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:

16. 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.

Frances Nunziata (Incumbent)	Yes
Sharmarke Ali	No response
Matthew Boateng	No response
Daniel Di Giorgio	No response
Nekpen Obasogie	No response
Chiara Padovani	Yes
Sileen Phillips	Yes

17. 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.

Frances Nunziata (Incumbent)	Yes
Sharmarke Ali	No response
Matthew Boateng	No response
Daniel Di Giorgio	No response
Nekpen Obasogie	No response
Chiara Padovani	Yes
Sileen Phillips	Yes

18. 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?

Frances Nunziata (Incumbent)	Yes
Sharmarke Ali	No response
Matthew Boateng	No response
Daniel Di Giorgio	No response
Nekpen Obasogie	No response
Chiara Padovani	Yes
Sileen Phillips	Yes

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

Chiara Padovani

The TTC was never meant to be a shelter system, but the housing crisis and lack of proper supports mean some people have nowhere else to go. As a tenant organizer who has helped block hundreds of evictions, I know how close so many are to being on the street and how close they could have come to sheltering in TTC stations.

We need to keep people housed and also make sure the people who need help can receive it from properly trained and resourced programs. TTC workers do a heroic job but they are not social workers, and they need support.

I’ll push for provincial and federal funding to help pay for platform edge doors that save lives and cut delays. I’ll also fight to make sure that any new projects that require safety measures like platform edge doors get things right the first time, so we aren’t paying for it later with expensive add-ons.

Sileen Phillips

I support strengthening safety and wellbeing across the TTC, including expanding non‑police crisis response, advancing upstream solutions that reduce homelessness, and exploring major safety upgrades such as platform edge doors. These are important goals that can improve the experience of riders and better support people in vulnerable situations. At the same time, each of these initiatives depends on factors that extend beyond the authority of a single councillor, including intergovernmental funding, TTC operational capacity, staffing levels, engineering feasibility, and coordination with multiple City divisions and external partners. I will advocate for these improvements and support moving them forward wherever they are feasible, properly resourced, and supported by evidence.