Toronto police to boost presence on TTC following spike in violence
The Toronto police will be rolling out an increased presence across the TTC following a rash of violent, and sometimes random, incidents on the city’s transit system.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw announced the boost alongside Mayor John Tory, as well as TTC CEO Rick Leary, at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
“In recent weeks, we have been actively increasing our high-visibility patrols within the transit system. However, it is clear that more can be done to enhance the safety and security of transit users,” Demkiw said.
The move will see 80 police officers deployed on the TTC network daily, which Demkiw says will focus on reducing victimization, preventing crimes of opportunity, and enhancing public safety.
Thursday's news comes at the tail end of a week filled with violence on TTC property, including a woman who was stabbed by a stranger on a streetcar and left with life-altering injuries, two transit workers who were chased through a subway station by a suspect armed with a syringe, and a 16-year-old boy who was seriously injured after he was slashed on a bus.
Demkiw said the deployment will rely on callback shifts, which lean on off-duty officers for coverage in an overtime capacity.
The chief did not put a price tag on the measure but said the cost would be monitored on an ongoing basis.
On Wednesday, the president of the union representing some 12,000 transit workers in Toronto said violent incidents against workers and passengers on the TTC, as well as across the country, had reached “crisis levels” and called for the establishment of a national transit safety task force.
“The increase in violence is becoming more and more problematic…It’s only a matter of time, unfortunately, before these injuries become catastrophic and start to take lives. We need to act now, not tomorrow, now,” John Di Nino, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, said in an interview.
Tory said he supports Di Nino’s request while underscoring that deploying more police to the TTC at a time of “some anxiety” is the right thing to do.
“It will be complemented by measures that I announced earlier this month as part of the city's budget which I trust will be approved, including an increase of 50 TTC special constables and a significant increase in the number of housing outreach workers on the TTC,” Tory said.
Earlier this month, the TTC Board approved a proposed $2.38 billion TTC budget that includes millions of dollars to hire new special constables to improve safety for riders and transit employees alike. However, some advocates have said the budget, which also contains a 10 cent fare hike and nine per cent service decrease compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels to address to $366 million budget shortfall, raises safety concerns.
For Leary’s part, he admitted that the TTC does not know what’s behind the recent increase in violence on the network, but that the root causes are “complex” and require a coordinated approach and response to address.
“We know the TTC really is a microcosm of what's happening across the city right now. And we recognize that there is a bigger society and systemic issue at play here,” Leary said. “The issue requires longer-term solutions and the TTC will be at the table with these experts [to address] crime prevention. mental health and addiction and homelessness.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.