Police officers are seen on the platform as people wait for a subway train inside a TTC station in downtown Toronto, Saturday, April 1, 2023.The Canadian Urban Transit Association is issuing recommendations to improve rider and staff safety, focusing on substance use, mental health, and housing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
OTTAWA – The Canadian Urban Transit Association says cities need to hire more security officers for public transit systems and give them more power to curb dangerous behaviour on trains and buses.
The association is making multiple recommendations today to improve rider and staff safety on public transit in the wake of a recent string of high-profile attacks on transit users and workers across the country.
Association president Marco D’Angelo says we need stiffer penalties for assaults on transit systems as well as more on-the-ground peace officers, special constables, and police officers.
He says the federal government should also amend the Criminal Code to include specific offences against all transit workers, not just transit operators.
The recommendations emphasize that public transit systems reflect the communities they serve and that issues such as homelessness, substance use, and mental health impact transit systems when left unaddressed.
Multiple reports of stabbings have come over the last few months on transit systems including one that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy in Toronto last month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.
