The companion, Robin Thoen, also has been told her services photographing public meetings and potential building locations are no longer required.

Meanwhile, the TTC wants to strengthen controls over consultants to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

"We acknowledge there was a conflict of interest that should have been declared," said TTC spokesman Brad Ross. "We are reviewing our policies now and also doing a broad scope audit (of contracts Cursio oversaw)."

Ross confirmed Monday that Cursio is no longer an employee of the TTC, but said he could not discuss the circumstances because it is a "personnel matter."

Cursio was the project manager overseeing the design of three large "carhouses," part of an expansion of the TTC's fleet. The TTC is paying consultant AECOM Canada $8 million to do the design and Cursio's job was to manage AECOM's work, approving sub-consultants and invoices.

The Star reported Sunday that Cursio recommended that AECOM hire West Point Photography, a company owned and run by Thoen, his longtime female companion. Cursio is married, but lived a double life, socializing with Thoen at her East York home and discussing renovation plans that turned a $230,000 house into a well-appointed $705,000 home she sold two years ago.

Cursio's adult daughter also worked for Thoen at West Point. Recently, Thoen bought a new house, just over a kilometre from Cursio's home in Etobicoke.

Since May of last year, Cursio approved payments of at least $50,000 in public money from AECOM to West Point. Thoen, an amateur photographer, took photographs of people at public meetings, rankling ratepayers who felt their privacy was invaded at one recent session. Thoen also took photographs of streetscapes where new streetcar lines are planned. There was no contract between AECOM and West Point, just payments.

The TTC said Cursio never should have recommended Thoen for the job. Cursio is a former senior civil servant who was a vice-president at the Ontario Realty Corp. until he abruptly left in 2007. The TTC hired him in 2008. His online resume states that, while at the province-owned ORC, he "directed the sourcing and procurement of external consulting expertise provided by third party contractors and design consultants." He met Thoen during his time at the ORC.

The Cursio-Thoen issue caused a stir at the TTC as officials realized two problems. They have a strong conflict of interest policy but "it is only as good as the individual who is asked to adhere to it," spokesman Ross said.

The other problem is that while they have strict policies over the choosing of a design consultant like AECOM (a tendered job), they don't have a strong policy over TTC staff recommending sub-consultants to companies like AECOM. "We are looking at this and we may need to strengthen our policies," Ross said.

Auditors at the TTC are now reviewing all billings that came across Cursio's desk in the almost two years he worked for the transit commission.

The TTC is also this week reminding all staff of its conflict of interest policy, which instructs employees that they are "expected to conduct themselves with personal integrity, ethics, honesty and diligence."

Employees who are in a conflict must declare it, and remove themselves from the conflict.

As for Thoen's company, Ross said, "We have asked AECOM that the relationship with West Point Photography be severed."

AECOM spokeswoman Laura Soucek would only say, "We have suspended the use of West Point until (the TTC) has completed their review of the situation."

Neither Cursio or Thoen was available for comment Monday. A woman who answered the phone at his matrimonial home said she would take a message.

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Kevin Donovan can be reached at 416-312-3503 or kdonovan@thestar.ca