OTTAWA (May 7,
2013) – Thirty-one leaders with the Canadian Council of the Amalgamated Transit
Union (ATU) have come to Ottawa to convince the Government of Canada that their
members – 30,000 strong – need more protection from a growing number of on-duty
assaults.
“It’s becoming increasingly more dangerous for our members to
do their jobs,” says Mike Mahar, Director of the Canadian Council. “The frequency
and severity of attacks on on-duty transit workers continues to rise. In
Canada, 40 per cent of bus operators are assaulted on duty during the course of
their careers.”
The ATU wants the federal government to strengthen the
deterrent against such violence through an amendment to the Criminal Code that
would mandate that an assault on on-duty transit operators qualify as an aggravating
factor for sentencing purposes.
ATU representatives will be discussing the issue with
Members of Parliament and Senators today.
The ATU is supported in its campaign by the Canadian Urban
Transit Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Police
Associations, and numerous MPs and Senators.
Right now, the laws aren’t adequately protecting us,” says Mahar.
“There have been cases where one of our members has been attacked by an
assailant in the morning. The assailant has been arrested by police, released,
and then has returned in the afternoon to assault the member again.”
Mahar believes “such individuals should be prosecuted to the
full extent of the law. The change to the Criminal Code we’re requesting will
ensure that they are.”
Mahar observes that transit operators frequently work alone,
and during all hours of the day and night. They work in a compartment with no
escape route, and many times are in complete or near isolation. All of this
leaves operators far more vulnerable than the average worker.
Despite years of increased efforts by the transit industry
to reduce the number of assaults through training, real time support and the
installation of cameras, the attacks continue to rise. The assaults range from
being spat on, to being punched, to knife attacks and sexual assault. Many of
these injuries are life-threatening and career-ending.
All of them are degrading and criminal.
“The assaults on our members cannot be tolerated,” says
Mahar. “At a time when public transit needs to grow to support commerce in
areas like Toronto and Hamilton, many are leaving the industry because of these
threats –and many are choosing not to enter it.”