TTC deploying 80 additional staff to focus on safety amid rash of violence
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is adding dozens of staff across the system daily in an effort to increase safety as it grapples with recent violent attacks that have left many riders shaken.
In a news release issued Friday evening, the TTC said 80 employees, including maintenance and transportation managers, will rotate throughout the subway system during peak service effective immediately.
"Managers will be highly visible and will conduct system cleanliness as well as health and safety audits," the TTC said.
The new measure is being implemented in the wake of a rash of violence on the TTC this week that saw two passengers, including a 16-year-old boy, stabbed and several employees attacked, one of which was shot with a BB gun.
The TTC said its CEO, Rick Leary, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw, TTC Chair Jon Burnside and union leaders met on Friday to discuss how to enhance safety on the transit system.
Officials also discussed possible long-term actions that could be taken to prevent crimes from happening on the TTC. In the news release, officials were also said to be considering bringing in experts from the housing and mental health and addictions sectors to address the matter.
"The TTC must be safe for everyone – passengers and transit employees. We're continuing to work with the TTC, Toronto Police, and TTC union leadership to make sure we are immediately addressing safety concerns," Tory said in a statement.
"As a transit agency, we find ourselves faced with complex societal challenges that are not part of our core business. They require creative, comprehensive and outside-the-box solutions," Leary said.
On Thursday, Toronto police announced that 80 extra Toronto police officers were being deployed throughout the system in an attempt to increase security and deter further incidents.
"In collaboration with our transit and city partners, we are taking immediate action to address safety issues on the TTC with a highly visible presence throughout the system, to support TTC Special Constables, and to ensure that both passengers and transit employees feel a sense of security," Demkiw said.
The TTC said the deployment of more staff is just one of the significant steps it is taking to address safety. They include hiring additional constables, increasing Streets to Homes workers in hotspots in the systems, and adding more station supervisors and chief and mobile supervisors on the subway to audit station security regularly.
The transit agency added that it is also in the process of ensuring all of its chief and mobile supervisors are trained in de-escalation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.