Safety

Will candidates commit to a safe TTC for all?


While violence and offence rates on the TTC have declined, and fewer complaints are being made, public perception of safety has not caught up with these trends. We often hear from riders that they continue to view the TTC as an unsafe environment, and it's often mentioned as a real barrier to taking transit more often.

That said, TTCriders believe that improving safety must include non-enforcement as the default response. We hear again and again that the increased presence of police, fare inspectors, and special constables do not make many people feel safer, while raising concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement and who is disproportionately targeted or overrepresented in these interactions, particularly Black, Indigenous, unhoused, and other vulnerable riders.

In contrast, riders have identified community ambassadors, Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS), and greater visibility of TTC staff as actions that make them feel safer. For many riders, however, safety is also about having the infrastructure and conditions to protect themselves in the first place: better lighting in dark and isolated areas, more frequent service, safer places to wait and take shelter, and a TTC environment designed around care, accessibility, and dignity. The TTC needs to be safe for everyone, as everyone has a right to use it, and everyone deserves to be approached with compassion, prevention, and resources. Here's what we asked candidates:

15. Will you support continued expansion of the Toronto Community Crisis Service throughout the TTC network?

The Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) provides a non-police response to people experiencing mental health crises, connecting them with trained crisis workers who can provide de-escalation, harm reduction, crisis intervention and connections to community supports. Following a pilot in downtown subway stations, this care-centred approach is set to expand to all subway stations in 2027, giving the TTC another option for responding to people in crisis without relying solely on police or enforcement.

Olivia Chow (Incumbent)

Yes

Chris Alexander

No response

Brad Bradford

No response

Imad Abdulkadir

No response

Bahira Abdulsalam

Yes

Jamie Atkinson

No response

Darrell Brown

No response

Brian Buffey

No response

Braeden Chow

 

No

Logan Choy

No response

Kevin Clarke

No response

Paul Collins

No response

Alex Cruze

No response

Roberto Curto

No response

Laura Dean

Yes

Habiba Desai

Yes

Cory Deville

Yes

Wincess Dorville

No response

Laura Ellis

No response

Martin Fraser

No response

Alton Frederick

No response

Edward Gong

No response

Faizan Haider

No response

Thomas Hall

No response

Peter Handjis

No response

Jack Hartley

No

Heather He

No response

Mohamad Kaaki

Yes

Georgios Kalkounis

No response

Isidoros Kyrlangitses

No response

Michael Lamoureux

No response

Rick Lee

No response

Reagan Levermany

No response

Eddie Mayanja

No response

Sarah McVie

No response

Francis Mercieca

No response

Joseph Osuji

No response

Odessa Paloma Parker

Yes

Gus Prokos

No response

Faisal Razi

No response

 Amy Rosen

No response

Lyall Sanders

Yes 

Naomi Sayers

No response

Robert Shusterman

Yes 

Sandeep Srivastava

No response

Weizhen Tang

No response

Joshua Thompson

Yes 

Kuo Yu Tong

No response

Jeffery Tunney

No response

Jack Weenen

No response

Henoke Yohannes

No response

Leila Yohannes

No response

Mostafa Zandkarimi

No response

16. Will you work towards installing platform edge doors across the subway system, starting with installation at busy stations like Bloor-Yonge Station this term?

Platform edge doors separate people and other debris from track level, keeping riders safe and service reliable. This means an 85% reduction in service interruptions, and countless lives saved. Cities around the world have installed platform edge doors in their existing subway systems, now it’s Toronto’s turn.

Olivia Chow (Incumbent)

Yes

Chris Alexander

No response

Brad Bradford

No response

Imad Abdulkadir

No response

Bahira Abdulsalam

Yes

Jamie Atkinson

No response

Darrell Brown

No response

Brian Buffey

No response

Braeden Chow

 

Yes 

Logan Choy

No response

Kevin Clarke

No response

Paul Collins

No response

Alex Cruze

No response

Roberto Curto

No response

Laura Dean

Yes

Habiba Desai

Yes

Cory Deville

Yes

Wincess Dorville

No response

Laura Ellis

No response

Martin Fraser

No response

Alton Frederick

No response

Edward Gong

No response

Faizan Haider

No response

Thomas Hall

No response

Peter Handjis

No response

Jack Hartley

Yes 

Heather He

No response

Mohamad Kaaki

Yes

Georgios Kalkounis

No response

Isidoros Kyrlangitses

No response

Michael Lamoureux

No response

Rick Lee

No response

Reagan Levermany

No response

Eddie Mayanja

No response

Sarah McVie

No response

Francis Mercieca

No response

Joseph Osuji

No response

Odessa Paloma Parker

Yes

Gus Prokos

No response

Faisal Razi

No response

 Amy Rosen

No response

Lyall Sanders

No

Naomi Sayers

No response

Robert Shusterman

Yes 

Sandeep Srivastava

No response

Weizhen Tang

No response

Joshua Thompson

Yes 

Kuo Yu Tong

No response

Jeffery Tunney

No response

Jack Weenen

No response

Henoke Yohannes

No response

Leila Yohannes

No response

Mostafa Zandkarimi

No response

17. Will you commit to more upstream solutions, such as more shelters, affordable, deeply affordable and supportive housing so Torontonians never have to choose the TTC as a safe place to sleep?

Olivia Chow (Incumbent)

Yes

Chris Alexander

No response

Brad Bradford

No response

Imad Abdulkadir

No response

Bahira Abdulsalam

Yes

Jamie Atkinson

No response

Darrell Brown

No response

Brian Buffey

No response

Braeden Chow

 

Yes 

Logan Choy

No response

Kevin Clarke

No response

Paul Collins

No response

Alex Cruze

No response

Roberto Curto

No response

Laura Dean

Yes

Habiba Desai

Yes

Cory Deville

Yes

Wincess Dorville

No response

Laura Ellis

No response

Martin Fraser

No response

Alton Frederick

No response

Edward Gong

No response

Faizan Haider

No response

Thomas Hall

No response

Peter Handjis

No response

Jack Hartley

Yes 

Heather He

No response

Mohamad Kaaki

Yes

Georgios Kalkounis

No response

Isidoros Kyrlangitses

No response

Michael Lamoureux

No response

Rick Lee

No response

Reagan Levermany

No response

Eddie Mayanja

No response

Sarah McVie

No response

Francis Mercieca

No response

Joseph Osuji

No response

Odessa Paloma Parker

Yes

Gus Prokos

No response

Faisal Razi

No response

 Amy Rosen

No response

Lyall Sanders

Yes 

Naomi Sayers

No response

Robert Shusterman

Yes 

Sandeep Srivastava

No response

Weizhen Tang

No response

Joshua Thompson

Yes 

Kuo Yu Tong

No response

Jeffery Tunney

No response

Jack Weenen

No response

Henoke Yohannes

No response

Leila Yohannes

No response

Mostafa Zandkarimi

No response

Some candidates offered extra comments about their position on TTC safety:

As Mayor, Olivia Chow has made record investments in safety on the TTC. She has hired 420+ new frontline safety staff, including new community service ambassadors, Streets to Homes crews, and Toronto Community Crisis Service workers, who are already working to make the TTC safer. She is committed to expanding TCCS mental health workers across the TTC, installing platform edge doors, and building the shelters, affordable, and supportive housing our city needs to get people the help they need. 

Safer TTC means care first: expand Toronto Community Crisis Service across the network; platform edge doors starting at busy stations like Bloor-Yonge; upstream housing and shelters so no one has to sleep on the TTC. More staff visibility, lighting, and frequent service — not blank-cheque enforcement. Community safety is built with neighbourhoods; mental-health crisis response belongs with trained crisis workers.

I believe that ttc enforcement or the police should be the first call when it comes to dealing with a potentially violent situation that can affect everyone riding the ttc. The police and ttc enforcement dont always need to lay a charge but i believe they have more of the training involved that is suited for handling serious situations.

The TTC cannot be a place for crime and loitering. More officers must be employed.

The TTC needs well trained security people (not fare inspectors), and enough strategically placed social workers to deal with crisis situations.   Let's make it even better, safer, more accessible and possible for everyone to ride.  

Safety on the system comes first, with violent crime first and crime/disorder addressed. I support rider-safety measures such as platform edge doors, continued crisis-response capacity, and upstream housing when delivered competently and accountably—without inventing a price tag or megaproject pledge. Fiscal discipline at the TTC means scrutinizing waste. Build the houses with actual units so people are not left to use the system as shelter.

I do not believe more police presence on the TTC is the solution.

Transit safety requires both immediate responses and long-term solutions. I support expanding appropriate non-police crisis-response options, improving the physical safety of stations, and addressing the housing and social conditions that can leave people without safe alternatives. Platform edge doors, better lighting, reliable service, accessible infrastructure and trained staff all contribute to a safer TTC. Everyone deserves to be able to use Toronto's transit system with dignity.

Safety must be a priority. Every rider deserves  a safe, clean and secure TTC.

Offence rates on the TTC have come down, but many riders still don't feel safe. I would look at the data on where incidents happen and why, allocate resources accordingly, and set measurable safety objectives that are reported publicly.
Someone in a mental health crisis needs a crisis worker, not a police response. I support expanding the Toronto Community Crisis Service across the network. I would also increase the visible presence of trained TTC staff, including officers with de-escalation and mental health experience, in major stations and circulating through the system.
Safety is also about conditions: well-kept, well-lit stations and actual platform screen doors, starting with the most crowded stations and expanding throughout the system. 
Transit should never be anyone's safest place to sleep. My top priority is ending chronic homelessness using a housing-first approach, maintaining emergency shelters while we build supportive housing with hospitals and other partners.

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