Union demands full safety audit to curb violence against TTC workers

In just two years working as a bus driver for the Toronto Transit Commission, Shawn Bredin has been assaulted three times.

The first time, he was slashed with a knife and held at gunpoint.

"I didn't know that this was a lot more than somebody would see in 30 years," he told CBC Toronto.

The other two attacks happened within the last month. In one instance, a man threw water in Bredin's face. In the other, Bredin was pepper-sprayed, then repeatedly hit in the face.

As a result, the union representing TTC employees is calling for a full safety audit — and Bredin is asking for more respect.

"The general public doesn't view us as human beings," he said.

"We're only shown in the media when we have done something wrong, when TTC is at fault. People don't know what we go through on a daily basis. This becomes frustrating for us."

Held at gunpoint

Bredin's first assault, the most serious of the three, happened Aug. 27, 2016. It was midnight at Eglinton Station and he had gone into an employees-only area to use the washroom.

"When I opened the door and stepped out, before I even had a chance to fathom what was going on, I had been sliced in the stomach and punched in the face," he said. 

People don't know what we go through on a daily basis.- Shawn Bredin, TTC Driver

What saved his life, Bredin said, was the back brace he wears while driving after sustaining a back injury in 2013. The knife cut through his shirt, but the brace protected his skin.

After that, Bredin says he threw himself at the man, landed on top of him and started swinging.

"I thought he had passed out or I knocked him out, so I stood up and reached in my pocket to get my cell phone," he said. "Before I could get it to my ear he jolted awake, reached into his pants and pulled a gun."

"I took a couple steps backwards, he held the gun to my face for what felt like a long time — it was probably only a few seconds — and he just told me to get back into the washroom."

When the door closed, Bredin noticed he had also been slashed in the face. Doctors told him he was lucky he didn't lose an eye.

All three attacks against Bredin happened at Eglinton Station.

"The number one problem is that it's Yonge and Eglinton," he said. "It's one of the biggest intersections in the city, and west of the entrance and the south entrance are completely open. Even when the station is shut down at 2 a.m., anybody at any time can just walk in and do what they feel like."

Bredin said the assaults have taken a toll on his mental health. At times, he feels afraid to go to work.

Kevin Morton, the secretary-treasurer for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said the TTC needs to look into how safe each station is — particularly for employees.

"The TTC has so much construction ongoing that the safety integrity of these stations has been compromised," Morton said. "They've changed openings, they've changed walkways, they've changed entrances, they have all kinds of scaffolding... and the areas that used to be considered safe or at least protected are open.

"It's just crazy. We've got to do something."

TTC response

Stuart Green, a spokesperson for the TTC, said a transit employee is assaulted every one to two days. Those assaults include everything from having coffee thrown on them, being spat on, or being punched.

Bredin said verbal assault is even more common.

"If I'm not verbally assaulted 15-20 times a day then it's been a really slow day," he said.

Green said several measures are in place to protect employees. Older models of streetcars and buses have driver shields, collector booths are made of bullet-proof glass, and transit enforcement officers are assigned to various routes.

He said operators' safety is of paramount concern.

"The last thing we want to see is any of our operators be assaulted."

Bredin said the TTC has been "great" in their response to his assaults. But when it comes to a permanent solution to the problem of violence against operators, he's not sure what that could look like. 

One thing is clear to Bredin, though.

"We need the same respect our passengers want."