Introducing the TTC’s newest address: 250 Bloor St. E.

Starting in March, employees from Human Resources, IT Services and Streetcar departments begin moving into their new offices in the Manulife Building on Bloor Street.

The building is located a short walk from both Bloor-Yonge Station on Lines 1 and 2 and Sherbourne Station on Line 2. Last year, the TTC leased 66,000 square feet of space over a 10-year term to address a shortfall in office space and to provide ample time to conduct the needed work to consolidate the company’s long-term office requirements. Since then, Property Planning and Development and Construction – Project Management staff have been busy preparing for the transition. 

“The building is midway between Bloor-Yonge and Sherbourne subway stations and many amenities are within walking distance,” says Development Co-ordinator Virginia Dabrus. “There are a number of restaurants, grocery stores, and coffee shops in the area as well as banks and all the shops, which can be accessed by the underground shopping mall between the Hudson Bay Centre and Bay Street.”

The TTC is taking up three floors. Human Resources (109 staff) will be on the 11th floor and part of the 12th floor; Streetcar (about 92 staff) will share the 12th floor with HR; and IT Services (127 staff at full complement) will occupy the 13th floor. Each floor has good-sized offices, plenty of file space and a kitchenette area.

TTC staff will have access to a lunchroom in the lower level of the building, which is also furnished with an indoor Tim Horton’s coffee shop. There is also an ATM machine and a small convenience store for quick purchases. 250 Bloor St. E. is equipped with a fitness centre for all its tenants and a conference room next door that can be rented for large meetings and seminars.

Here’s a breakdown of the departments on each floor:

Human Resources – 11th and 12th floor
Sections: Chief People Officer Gemma Piemontese; Administration, Employment Services (including Workforce Administration), Employee Relations, Benefit Services, Compensation Services, Employee Development, Occupational Health and Claims Management, and Policy Development.

Streetcar – 12th floor
Sections: Head Stephen Lam; LRV Engineering, Overhead Engineering, Way Engineering; and Streetcar Way.

IT Services – 13th floor
Sections: Project Management (50 per cent), SAP Software Project, CAD/AVL (Vision) Project.

Do buildings have a 13th floor?

Depends on how superstitious the original developer was and how high the building. Some do and some do not have a 13th floor. In some cases the omission is a numbering convention. However, for tall buildings the architects and engineers will frequently put the intermediate mechanical rooms on the 13th floor and bypass the issue. If that’s the case, since the floor is not occupied, passenger elevators will not show a 13th floor on their panels and a 13th floor will not appear on the building directory. – Property, Planning and Development