Infrastructure Ontario chief Ehren Cory returning to private sector

The president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario has announced his impending departure from the crown-owned agency.

Ehren Cory, who has been with Infrastructure Ontario for the past seven years — and served at its helm for the previous three — will return to the private sector following his departure April 30. His appointment, which was set to expire next month, has been extended to give Infrastructure Ontario more time to find a replacement.

“The Government and I agreed to a short extension of my appointment, through to the end of April,” Cory explained in a release. “This extension allows time for government and our board to put in place next steps to transition.”

During his time at IO, Cory led numerous major infrastructure projects and orchestrated the agency’s shift into enterprise real estate, its new approach to affordable housing projects and the expansion of public transit, which includes a nearly $30 billion quartet of planned projects in Toronto.

“This government has entrusted IO with new and expanded challenges across the gamut of our work, and I have no doubt IO’s role will continue to grow in impact in the months and years ahead,” Cory said in a release. “Working at IO has been a dream job for me — a chance to combine private sector thinking and the public good, and working with a team of incredibly motivated and passionate colleagues. It’s also an opportunity that I have always planned on being one stop in my overall career journey.”

IO is expected to conduct a search for a replacement for Cory over the coming months.