The Toronto Transit Commission is going to start calling out bad behaviour on its subway platforms, but the downtown pilot project is already getting mixed reviews.
TTC riders at Dundas and Union stations will be the first to hear the new voice over the loudspeaker, naming and shaming people who are allegedly committing crimes or bothering other passengers. According to TTC Chair and Coun. Jamaal Myers, transit staff will closely monitor cameras throughout the stations and deliver ‘real-time announcements,’ meaning if they see something, they’ll say something.
“We’re going to be calling out specific people who are engaging in anti-social behaviour and telling them to stop, and if they don’t, appropriate steps will be taken,” explained Myers.
“However, we will be making a distinction between someone engaging in anti-social behaviour versus someone who is unhoused or someone having some sort of mental health crisis.”
Experts say this is simply not the way to deal with people who are potentially in crisis and that it goes against other initiatives by the TTC.
“We have a motion from our last council meeting that is going to bring more crisis workers onto the TTC, we’re actually investing in supports for people in crisis who may be homeless who may be using drugs and I feel like this naming and shaming scheme of calling out bad behaviours on the TTC is actually going to undermine that work,” said Diana Chan McNally, a member with the Housing Rights Advisory Committee
Many of the commuters CityNews spoke to say they’d rather see the TTC put more resources into addressing these behaviours than simply calling them out.
“That could make someone paranoid and do something worse,” said one commuter when asked about the new process.
“They might act out more, and they might do something reckless because of the attention they’re getting from other people,” added another.
“That feels a little creepy, a bit Big Brother,” said another. “The bottom line is we need more people, more outreach people, more people on the ground who can work with them one-on-one.”
An exact launch date for the pilot project has yet to be announced.
