TTC staff recommend random drug testing of employees

 Toronto – TTC staff have put out a recommendation that the Transit Commission now randomly drug test it’s employees.
The recommendation comes in a staff report released Monday that advocates changes to the TTC “fitness for duty” policy to incorporate random drug and alcohol tests.
Right now, the fitness for duty police allows for drug and alcohol testing to be done on individuals in “safety-sensitive” positions, and certain management and executive positions. Those tests are only done under specific circumstances including pre-employment certification and following an incident.
The new recommendation would expand the parameters of the testing.
This comes in the wake of a fatal crash involving a TTC bus this summer.
On August 30, a bus travelling westbound on Lawrence Avenue near the Don Valley Parkway smashed into a flatbed truck.
Several people were injured in the crash and one woman, 43-year-old Jadranka Petrova, was killed.
On October 12 the bus driver, 51-year-old Willliam Ainsworth, turned himself in to police and was charged with criminal negligence causing death and possession of cannabis.
The recommended changes to the fitness for duty policy will be discussed at a TTC meeting on October 19.