Toronto exploring if it’s legal to make masks mandatory on TTC, Tory says

Mayor John Tory says the city is looking at whether it’s legally possible to require commuters to wear masks on the TTC.

Thestar.com
June 3, 2020

And on Friday he announced a coalition of banks, universities and other large organizations that have committed to allow the majority of their employees to work from home until at least September to continue limiting the risk of spread.

“The TTC has made it clear that as ridership starts to increase again, the ability for people to physically distance themselves in transit vehicles will diminish very quickly,” Tory said at a press conference at city hall on Friday afternoon. “This will be one of our biggest challenges of the restart and post-COVID Toronto.”

Tory said they thought it would only be responsible to look into mandatory mask use as they consider all options as part of the reopening plan for the city, but haven’t made any determinations yet.

In the meantime, officials are strongly recommending wearing face coverings when taking transit as the city works to create alternatives with new bike lanes, approved at council on Thursday, and streets closed to vehicle traffic.

The organizations that have agreed to prioritize working from home include many of the major financial institutions and schools largely concentrated in the downtown core -- along with the City of Toronto itself.

They are: The Bank of Montreal, Canada Life, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Centennial College, Deloitte Canada, EY Canada, George Brown College, Humber College, KPMG Canada, Manulife, National Bank, OCAD University, PwC Canada, Rogers Communications, Royal Bank of Canada, Ryerson University, Scotiabank, Seneca College, Sun Life Financial, TD Bank, the University of Toronto, Yamana Gold Inc., York University and Zurich Canada.

Saad Rafi, who is leading the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild, said there was a “high degree of co-operation” from businesses about working from home, saying the pandemic has been especially challenging for corporations where team-based and flexible workspaces were becoming the norm.

The TTC has said it isn’t up to the transit agency to compel passengers to wear masks, and has raised concerns about how such a rule would be enforced.

“The direction to wear masks would have to come from government or public health officials along with a mechanism to support such direction that would not put TTC employees in conflict with customers,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said in an email earlier this month.

Tory said Friday that how such an order would be enforced and who is best to make an order like that is part of what the city is considering.

At meeting of the agency’s board on May 13, TTC CEO Rick Leary said wearing a mask on transit, particularly when social distancing isn’t possible, was “prudent advice.” But he stopped short of saying all passengers must wear face coverings.

“We are in lockstep with Toronto Public Health, and everything we do is with the advice of (Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa),” he said. “We will keep you aware of her direction.”

A public awareness campaign the transit agency has launched on social media and elsewhere during the pandemic says: “We strongly recommend customers wear a cloth mask or face covering when travelling on the TTC.”

Normally, the TTC carries about 1.8 million riders every day. Since the start of the pandemic, ridership has dropped by about 85 per cent and in response the agency has reduced service by about 20 per cent.

Despite crowding on some of its bus routes, the agency says it is currently able to operate enough vehicles to allow passengers to practice safe social distancing.

However, its ability to safely carry riders will be put under pressure if passengers return in large numbers as the economy reopens and more people venture out to work and go shopping.

The agency has said that space constraints on its vehicles mean that it can safely carry about 30 per cent of its regular ridership, but that would require ramping service back up to pre-crisis levels. If ridership increases to more than 30 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels, it will no longer be able to provide for social distancing across the network.

The province began lifting constraints on non-essential businesses at the start of last week, but the TTC has yet to report a significant rebound in ridership.

Agency spokesperson Stuart Green said the network saw a ridership increase of about two to three per cent last week compared to the week before. Most of the increase was on bus routes.

“We’ll continue to monitor the trends and the busier routes, and adjust service as needed,” he said.

Metrolinx, the provincial agency that operates GO Transit, also hasn’t made masks mandatory for riders.

Agency CEO Phil Verster said in an interview that Metrolinx considered the idea but rejected it because “there are many reasons why some people can’t wear face coverings,” such as medical conditions that cause breathing difficulties, and mental health issues like claustrophobia.

Transit agencies elsewhere in the province have taken a different approach. In Ottawa, OC Transpo will require passengers and riders to wear masks, effective June 15, as part of the agency’s recovery plans.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city’s medical officer of health, said the number of people working from home has been a “critical step” in reducing the spread of the virus and keeping front-line workers safe. She also noted the challenges people have faced acclimatizing to those changes and offered advice on staying healthy at home, including creating a consistent routine.

“This will be the new normal for a while so it’s important to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up for success,” she said.