TTC terminates more than 350 employees who didn’t comply with vaccination policy
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has terminated 354 employees who failed to comply with the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.
The TTC did not announce the terminations, but confirmed them in a statement to CP24.
“This represents approximately two per cent of TTC employees - and they've all been out of the workplace since Nov. 21,” TTC Spokesperson Stuart Green said in an email.
He said their absences were already factored into service changes that took effect in November.
The TTC’s vaccination policy was announced on Aug. 19 and originally required all employees to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status by Sept. 20. However less than half of TTC employees did so by that date, in part because their union was urging them not to comply.
The union, ATU Local 113, backed down after the TTC filed an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board on Sept. 28 to have the non-compliance deemed an illegal strike action. The union asked a judge to grant an injunction against the policy, but the application was denied.
The deadline was pushed back and TTC employees were given until Dec. 31 to comply with the vaccination policy.
“It is commonly accepted by experts that the best way out of the pandemic and the best way to keep employees safe in the workplace is to have everyone vaccinated,” Green said.
“Obviously our hope was that everyone would agree with every credible expert and voluntarily comply with the policy. It’s truly unfortunate a very small number of people did not.”
In a statement, the union called the firings "wrong and unjust" and said that the TTC should be able to ensure a safe workplace through alternatives such as regular testing.
ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred warned that the firings would lead to overcrowding and service cuts that could endanger passengers.
“Our members have been terminated due to a confrontational attitude from TTC management, lack of consultation with our union over the policy and management overreach that is hurting families during a difficult time,” Alfred said in the statement. “Moving forward, I hope to have a more collaborative working relationship with TTC management so we can co-develop policies that work for all.”
The TTC said that it is actively recruiting in order to fill the vacancies.
Last week, the City of Toronto announced that it had terminated 461 employees who failed to comply with its vaccination policy. The city said 98.6 per cent of its workforce had complied.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.