Facing mounting pressure to reduce a spike in violent crime on Toronto’s transit system, the TTC will be spending some of its reserve funds to help extend security measures and social assistance programming.
Council began its Thursday morning session with a moment of silence for Gabriel Magalhaes, the 16-year-old who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while at Keele subway station last weekend.
While shocking, the attack was hardly an isolated incident.
Toronto police reported Thursday morning they had arrested a 33-year-old man, after a 15-year-old was allegedly punched in the face in another unprovoked attack in the subway system last week.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie is adamant one of the city’s top priorities needs to be finding a solution. “The TTC needs to be safe for riders, for workers,” she said. “I don’t think any of us wants to be in front of a camera and asked again what we would say to the parents of a 15-year-old or a 16 -year-old.”
The TTC is now planning to spend up to $15 million of its stabilisation reserve fund, if needed, to continue augmenting its security measures. TTC CEO Rick Leary said the most immediate use of the funds will be to extend the contracts of 50 security guards and 20 community service workers.
“To extend contracts to make sure they have people in the station and people that are helping those in need,” said Leary.
The additional staff, including streets-to-homes workers, have had mental health and de-escalation training. They can help put those without a home seeking refuge in the system in touch with social services. “Now we have nurses and psychologists,” said Leary, “that are there to help these individuals.”
The contracts were set to expire at the end of April, but the TTC has now extended them until the end of May with the possibility of using the $15 million reserve to stretch contracts even further. But Leary stressed that would happen only if they were needed.
The Toronto Police Service recently scaled back the deployment of its uniformed officers on overtime to patrol the TTC, despite signs progress was being made.
“We continue to have a presence in the transit system,” said TPS Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue. “We certainly didn’t change the model strictly because of the finances but we have a responsibility to be fiscally responsible.”
Among the issues facing the transit system are the numbers of unhoused people looking for a place to get out of the cold wet weather, with nowhere else to turn.
The city’s shelter system is maxed out, forcing many without a home to seek refuge in the transit system.
Gord Tanner, general manager of the city’s shelter and housing division, told council they were firing on all cylinders. He said nearly all of its 9,000 shelter beds are occupied on a nightly basis and it is still not enough.
Tanner also warned that without assistance, the problem will get worse.
“On January 1st, we’ll be facing a tough conversation around whether we need to scale back the number of shelter beds we have,” he said. “This provincial budget came down with no strategy on homelessness.”
Asked on Thursday whether the province will step in with more assistance, Premier Doug Ford said the city needs to look inward.
“You can’t just go there and think the taxpayer’s going to constantly bail ’em out,” Ford said.
Still, the province is indicating it will allow Toronto to re-purpose money budgeted for guns and gangs into TTC safety.
Speaking to reporters, Leary also called for more assistance from upper levels of government. “All levels of government are going to have to act and help the city of Toronto when it comes to funding. Not just funding from the standpoint of the social services that we have today, it’s the funding necessary to continue the public transit and the state of good repair,” said Leary.
Undeterred by the lack of response in its pleas for more funding, among the motions passed by council was another directive requesting more provincial and federal funds to help improve safety.
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