The head of Via Rail, Cynthia Garneau, quit her $318,000-a year job, even though two years remained in her contract, says Blacklock's Reporter..The Liberals offered no comment on her departure..“It will now be up to another driver to lead the organization through the next steps,” Garneau wrote in a statement Friday. .Garneau, a former president of Bell Helicopter, was appointed in 2019 to a five-year term..Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced her departure in a brief notice. The minister’s ofice would not release the text of Garneau’s resignation letter..The sudden resignation came 10 days after VIA reported another steep operating loss. The Crown railway lost $370.5 million last year. It compared to $415.8 million in 2020..VIA’s full-time payroll since 2019 was cut 28% from 3,308 employees to 2,370, said its annual report. Ridership totaled 1.5 million passenger trips last year, compared to more than five million prior to the outbreak of the pandemic..Management warned VIA will require bailouts for years to come..“Without sufficient and timely funding VIA Rail would be obliged to make drastic cuts which is a significant business and reputational risk exacerbated by layoffs,” said a Summary Of The 2021-2025 Corporate Plan tabled in Parliament February 9..The railway also sought billions in special funding to run 110 mph service on VIA-owned track along its busiest eastern routes that serve 90% of passengers between Québec City, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor, Ont..Former CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano in 2016 testimony at the Commons public accounts committee predicted annual deficits would near a half-billion without improved service.
