TTC, City recognizing Transit Worker Assault Awareness Day in Toronto

This Sun., Dec. 17, the TTC and the City of Toronto will recognize Transit Worker Assault Awareness Day. This day, first declared in 2021, brings attention to some of the difficulties that transit workers, including TTC employees, face every day on the job.

“Every day, TTC employees are on the frontlines keeping Toronto moving – they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and to feel safe doing their jobs,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. “By proclaiming Transit Worker Assault Awareness Day, we are standing with transit workers and stating clearly that any form of abuse and assault against them is completely unacceptable. As Mayor, I am committed to working with the TTC and all our partners to keep transit workers safe, and to address any threats they face to their mental and physical health and safety at work.”

“Everyone deserves to feel safe, and to be safe at work. This past year, the TTC has taken numerous actions to help support our frontline workers and to reinforce our commitment to their physical and mental wellbeing at work,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “While we have seen a decrease in reported offenses against employees this year, any abuse or violence is unacceptable. We are committed to protecting our workers and building a safe transit system for everyone.”

This year, the TTC further enhanced its action plan to protect frontline workers with a number of steps taken, including:

• Extending de-escalation training to more than 2,000 employees, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills to handle challenging situations.
  
  
• Hiring of additional customer facing personnel, vastly increasing the visible presence of TTC staff across the system, including 130 new customer service agents and 30 new supervisors in stations and on bus and streetcar routes to enable more effective responses to incidents in the field.
  
  
• A new Trauma Assist Program that offers counseling support to employees who have experienced traumatic events.
  
  
• Installation of extended protective barriers on all TTC buses, providing an added layer of protection for both employees and customers.
  
  
• Deployment of 50 security guards and continued recruitment for Special Constables.

In October 2023, the number of reported offenses against TTC employees was 4.72 per 100 employees, down from 8.52 per 100 employees in January 2023.

“The safety of our employees and our customers is paramount to all that we do. This year we have taken numerous steps to help protect and support them, including protective barriers on all TTC buses and de-escalation training for over 2,000 employees,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “While we have seen a significant decrease in reported offenses against employees since January 2023 – even one assault is one too many.”