Celebrating diversity this October

Celebrating diversity this October

At the TTC, we are committed to building an organization that truly represents and reflects the diversity of the city we serve. And while there is still a lot of work ahead of us, there is also a lot to celebrate. In October specifically, the TTC is proud to recognize Women’s History Month, Latin American Heritage Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month. Keep an eye out throughout October to learn more about these important recognition dates.

This year’s Women’s History Month theme is women making history now. Throughout the month, we will feature some of the amazing women who are part of TTC’s history and present. We owe so much of TTC’s successes to their achievements, and the accomplishments of so many other trailblazers. Find these features on our social media channels, employee TV screens and here, in our weekly newsletter. We will also highlight some of the progress we’ve made so far to transform the TTC into a more equitable organization.

Last year, in our 10-Point Action Plan on Diversity and Inclusion, we made a commitment to hire more women, and I’m proud to share that we are on track to meet our goal of hiring four women in every 10 operators by the end of 2021. This year, we also hit another milestone for women at the TTC as we had our first-ever all-women Transit Operator Class graduate in August.

This month, we are also partnering with the Toronto and Region Chapter of COMTO to host a virtual session on October 13. We’ll welcome Carmen Garcia, former Assistant Vice-President, Office of Diversity at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The event is important as Carmen will share her experiences growing up in a school system where she was segregated due to her Latin heritage as well as the challenges she faced being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Later this month, we will host our 14th Public Forum on Accessible Transit. This event is held annually to hear from the public about the accessibility of conventional TTC and door-to-door (Wheel-Trans) public transit services in Toronto. Learn more and register for this virtual event on October 21.

Vaccination clinics continue

Don’t forget – as part of our Mandatory Vaccine Policy, TTC employees must have their second vaccine dose by October 30. To make it easier for people to get their vaccination, we’ve held more than 35 clinics on TTC properties for our workforce and their families and administered more than 6,900 vaccine doses. And we have 16 more coming soon, including clinics next week at Arrow Road, McNicoll, Birchmount and Eglinton divisions as well as Victoria Park and Wilson stations.

Once you receive your vaccine, be sure to update your status using the Vaccination Portal at myttc.ttc.ca or by e-mailing vaccine.info@ttc.ca.

As we head into the long weekend, I hope you take some well-deserved time to relax and rejuvenate. In particular, for Mental Health Day this Sunday, I encourage you to explore some of the resources in this week’s newsletter to discover some helpful tools and mindful ways we can all take care.

Stay safe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Richard J. Leary

Chief Executive Officer

October 8, 2021