Transit operators in Thunder Bay call for increased security after physical, verbal assaults

Transit operators with the City of Thunder Bay are calling for more security amid growing concerns around transit safety.

Fred Caputo, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966, described the problems bus drivers are facing at city council Monday night.

"Operators are having to deal with physical assault and verbal assault. This includes being sworn at, spit at, called derogatory names, pushed, grabbed and having liquids thrown at them – simply for performing their job," Caputo told council.

These incidents – which have been going on for years – are causing operators to experience mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, he said. Operator morale has "dropped to an all-time low" and many people are taking time off work or not returning at all.

The problem is also affecting ridership, he said, with some people choosing to walk several blocks rather than board the bus. Caputo was joined by union vice president Dave Migliazza and financial secretary Ken Koza.

Cities across Canada have seen a spike in violence on transit systems over the past year. In January, the national union that represents 35,000 transit workers across the country called for a national task force to tackle the issue. 

The union representatives made two asks to Thunder Bay city councillors. 

• Add dedicated transit security guards outside City Hall who are trained in de-escalation and mental health awareness; 
• Add a second controller to work the night shift, dedicated as a road supervisor, to respond to operators' concerns and monitor the City Hall and Water Street terminals.

Caputo's points seem to be supported by an incident that happened just hours after he spoke at the council meeting. 

Around 11:20 p.m., someone threw a hammer through the rear window of a bus outside City Hall. 

The person who threw the hammer got away before police arrived and a passenger was injured due to the broken glass and was taken to the hospital, confirmed Scott Paradis with the Thunder Bay Police Service. 

"We're seeing escalation and this is the concerning part," Caputo said Tuesday morning. 

While there are concerns throughout the transit system, he described the City Hall terminal as the epicentre of safety issues, "and I think that's where most of our attention right now has to be drawn to."

Report commissioned, but won't be ready until fall 

The city created an Employee Safety Task Force at the end of last year, which includes:

• Transit operators
• Superior North EMS paramedics
• Firefighters
• Other front-line operations staff

The task force is meant to "co-ordinate efforts to address the impacts of increasing exposure to traumatic incidents on these employee groups, and to identify solutions to mitigate staff injury and burnout," explained city manager Norm Gale.

There are two transit operators on the task force, which is in its early stages, Caputo said.

"I'm hoping something comes out of this, but unfortunately, we need something to happen now, not seven months down the road," he told CBC News.

There was formerly an arrangement with two off-duty police officers hired by Thunder Bay Transit to watch the City Hall and Water Street terminals a few years ago. Caputo said he wasn't sure why this ended but guesses the funding ran out.

Transit operators lack de-escalation and mental health training themselves, which is why they are seeking support from security guards with this expertise, like those at the hospital, according to the union.

We need something to happen now, not seven months down the road.- Fred Caputo, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966

Councillors asked about incident reporting, which Caputo says happens, but is done after an operator's shift is over. Meanwhile, drivers are already working overtime to cope with staffing shortages, and controllers are additionally being tasked with specialized transit scheduling and "are now too busy to respond to issues on the road in a timely and effective manner."

He admitted many incidents go unreported, in part because "operators are fed up with the lack of response from the corporation."

Questions were also raised about mental health support, but transit staff say they are not satisfied with their current employee assistance program. 

Another issue operators are facing is a new digital radio system. Drivers can no longer communicate with each other during the day shift, and at night, the radio lines are often garbled, Caputo said.

"It's causing that isolation. People don't know what's happening to each other," he said.

Council voted for city administration to report back on potential options to address transit safety concerns.

City manager Gale agreed that "there's a sense of urgency to this," but said city staff won't have a full report ready until October due to a number of other matters council has assigned urgency to.

However, an interim memo can be produced sooner, he said.

The issue is also expected to be discussed by the city's intergovernmental affairs committee and potentially be raised at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in August.

Caputo told CBC News he is happy with council's response and will continue pushing for operators' concerns to be addressed sooner rather than later.