A Clean and Safe TTC Increases Opportunity for All
Transit is a gateway to possibilities. It is at the heart of many decisions we make throughout our day – from employment, to leisure and entertainment, to educational opportunities. Building this gateway requires strategies that integrate safety, service, and cost, to build trust and make the TTC the primary option for customers in Toronto, and beyond. To help ensure a clean and safe TTC, as mayor, I will:
- Build sustained mental health response capacity, by developing a System Safety Team that prioritizes engagement with youth, folks experiencing homelessness, and those presenting with acute or chronic poor mental health. This core team within the TTC will be augmented by expanding partnerships with groups like LOFT and Streets 2 Homes, but also by pulling in Indigenous and Black led organizations with expertise in youth engagement, homelessness and mental health. This team will not operate through an enforcement lens, but rather a community support approach.
2. Prioritize investment in front-line staff with a customer service approach. Replacing people with cameras and automation exacerbates the isolation that customers feel in the stations. Improvements in personnel can improve safety and cleanliness of stations.
3. Implement fare equity for neighbourhoods that rely on public transit. This is particularly important for communities that have one transit and mobility option. Often those that were most impacted by the pandemic. If they are the heroes, let’s treat them as such.
4. Ensure cellular connectivity at all stations, for everyone, regardless of their cellular provider. The deal with Rogers is problematic and will not offer equitable access. Toronto needs an option that services everyone. This includes a consortium approach that allows providers to work collaboratively to provide equitable service throughout the system. This type of approach has been successful in other jurisdictions like Montreal, why can’t the same approach be done in Canada’s largest market – Toronto?
