TTC officials approved plans to move forward with random alcohol and drug testing for employees at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said they would also look at using new, non-invasive tests like optical scanners to administer the tests.

The TTC would be the first transit authority in Canada to move forward with this type of policy, TTC Chair Karen Stintz said. 

Stintz said that the move is intended to show the public that the TTC is taking every possible step to ensure safety on the transit system.

She added that implementation of the policy would likely not happen for another 12 months.

The decision comes after a report prepared by TTC staff suggesting that the agency should amend its existing fitness for duty policy to include random tests for substances in an effort to improve safety.

Random testing would boost safety, act as a deterrent and strengthen the existing policy, TTC officials said in a news release earlier this week.

Opinions on the decision are mixed.

Bob Kinnear, leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said the union was excluded from consultations on the matter.

Kinnear added that while he is opposed to any form of drinking and driving or drug use on the job, he doesn't believe that this is the way to address the problem. 

Brian Patterson, president and general manager of the Ontario Safety League, supports the proposal, which he says represents a safety-first approach on the part of the TTC.

Random testing is coming up for discussion in the wake of a crash that killed 43-year-old Jadranka Petrova and injured 13 others.

In that crash, a TTC bus rear-ended a flatbed trailer.

The bus driver is accused of being in possession of marijuana at the time of the collision, but he isn't accused of being under the influence of any substance.

Random tests were considered by the TTC in September 2008 when a fitness for duty policy was implemented. They weren't approved, but staff indicated they would revisit the policy at a later date.

The current fitness for duty policy allows for alcohol and drug testing of employees in "safety-sensitive" positions, management roles and designated executive positions in the following situations:

  • Pre-employment/certification
  • Reasonable cause
  • Post-incident
  • Post-violation
  • Post-treatment

"Random alcohol and drug testing involves a breathalyzer test for alcohol and an oral fluid test for drugs, as is the case for post-incident and reasonable cause testing today," a TTC news release stated.

Random tests would detect impairment at the time of the test and wouldn't reveal if the person is a recreational drug user, the TTC said.

A lab that would provide test results wouldn't reveal the levels of a substance, the agency said.

Random alcohol and drug testing of employees in the transportation sector is permitted by law in the U.S.

In Canada, Greyhound and Coach Canada bus drivers are subject to random testing, the TTC said.

Windsor is the only Canadian public transit system with random testing in place, but it is reserved for drivers who operate buses that cross into the U.S.