Corporate Notice: TTC policies during an election year

Municipal elections, including the City of Toronto election, will be held province-wide on Monday, October 24, 2022. This is a reminder to ensure that you are familiar with and abiding by the TTC’s policies related to engaging with elected officials.

Policy 3.4.1 (Use of TTC Resources During an Election) provides guidance for employees on how TTC resources can and cannot be used during election campaigns. This includes everything from what activities are and are not allowed during an election, to how to engage with members of Council during an election year.

Policy 13.1.1 (Advertising on TTC Property) covers the criteria for the acceptability of advertising on TTC property and the process by which the advertising will be reviewed.

Some important points to remember:
• Canvassing or campaigning is permitted at subway station entrances, as well as inside subway stations, but only in the unpaid areas of the station.

• Customer and employee safety comes first. A candidate and/or volunteers may be asked by TTC personnel to canvass outside a station during particularly busy periods, or in the event of an emergency.

• Canvassing or campaigning is not permitted on any TTC vehicle (bus, streetcar, subway train, SRT train or Wheel-Trans bus).

• Candidates are permitted to conduct media interviews, events and photo opportunities outside or adjacent to a TTC facility or subway station. No media events or interviews are permitted inside any TTC facility or vehicle.

• Candidates are not required to submit any documentation to the TTC in advance; permits are not required.

Chrisanne Finnerty, Director – Commission Services, is the primary TTC contact and all information requests from candidates should be brought to her attention as soon as they are received. Chrisanne will issue all the responses to the candidates. TTC employees should not directly respond to a candidates’ request for information. Employees will need to provide an estimate of how quickly the requested information can be prepared so that the details can be provided to the City of Toronto Elections Office.

Please contact Chrisanne Finnerty at chrisanne.finnerty@ttc.ca or by phone at 416-393-3744 should you receive candidate requests for information, or have further questions.

The TTC has also developed a protocol for responding to information requests from candidates running in the municipal election. This protocol follows the City of Toronto’s protocol to ensure a comprehensive, consistent and transparent approach to responding to requests.

The protocol ensures all candidates have access to the same information, as follows:
• Responses should be provided within three business days of receiving them;

• It’s important to distinguish requests received from individual councillors still conducting ward business versus councillors who are requesting information as a candidate;

• Only information suitable for public release will be made available;

• Information should be released automatically or as part of routine disclosure wherever possible;

• The TTC will not be accommodating requests for personal meetings or tours of facilities with candidates; providing this opportunity to one candidate means accommodating all candidates’ requests for meetings and tours;

• All responses will be forwarded to City staff who will in turn post information on the City’s election webpage in a question-and-answer format without revealing the source of the request.

If you have any questions, please contact Chrisanne Finnerty, Director – Commission Services, at chrisanne.finnerty@ttc.ca.

Corporate Notice issued on August 18, 2022
The TTC Policy and Instruction Manual is available on the Intranet (internal website).