Reports continue to circulate that TTC general manager Gary Webster will be sacked during a special transit commissioners meeting Tuesday afternoon.
And amid the ongoing debate that pits supporters of the mayor's subway plan against transit advocates pushing for a surface rail system, there is concern that other senior bureaucrats could be caught in the crossfire.
Rumours of Webster's demise began to circulate this month, as the fallout spread from a city council vote that shot down the mayor's long-held subway scheme.
Webster's fate could come into focus as early as Tuesday afternoon, when it's expected that Mayor Rob Ford's allies will fire the long-serving manager.
Webster attracted the ire of the Ford administration after failing to back Ford's long-held conviction for subways.
The spat came to a head this month when TTC Chair Karen Stintz led a council revolt against Ford, resulting in a 25-18 vote for a plan that favours surface rail over subways.
That plan closely resembles one put forward by previous mayor David Miller, which was cancelled by Ford when he took over.
Advocates for the light rail plan say it's cheaper and will be effective in transporting large amounts of people in Toronto's inner suburbs, which lack the density required for subways.
But Ford and his allies have long called for buried rail lines because of concern over road traffic on the surface.
When Ford took office, he famously proclaimed that the "war on the car" was over.
But since Webster and other top bureaucrats haven't fallen in-line with Ford's vision, they have come under fire.
Ford's allies have stated that it's the job of transit managers to follow the mayor's lead, with dire consequences for ignoring the elected mayor's will.
Coun. Doug Ford also stated recently that the TTC needs "a complete enema."
In particular, Webster has long been a target of Ford because he has yet to build a case for an extension of the Sheppard Ave. E. subway line. He has also not rallied behind a plan to bury all of the LRT planned for Eglinton Avenue.
Now it appears that Webster himself will be buried. The nine-member TTC committee has called a special meeting for Tuesday at 2 p.m., where it's expected they will officially fire Webster.
The board has five Ford allies and a majority of the votes, meaning they can push through a plan to dismiss Webster, who has been with the TTC for 35 years.
Ford's allies on the committee are Frank Di Giorgio, Denzil Minnan-Wong Norm Kelly, Vincent Crisanti and Cesar Palacio.
Coun. Josh Matlow says that sacking a long-serving expert simply because he doesn't buy into the mayor's point-of-view sets a dangerous precedent.
"The mayor can disagree with him; the mayor actually can argue to council that we take a different path, that's his prerogative. But you don't just fire people because you disagree with them," he said.
