Union calls for national task force to tackle transit violence that's 'way out of control'

A union that represents 35,000 transit workers Canada is calling for a national task force involving all levels of government to tackle violence against workers and riders on public transit systems across the country.

John Di Nino, national president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Canada, said in an interview with CBC Toronto on Tuesday that transit violence is "way out of control" and a task force would ask hard questions about what is happening and determine which actions to take to protect workers and riders.

"We need all levels of government to come together with our municipalities, with the transit agencies, and with quite frankly, with the largest transit union, the ATU, and sit down and come up with constructive ways on how we can mitigate the risk to our workers and to our riders, provide the best possible protections we can and look at all the elements to reduce the effects of violence," Di Nino said.

Di Nino pointed to rising violence on transit systems in Halifax, Saskatoon and Vancouver as well as a "strong uptick in Alberta," in addition to several attacks that have made national headlines on Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) vehicles, as well as at its bus stops and in its subway stations.

Strategies to tackle transit violence could include Criminal Code reforms, interventions, greater visibility of police officers on transit systems, greater deterrence, funding for mental health supports in the community, and worker training in de-escalation techniques, he said.

"Look, we understand some of these things are unavoidable. All of the best protections aren't going to stop assaults and violence, or stop those with mental health issues. But we need to put our best foot forward here," Di Nino said.

"We can't just sit after every crisis, after every incident, and say we need to do better. We need to stop talking and we need to start acting on developing those programs and policies that are best going to protect everyone who is at stake."

He said the task force would ask such questions as: What are the key issues? What do the attacks look like? How many are happening daily? How many are going unreported? How do transit agencies rebuild safe systems after the pandemic?

"We need to react and we need to react quickly," he said.

On Tuesday, a woman in her 20s was stabbed several times on a TTC streetcar. On Monday, two TTC workers were assaulted on a bus in Scarborough. On Saturday, a TTC operator, a 24-year-old woman, was shot by a BB gun while waiting to begin her shift in Scarborough.

The woman in the streetcar stabbing suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The two TTC workers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at the scene.

A woman in her 40s has been arrested in the streetcar stabbing. Four boys, all 13 years old, were arrested and charged with assault in the attack on the workers. No one was been arrested in the BB gun shooting, but police have said the suspects were white men, possibly teenagers, in a black sedan.

Alexandra Stoeckle, the bus driver shot with the BB gun, told CBC Toronto on Monday she was leaning against a bus shelter and looking down at her phone when she was hit several times at Markham Road and Progress Avenue.

"I felt something just start hitting me in the chest and it kind of felt like raindrops or pebbles. I thought maybe a car was kicking it up as it was going by. It is a very busy intersection. I looked up, and before I fully looked up and saw what was happening, I was just hit right in the forehead," she said