FROM THE CEO: TTC Board Highlights

Yesterday, I joined Mayor Olivia Chow, TTC Chair Jamaal Myers, and our dedicated staff to announce a comprehensive action plan to enhance safety across our transit system. Together with TTC Special Constables, Provincial Offences Officers, station employees, Operators, and community partners, we introduced our Community Safety, Security, and Well-being Plan. Safety and security are our cornerstones. We have expanded high-visibility teams, improved incident response, and strengthened social support. The data confirms our approach is effective, and we will persist until every customer feels safe on every trip.

Earlier this week, I addressed the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Co-Chairs Forum, commending our JHSCs for their invaluable contributions. These 55 committees exemplify the commitment the TTC devotes to safety. World-class organizations don’t just manage safety, they embody it. It’s reflected in our habits, our tone, and our leadership, even when no one is watching.

As I highlighted at the forum, the antidote to complacency is curiosity. We must ask “why” before something goes wrong. Pride is the antidote to shortcuts. Take the time to do things right, not just quickly. Respect is the antidote to risk. Respect for each other, our customers, and the families waiting for us at home. Removing barriers to safe behaviours is a shared responsibility among management, unions, JHSCs, and the Safety and Environment team. Our goal is simple: everyone goes home in the same condition they arrived.

Teamwork was in the spotlight at this week’s TTC Board meeting, where it was my privilege to publicly thank our Provincial Offences Officers Cameron Dale and Ferdinand Wheeler.

During the morning rush on October 3, while conducting fare inspections at Finch Station, they were approached by a person experiencing a severe mental health crisis. The man was intending to act on his thoughts. Thanks to their calm presence, empathy, and effective de-escalation techniques, the situation was resolved safely and without incident. Their professionalism and teamwork made a meaningful difference at a critical moment.

While the Blue Jays’ World Series loss was disappointing, their resilience and never-give-up spirit inspire us. Throughout the series, our team delivered outstanding service to customers. I spent two hours with the impressive TTC team at Union Station as crowds of fans arrived for game seven. Special thanks to Oneil Savariau, Group Stations Manager, and every team member who was on deck that night.

We learned what went well and, more importantly, what we can improve. One area for growth is our communication about service during special events. We must ensure our customers, City partners, and transportation colleagues are informed and prepared. Early in the new year, we will report back to the Board with a Late-Night Service for Special Events Policy, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in service delivery.

With gratitude and resolve,

Mandeep S. Lali
​Chief Executive Officer
​November 7, 2025 

TTC Board Highlights
​TTC Board Meeting November 3, 2025

Board members commend/congratulate TTC employees
​Board members applauded Provincial Offences Officers Cameron Dale and Ferdinand Wheeler. During the morning rush on October 3, while conducting fare inspections at Finch Station, Officers Dale and Wheeler were approached by a person experiencing a severe mental health crisis. The situation was resolved without incident, thanks to their effective de-escalation techniques and co-ordinated response. Their professionalism, empathy, and calm presence clearly made a meaningful difference at a critical moment.

TTC's Community Safety, Security, and Well-being Plan 2024-2028
​Commissioners unanimously approved our Community Safety, Security, and Well-being Plan (2024-2028). The Plan outlines how the TTC will implement actions to achieve its goal of improving and strengthening community safety, security, and well-being using a compassionate and people-first approach.

The Plan is supported by community safety resources that provide high-visibility presence, social support for individuals in need, and incident management and response. The TTC has expanded these resources since 2023, recognizing their importance in improving safety by preventing, de-escalating, and managing incidents.

The TTC reviewed its current position on individuals using the system for non-transit purposes and implemented an updated protocol in October 2025. The updated protocol introduced targeted actions and focused on proactive measures to strengthen safety and security on the system. This included addressing issues, such as fare evasion, sheltering, loitering, and panhandling, all of which impact the customer experience.

2026 Annual Network Plan
​Commissioners approved the 2026 Annual Network Plan, including its associated recommended route changes outlined in Appendix 5 – Roads with Transit Service Added or Removed. 2. Direct staff to forward the 2026 Annual Network Plan to all City Councillors, the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services, General Manager of Transportation Services, Chief Planner, as well as the General Managers of Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, Metrolinx, MiWay, and York Region Transit.

Commissioners also passed the following motions:

1. The TTC Board approve providing service on Queen’s Plate Drive, subject to funding, consistent with the proposal identified in the 2026 Annual Network Plan, enabling the TTC to deliver service on the following roadways for a minimum one-year trial period:

  • Queen’s Plate Drive between Rexdale Boulevard and Bethridge Road.

  • Bethridge Road between Kipling Avenue and Highway 27.

  • Precision Road between Rexdale Boulevard and Bethridge Road.

  • Vice Regent Boulevard between Queen’s Plate Drive and Highway 27.

2. The TTC Board direct staff to report back through the 2027 Annual Network Plan process on the performance of the trial service, including recommendations on whether the service should be made permanent.

3. That this decision be transmitted to City Council for consideration in the 2026 City Budget process, with a request that City Council provide the necessary operating and capital funding to implement the proposed routing extension and associated stop infrastructure.

• Estimated annual operating cost for weekday, peak-only service is $467,000, based on 3,500 annual service hours.

• Estimated capital cost to construct 16 new stops (eight in each direction) with front-door landings only is approximately $450,000, inclusive of contingencies.

Direct TTC staff to monitor service performance and customer feedback about surface network changes for Line 5 and Line 6 and, where required, and develop and communicate mitigation plans with customers and affected local Councillors.

The 2026 Annual Network Plan (ANP) continues to prioritize the needs of three key priority groups identified in the 2024-2028 5-Year Service and Customer Experience Action Plan (5YSP): women, shift workers and lower-income customers. The 5-Year Plan identifies additional investment for services to meet new travel patterns; subject to the provision of this funding, some recommendations may be deferred.

The plan has been rebranded as the Annual Network Plan (ANP) this year. Previously known as the Annual Service Plan, the new title better reflects its focus on route enhancements, network design and improvements to key customer connections.

The 2026 ANP is developed in conjunction with the 2026 Operating Budget. The 2026 Operating Budget allocates additional funding to address base cost pressures necessary to sustain current service levels.

Bunching and Gapping Pilot Project Update
​After receiving a TTC/York University presentation, Board members received the preliminary outcomes of the TTC’s Bunching and Gapping Pilot, launched in March 2025.

Commissioners passed a motion requesting TTC staff report back to the TTC’s Strategic Planning Committee as part of consideration for 2026 budget priorities on the resource requirements, staffing, and operational needs to sustain a full-year Bunching and Gapping Pilot in 2026 as well as the feasibility of expanding the pilot to additional key routes across the city to improve service and reliability.

The pilot targets 11 high-priority routes selected based on performance and operational impact. They are: 7 Bathurst, 24 Victoria Park, 924 Victoria Park Express, 25 Don Mills, 925 Don Mills Express, 29 Dufferin, 929 Dufferin Express, 100 Flemington Park, 165 Weston Road North, 506 Carlton, and 512 St Clair.

On September 7, 2025, two additional routes, 100 Flemingdon Park and 165 Weston Road North, were incorporated into the focused supervision model, expanding this dedicated oversight to these corridors and further supporting service reliability improvements.

As of October 2025, the pilot was further refined to focus performance specifically on weekday morning and afternoon peak periods, enabling more accurate identification and resolution of service reliability challenges. The remaining four pilot routes remain under regular monitoring within the broader service management, with preliminary data helping to determine whether targeted interventions may be needed in the future.

Overall, the 2025 results demonstrate that routes with dedicated supervision, active management, and transit signal improvements have shown measurable gains in service reliability. The added supervision on select routes has proven effective in improving punctuality at terminals where fully implemented, and early improvements on newly added routes reinforce its scalability.

The pilot is attempting to improve performance centred on bunching (vehicles too close together) and gapping (vehicles too far apart) that disrupt service regularity, reduce capacity, and lower customer satisfaction.

Transit Network Expansion Update
​Board members received for information the Transit Network Expansion Update. Highlights include:

• Line 5 Eglinton – Metrolinx has initiated the Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) in October 2025.

• Line 6 Finch West – Metrolinx has initiated the RSD in September 2025.

• Line 2 Extension – The TTC is actively collaborating with Metrolinx on the Scarborough Subway Extension (SSE). The SSE Automatic Train Control option has been included as part of the ongoing Line 2 ATC procurement. This will provide an opportunity to maximize the benefit from the ATC system and the New Subway Trains for the entire Line 2 service on the opening day of SSE and beyond.

• Line 1 Extension and Capacity Enhancement – The TTC and the City are updating the future ridership demand model for the transit network up to the 2051 horizon year. Meanwhile, Metrolinx is delivering 5 new stations for the Yonge North Subway Extension (YNSE), providing new stations in York Region across the following lower-tier municipalities: Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill.

• Ontario Line – Subject to the next phase of the New Deal negotiation between the City and the Province, the TTC continues to work with Metrolinx to confirm the details of the TTC’s roles and responsibilities for the operations of the Ontario Line.

• Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) – In August 2025, Metrolinx selected Trillium Rail Partners to deliver the Stations, Rail and Systems (SRS) package for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension under a Progressive Design Build (PDB) procurement model. The TTC will continue to work with Metrolinx to ensure interoperability between Line 5 Eglinton and ECWE.

Asset Management – UITP Peer Review – Management Response
​The Board authorized the release of the Asset and Maintenance Management – International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Peer Review, with redactions applied to protect security of property and systems, along with the TTC Management Response.

Since September 2024 UITP has carried out a high-level strategic review as per the terms of reference and has provided the TTC with a report that details its findings and recommendations. The UITP peer review team presented their findings to the TTC Audit and Risk Management Committee on September 22, 2025. The committee recommended that the peer review report be referred to the Board pending management’s response to the issues raised. At its October 6, 2025 meeting, the TTC Board resolved to release the report upon receiving management responses.

Updates to the Human Resources Committee Terms of Reference
​The TTC Board approved the People, Culture and Governance Committee Terms of Reference. The Terms of Reference broaden the Committee’s mandate to include people, culture, governance, diversity, equity and inclusion.

The HR Committee (renamed the People, Culture and Governance Committee) has defined accountabilities across seven key areas: Labour Relations, Succession Planning, Organizational Culture (including Access, Equity, and Inclusion), Health and Safety, CEO Performance and Evaluation, Code of Conduct and Ethics Reporting, and Governance.

Motion without Notice
​Commissioners passed a Motion without Notice by TTC Chair Jamaal Myers requesting TTC staff to report back to the TTC Board with a Late-Night Service for Special Events Policy. The Board approved the following recommendations:

• Direct the CEO, in consultation with the TTC’s Union partners, to report back to the TTC Board with a Late-Night Service for Special Events Policy that includes:

  a. Criteria for when late-night service should be extended to serve major special events, on what routes, and for how long;

  b. Ensuring the TTC has adequate personnel to staff such late-night service;

  c. Guidance for communications planning, including to outline key details that should be included; and

  d. Collaboration and participation in the Toronto Police Service Major Incident Command Centre, City of Toronto Emergency Operations Centre, and other event-specific event command centres.

• Request the Metrolinx CEO to co-ordinate with the TTC CEO on the planning of service, scheduling, capacity, and communication of public transit for major special events to ensure alignment across the TTC, UP Express, and GO Transit systems.

Next meeting of the TTC Board
​The next scheduled TTC Board meeting will be on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

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