Cellphone service, better mental health supports would help make TTC safer, says transit union

Providing cellphone service on the entire subway system and more mental health supports could help stem “unprecedented levels” violence on public transit, according to the national president TTC’s largest union.

At a press conference at Queen’s Park Wednesday, John Di Nino, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, alongside NDP MPPs Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre) and Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale—High Park) called on the Doug Ford government to invest in public transit and social supports to address violence on the TTC.

“Front-line transit workers are getting assaulted with deadly weapons. Passengers are getting murdered on platforms and in subway cars. And the provincial government just doesn’t give a damn,” said Di Nino, whose union represents about 12,000 TTC workers.

“Shiny new stations and fancy new buses don’t keep riders safe, but operational dollars will.”

Violence on Toronto’s transit system has risen sharply since the pandemic, even as ridership fell. There were 1,068 violent incidents against passengers on the TTC in 2022, compared to 666 in 2019, despite roughly two-thirds of the riders. The fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes at Keele subway station last month has renewed calls on governments of all levels to act.

“We know that the state of Ontario’s mental health crisis, housing and homelessness crisis, and the rise of domestic and gender-based violence has created an unsafe environment for transit users and workers, notably in Toronto,” said Karpoche, the NDP GTA issues critic.

Harden, the NDP transit critic, said the Ontario premier’s “law and order approach” to transit safety does not fix operational shortfalls faced by the TTC and other agencies, which threaten both reliability and safety on transit.

On Wednesday, the MPPs and union leaders presented measures they said would improve safety, ranging from more funding for mental health to more enforcement, but the underlying message was the need for a comprehensive, multigovernmental strategy to address transit violence, including more funding.

“Enough with the half-measures, we need urgent action now. Governments of all levels have failed to address the need for safety, frequency and support for our public transit system,” said Di Nino.

Among solutions Di Nino identified are better mental health supports, de-escalation training for TTC staff, more special constables and adding cell service throughout the system. As previously reported by the Star, the TTC has had cellular infrastructure in its system for more than a decade, but the Big 3 telecom providers (Rogers, Bell and Telus) have so far refused to sign on to the network built by BAI communications.

“Transit workers deserve safety, and that requires adequate staffing and services. None of those are possible without commitments to our operational funding — something that this government has failed to do. The time to act is now.”

Ontario’s budget, unveiled last month, did not pledge any funding to cover the TTC’s $366-million operating shortfall, caused by lagging fare revenue since COVID-19. Neither did the federal budget announced last week.

“The amount of provincial funding to operate public transit is woefully inadequate. Ford’s budget allocated a mere $80 million to operational transit funding across the province — a decision that will ensure cuts to services and staffing, which impacts transit safety,” Harden said.

The TTC has hiked fares by 10 cents and begun cutting service in response to its financial situation.

When Toronto police temporarily deployed 80 overtime officers to the TTC in January, Ford called it a “Band-Aid solution,” arguing for more stable funding for police on transit. Ford also recently warned Torontonians not to vote for any candidate in the upcoming mayoral byelection who supports defunding the police.

The ATU has called for a national task force, with the provinces, to address transit safety, but the response from Ford has been “meaningless,” Di Nino said.

“Repeatedly Doug Ford expresses sympathy and condolences to the victims of violence with no real plan to address the issues other than increased policing,” said Di Nino.

“Increased policing is not the solution. It is a short-term measure,” he added.

Last week, city council increased TTC CEO Rick Leary’s emergency spending authority to $15 million, to fund additional safety measures including security guards and outreach workers.

Di Nino also called out Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney for her apparent lack of support, noting she has “gone missing on this file.”

Ford’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Star. A representative from Mulroney’s office deferred the request to the Office of the Solicitor General.

Spokesperson Hunter Kell said the government has invested “record amounts” in police services across Ontario, “including $185 million in previous funding to combat gun and gang violence and $13.4 million in our new budget.” The goverment also earmarked $370 for municipalities in operating local transit in the recent budget, he added.

“We will continue to support our municipal partners and will continue these discussions on how we can work together to keep people in Toronto, and across the province, safe.”

Lex Harvey is a Toronto-based transportation reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @lexharvs