how much the two contracts were worth to Boxfish. But according to public records, the second was valued at up to $ 11.75 million in its first year. Boxfish is set to earn between $ 20 million and $ 30 million from Metrolinx over two years, according to sources.

Metrolinx has previously said it is normal for the agency to embed private consultants in the publicly funded agency, and to assign them titles in the organization that reflect their roles.

The agency said there was never any conflict of interest involving Guest, and he had no influence over the awarding of contracts.

Sources who spoke to the Star during its investigation said Guest exerted a degree of influence within Metrolinx that was concerning for some at the agency. They said it would be hard to believe Metrolinx could successfully isolate Guest and other Boxfish employees embedded at the agency from decisions about contracts.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation for the Star. Reach him by email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr