On June 19, 2026, Ombudsman Toronto concluded that the TTC did not follow a clear, fair and transparent approach when deciding not to offer refunds or exchanges for discontinued tickets and tokens. The investigation found no evidence of supporting data collection, public consultation or an equity analysis and could not establish a clear decision-maker.
What the public record establishes
The Ombudsman described systemic weaknesses in fare-policy decision-making, documentation, public communication and the handling of Board direction. The report said a TTC executive had told the Board that approximately 6.7 million tokens and 573,000 tickets remained in circulation, with an estimated face value of roughly $24 million. That figure is not the same as the amount the TTC would necessarily have paid in refunds because some fares may have been lost, discarded, held by collectors or otherwise never presented.
The report issued eight recommendations. Ombudsman Toronto says the TTC leadership and Board agreed to implement them.
Who controlled what
TTC responsibility
The investigation concerns a TTC administrative and governance decision. It criticizes the TTC’s process, not a documented personal decision by Mayor Chow.
Political oversight
City Council appoints members to the TTC Board and receives accountability-officer reports. The mayor and Council can press the agency on governance, transparency and implementation of watchdog recommendations, but that oversight role should not be confused with making the original staff decision.
TTC response and corrective action
The Ombudsman reported that TTC leadership and the Board accepted all eight recommendations. Those recommendations address decision-making roles, equity analysis, tracking of Board requests, public-facing rider policies and approval and updating of policy documents.
Accountability analysis
This is a stronger governance criticism than speculation about motives because it rests on an independent accountability investigation. The central issue is institutional process: a public agency making a customer-facing fare decision without a traceable decision path, evidence base, consultation record or equity analysis.
The fair measure of the administration is what happens next: whether the TTC implements the recommendations, whether the Board verifies compliance and whether future fare decisions have documented authority, data and equity review.
Claims this article does not make
Do not say the Ombudsman found that Chow personally ordered the no-refund policy. Do not treat the $24-million face-value estimate as a proven refund liability. Do not imply fraud or illegality; the Ombudsman’s findings concern fairness, transparency, evidence, governance and procedure.
Questions to track
- Has the TTC implemented each of the eight recommendations?
- Who now has documented authority for comparable fare-policy decisions?
- Will future customer-impact decisions require an equity analysis and consultation plan?
- How will the Board publicly report compliance and outstanding actions?
Sources and evidence
- Ombudsman Toronto news release ↗Official watchdog
- Ombudsman Toronto investigation reports ↗Official watchdog
The watchdog findings are attributed to Ombudsman Toronto. They are not presented as findings that Mayor Chow personally made the TTC refund decision.