Office of the Chief Executive

The TTC kicked off Pride Month with a flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday. It was a great event and our partners, Singing Out, joined us for the event. Singing Out is Toronto’s largest 2SLGBTQQIA+ community choir.

As in previous years, we’ve wrapped a 94 Wellesley bus with Pride-themed artwork to celebrate the diversity of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities. During the Pride Toronto festival weekend from June 23 to 25, the TTC will have a booth at the StreetFair, and an eBus in the Trans and Dyke marches and the Pride Parade. A special thank you to Christina Whitfield, one of our employees in the Marketing and Customer Experience Department, who was the artist. I hope you will enjoy seeing the bus as much as I did earlier this week.

Recognizing Indigenous Peoples Month and Pride are important parts of our broader commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive transit system for everyone. This month, I encourage you to learn something new about these diverse communities.

TTC recognizes Indigenous Peoples Month
Yesterday, we marked the start of Indigenous Peoples Month with a Sunrise Ceremony at Wilson Complex. We will be holding two other Sunrise Ceremonies this month. One will be on June 21 at Hillcrest Complex to recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day and on June 30 to end the month. These are important opportunities for employees to learn more about Indigenous culture and ceremonies.

On Saturday, June 10, employees, pensioners, and their families are all invited to attend a celebration of Indigenous culture at Hillcrest Complex, which included dancers, music, food, and artisans all on full display. We’re also proud to be using Indigenous businesses, including Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin who will be catering the event. More information on this event is below and on our other communication channels.

Our campaign for Indigenous Peoples Month was led by Indigenous members from our Diversity and Culture Group. The theme for this year’s Indigenous Peoples Month campaign is Gathering and Sharing Stories. Stunning artwork by Toronto’s Indigenous artists, many of whom are two-spirited, will be showcased on vehicle wraps on buses and streetcars across the system. Indigenous stories are also being shared on posters in the subway system.

To find out more about how we’re recognizing this month you can visit ttc.ca/IndigenousPeoplesMonth.

Take care and stay safe.

Richard J. Leary
Chief Executive Officer
June 2, 2023