TTC receives CUTA award for its Court Advocate program

The TTC has won the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s (CUTA) 2015 Leadership Award for Safety and Security for its innovative Court Advocate program.

TTC introduced the program, the first of its kind for a Canadian transit agency, to help reduce the number of assaults on employees.  The program provides assistance to employees who have been victims of crime, and works to educate court officials on the impact of the crime on the employee. 

The Court Advocates meet with employees who have been assaulted or threatened and attend court as required, acting as a TTC representative.  They communicate with the Crown Attorney about bail hearings, sentencing and release conditions.

Over the five years since the program began, the two Court Advocates have assisted more than 2,000 TTC employees. In that time, the number of assaults on TTC employees has been reduced from 345 victims in 2010 to 180 victims in 2014.

TTC Chief Legal Counsel Brian Leck accepted the award on behalf of the TTC at the CUTA annual conference in Winnipeg.