What to know
- Police say the employee sustained non-life-threatening injuries; a suspect was arrested at the scene.
- The incident comes amid rising hate-motivated cases on the TTC, though overall crime has dropped since 2022.
- TTC leaders emphasize safety remains the top priority, citing new measures like increased police patrols and expanded crisis-response teams.
- The TTC’s new 2024–2028 safety plan includes more outreach workers, enhanced station improvements, strengthened employee training, and updated public-awareness campaigns.
Transit officials are reacting after a TTC employee was stabbed at TMU station on Wednesday, but the transit agency is reinforcing its commitment to safety with a plan released earlier this month. Here’s what you need to know.
At around 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Toronto Police Services (TPS) said it responded to a stabbing report at TMU Station (formerly Dundas Station).
According to police, the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and was transported to the hospital. A male suspect was arrested on scene and later also transported to the hospital with injuries.
Subway service on TMU Station was suspended due to police activity, and resumed at around 7:45 p.m., according to TTC.
TTC CEO Mandeep Lali issued a statement after the incident, saying he was “deeply disturbed” by the attack, and thanked police for arresting the suspect.
“We are deeply disturbed by the violent attack on one of our employees at Dundas Station today. This is an unacceptable act against someone dedicated to serving our customers and our city,” he said. “Our thoughts are with our employee and their loved ones, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery.”
The CEO also highlighted that safety remains a top priority for the TTC, citing their new safety program, which includes having police patrol subway stations and trains.
“We are working closely with [police] to ensure accountability and prevent such incidents. Violence has no place on the TTC.”
The incident takes place less than a month after a woman was arrested in connection to a hate-motivated incident aboard a subway train on Bloor-Yonge Station. The incident signals a concerning trend of hate-motivated incidents in the TTC, which have increased by 88 per cent in 2024 compared to the year before.
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TTC FACES SAFETY ISSUES
Although the TTC has recently made headlines with security incidents, the agency says it has seen progress since 2022, including:
- Crime rates have reached their lowest levels in three years, with offences against customers and employees down by 28 per cent and 38 per cent, respectively;
- Customer satisfaction rose from 57 per cent to 64 per cent;
- Customer complaints about safety are back at pre-pandemic levels, having decreased by 56 per cent;
- TTC satisfaction overall rose from 72 per cent in July, 2025 to 75 per cent in August, 2025;
- Use of the SafeTTC app rose by nine per cent since July 2025.
“Safety is paramount to all we do. Our customers and employees not only need to be safe, they need to feel safe,” a TTC spokesperson told Now Toronto.
“By any objective measure the TTC is safe. We move millions of trips a day without incident, but we can never and will never take that for granted.”
According to the spokesperson, despite recent progress, the TTC has been facing increased safety concerns since the pandemic, a trend that’s been observed globally.
“The TTC and most transit agencies in North America are seeing more people with complex challenges seeking shelter on transit, which is why we have increased, enhanced and modified our approach to this issue.”
TTC UNVEILS NEW SAFETY PLAN
On Nov. 3, the TTC board also approved its new Community Safety, Security, and Well-being Plan, a plan that details actions the agency is taking to improve community safety and well-being between now and 2028, including improving communication, collaboration with police and social services, and more.
Expansion of Social Services
The TTC launched a pilot program, which sends Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) workers to patrol Line 1 Stations “within the downtown ‘U’” to provide mental health crisis intervention and connect those in need with appropriate support.
Housing-related support program Streets to Homes will also be deploying 10 additional outreach workers to complement coverage in other areas of the TTC, including a transport bus initiative.
Both initiatives were launched on Nov. 15, as part of a six-month pilot program.
Criminal Code Amendments
As part of the plan, the TTC is also advocating for the Government of Canada to consider amending the subsection 269.01 of the Criminal Code to include not only operators but all transit workers. The provision is an aggravating factor for sentencing in assault cases, which provides a reason for harsher sentencing for those who assault public transit operators on duty.
Customer and Employee Campaigns
The TTC is also working to increase public awareness of their safety tools, including the SafeTTC app. The app includes an option where customers can discreetly report emergencies and incidents. Starting this November, the TTC released a customer campaign to improve awareness of this and other resources within the app.
Community PEERS Pilot Program
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, the TTC also led a Community PEERS Pilot Program, which provided sessions to students about transit safety and issues with violence and fare evasion. Now, the agency is expanding the pilot to the 2025-2026 school year, hoping to tackle youth violence in the system.
Workplace Violence and Training for Employees
The TTC has also been working to provide more training for frontline workers to deal with incidents with the public, as well as workplace-related issues. The training includes de-escalation, assessing and controlling risks, establishing ways to obtain immediate assistance, providing reporting processes, and ensuring incidents are investigated.
Stations Improvements
The TTC is also making physical improvements to its station, including ongoing enhancements to cleanliness and infrastructure at Finch, Kennedy, Scarborough Town Centre, Spadina, Dundas, and Lansdowne stations, expanding CCTV coverage, and expanding 5G wireless service in subway tunnels.
Naming and shaming people for breaking the rules
Earlier this month, the agency also announced a pilot program, which includes calling out customers through station speakers, if they are seen “vandalizing TTC property, using drugs, or being aggressive to fellow passengers.”
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The pilot will first begin at Dundas and Union stations, and will gradually be expanded to other stations.
