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TTC Exposed – Flawed leadership, hidden stories, and systemic racism at TTC

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I am going to tell you this now; this story is only the beginning of what looks like a long string of stories that are meant to expose the corrupt, and underhanded management of one of the oldest organizations in Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission.

I have had the privilege of connecting with a group of brave, determined individuals who believe that now is the time to let the citizens of Toronto know exactly how their tax dollars are being misused.

I swear, it was like opening Pandora’s box. It was hard to focus on one topic, which is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will be doing a series exposing some of the deepest secrets of this organization. I write only what is being reported to me, and I am open to speaking to any representatives from TTC. I am sure that what I am about to share is going to ruffle some feathers, but I would not be doing my job if I didn’t speak the truth.

Flawed Leadership

There are so many places that I can go, but let’s start with some news that was not shared widely on mainstream and for good reason; the news would probably spark some panic, and lead to many questions.

In any organization, great leadership is needed. In the case of the TTC, this seems to be the biggest issue. I think my first concern is why TTC would hire an individual who is not only incompetent but has been responsible for serious crashes in his previous role at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Prior to his arrival at the TTC in 2014, Rick Leary was General Manager for York Region Transit/VIVA. Leary began his career working for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority out of Boston as a train attendant in 1984 rising through the ranks and eventually serving as Chief Operating Officer until he retired in 2009.

What is interesting is that his retirement came after he had been ordered to address a damning federal safety report regarding two serious rear-end crashes on one of MBTA’s lines within one year. During his time with MBTA, there were frequent complaints concerning a “lack of safety culture at the T.” Instead of dealing with accusations of his inefficiencies as a leader, he retired, and hightailed to Canada, where he commenced his role as CEO at TTC.

What is disturbing is that for some reason, wherever this man seems to go crashes seem to follow, and he never has answers, or seems to want to take responsibility.

My question here is, what type of background check did the commission do, if any? Did they not take a look at his track (no pun intended) record to see what type of leader he was?

Osgoode Pocket Incident

The subway incident, which the union refers to as the “Osgoode Pocket Incident,” happened on Line 1. The city was inches away from disaster, and many have been shocked and appalled to learn that the TTC covered up the near miss incident, causing concern and worry about what else is being hidden from the public.

The story is that a southbound train going into a siding (or “pocket”) near Osgoode station moved over to the northbound track to fill in for a temporarily delayed train at St. Andrew station.

While the move was in progress, a subway guard at the back of the pocket spotted the delayed subway train from St. Andrew coming in at “full operating speed” on the same northbound track.

Thankfully, the Operator reacted immediately and had been proceeding cautiously at only 7.16 km/hr (6.5ft/sec). The union reported in their statement. “His train came to a stop less than five feet from the northbound track as the passenger train from St. Andrew sped by. Less than a second later, had the pocket train still been moving, it would have caused a massive collision, derailment and an unknown number of fatalities and serious injuries.”

There was an investigative report conducted by The Toronto Star, after they obtained an internal TTC review summarizing the details of the event, as well as a video of the moment it had happened. According to their investigation, the TTC hadn’t publicized the details of the incident.

“Someone is responsible for that cover-up attempt,”

President of ATU Local 113

A union that represents nearly 12,000 transit workers called for the dismissal or resignation of TTC CEO Rick Leary. ATU Local 113 alleged Leary attempted to cover up the “near-catastrophic” subway crash

Carlos Santos, President of ATU said in the release “Who else would have the authority to keep such a major incident under wraps? Someone could only be the CEO.”

Believe me when I say, that is not all. Incidents against both customers and employees have risen since Rick Leary took his position as CEO. He has reportedly created a hostile and toxic workplace where employees fear interaction with him. The fear of abuse and reprisal is constant. His intimidation tactics are constant. He is known for shouting, swearing, and threatening employees, and for some reason, Rick Leary maintains his role as CEO without fear of being reported or investigated. Well, of course he does; he got away with it in Boston; why not try to get away with it here in Toronto?

Rick Leary reportedly has made directives that his managers have told him are dangerous to public safety. Directives like the one that lead to the fatal accident in Boston, the very same accident and investigation that lead to Leary retiring from MBTA. Leary appears to be using the same tactics at the TTC as he did at the MBTA forcing managers to make decisions that they know are not safe.

News flash *Many people do not know this, but there have been three near misses in recent history: Osgoode, Davisville (actual contact) and Keele, all under the watch of CEO Rick Leary.

Wasting Taxpayers Money and Systemic Racism at TTC

This is the part of the story that I will be continuing in the next few editions. I am only going to touch on certain aspects of them in this article.

This pandemic has exacerbated the concerns of employees that work at TTC. How they have handled their employees is a topic on its own, but since we are talking about leadership, I figured I would focus on operational aspects of the organization.

I had the opportunity to speak to two members of management, and what I was told is very disturbing. As representatives of the African-Caribbean community, the first thing they shared was that systemic racism is real at the TTC.

“It is obvious that we are not welcome,” one member of the management team told me. “We are tolerated. They tell us that they are equal opportunity employers, but the only way that you can be promoted to the highest levels of management is if you sleep your way to the top, and I know this for a fact.

In my 21 years here, I have never in my life felt this threat of termination (something that we will look into later). It first came as indirect, but then came directly. They stop at nothing to use and abuse our community. It is our responsibility to advance ourselves; sometimes we just jump into a role as a token. They wave the dollars, and you start to see how much people are willing to sell out themselves.”

“People need to pay attention to the history,” the second management team member told me. “I work for my people. When I became part of the management team, we were working with an old structure. They keep changing our title; which allows them to continue to create and change rules.”

A few years back, TTC upgraded their communication system to a new one called VISION.

“This changed the whole paradigm, but the system has not been effective,” shares management. “Every day, I was told that the night system would keep crashing at around 1:00 am. Upper management did not respond to it because then they would have to acknowledge that the new system, that the taxpayers had paid all this money for, was not working. We don’t have landlines for communication, everything is digital. One of the roles of the supervisor is to communicate with operators, and if the system is always crashing, this can become a safety issue. It makes things difficult.

When the system fails, the night supervisors lose communication functions. The operator loses visual and can only use their cell phone. This can be extremely dangerous, especially if an operator is in a dangerous area, or could be dealing with dangerous people. They won’t acknowledge that the system they are using is out-dated. We are the laughingstock of the transportation industry. It is such a waste of taxpayer’s money. They keep telling us that they are passing it up to management, but nothing is being done, and the system continues to crash.”

Wow! This is just an introduction to a detailed investigation that I will be conducting in the next few weeks. I encourage any other TTC Operators who would like to speak out against TTC to contact me. I will keep your name confidential, but the truth needs to be uncovered about another corrupt system in our beautiful city.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest

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BY MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a new peer-reviewed study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sixty per cent of young people who were hospitalized with Myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine still showed signs of this disease six months after being injected.

Some 307 out of 333 patients they started with had their health data collected from April 2021 to November 2022. The time between injection and follow-up varied, with a median of 178 days, almost six months.

What is worse is the study authors are said to be making fun of the seriousness of the findings. They are calling the results reassuring and describing these cases of Myocarditis as mild.

Who are these study authors? Why are they acting so recklessly? Critics said that some of those study authors who published their report in The Lancet on September 6th, 2024, also have ties to the government and the big drug companies that may have influenced the research.

One such person is lead author Dr Supriya S. Jain, a pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Daniel O’Conner of Trial Site News criticized the FDA as the study’s funder. “The FDA is not keeping up with its tradition of ‘patient safety first,’” he said.

O’Conner said he believes the outcome is much more severe than is reported, and The FDA study authors do not have the urgency they should, given the vulnerabilities of the population.

Chief Scientific Officer of The Children’s Health Defense Brian Hooker agreed, saying he was “disgusted” by the study authors’ downplaying of cardiac harm caused by the COVID-19 mRNA injections. Hooker is quoted as saying, “You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest for the rest of your life.”

Some of the most vital questions here concerning these injected youths, and the injected population is “What happens as they age?” or “Where do they go from here?”

It is important to know that medical researchers have pointed out that studies show Myocarditis can be life-threatening and can also cause critical changes and scarring of the heart.

“I don’t feel that any incidence of vaccine-induced Myocarditis is reassuring,” Heather Ray, a science and research analyst with CHD told a reputable news source. “Additionally, we have all witnessed several anecdotal, or personal reports of individuals who died from vaccine-induced cardiac issues over the past four years.”

Dr Peter McCullough said, as a cardiologist, he was “Greatly concerned,” that COVID-19 vaccine heart damage in most of the young people studied had not resolved at the time of follow-up. McCullough said that he disagreed with the author’s reports calling this finding mild, “Even small areas of damage invisible to cardiac MRI could put vaccine recipients at risk for a future cardiac arrest.”

It is amazing that with all these findings and recommendations to date, COVID mRNA Injections are still very intentionally and maliciously pushed on the population quietly worldwide, this is especially true here in Canada.

It may interest readers to know that the same people behind these mRNA injections in the Western world have decided to look at Africans as lab rats too. The World Health Organization has approved so-called mpox injections for use in adults and said it can be used for: babies, children, teens, and pregnant women in Africa.

Brian Hooker called the WHO’s approval of the shot for infants and children in Africa “A train wreck in the making.”

Recently here in Canada, Global News is now warning that the CDC is telling folks that COVID injections, and heart inflammation issues between injected teens are related. This is something that Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has been warning Canadians about for years now.

Again, Global News has reported, “Myocarditis is noted by the Canadian Pediatric Society as a possible side effect of mRNA injections.” https://old.bitchute.com/video/EFDWj1rHrX6v/

Now more than ever it is vital that folks think for themselves and quit relying on compromised professionals who are in positions of power but are wolves in sheep’s clothing working for Big Pharma.

A rule of thumb is to question everything because history has shown that liars usually suffer from short memory.

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New course launched that counters narratives and understands Black children’s humanity

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the new course “Black Childhoods in Canada” in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University is positive and encouraging. Details of the launch of this groundbreaking course were revealed in a post by Clara Wong on May 8th, 2024. For many students it will be the first time formally studying Black experiences; encountering Black scholarship, or even being taught by a Black professor. It was introduced in the winter term of 2024 and was one of the first courses in TMU’s Black Studies minor, which is offered by the Faculty of Community Services.

The course is coded as “CLD540” and details of its content are noted.

“An introduction to Black Canadian Studies in the context of childhoods. Childhoods are considered via Black feminism, Black studies, anti-racism, and de-colonial theoretical and practical frameworks and pedagogy. Students engage in a range of textual, experiential and multi-modal learning opportunities.”

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Black acts and media
  • Black Canadian histories
  • Black families and mothering
  • Black girlhood
  • Blackness and disability
  • Blackness and ECEC and education
  • Black play
  • Black queer activism
  • Global anti-Black racism

Professor Rachel Berman was inspired to enlarge the Black studies content in early childhood studies and reached out to her colleague, Janelle Brady to collaborate on the development of the course. This was financed through the Faculty of Community Services Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, which ensured that it was ready.

Professor Berman states, “I’m thrilled now to see the course come to life. It’s long overdue. There’s a deficit assumption about Black children-that Black boys make trouble during play, or that Black girls are made to seem more mature than they are. We need to counter those narratives and understand Black children’s humanity.”

Professor Brady notes, “The course doesn’t resolve everything, but it’s a start in breaking the ‘preschool-to-prison’ pipeline for Black children.”

She observed further that the impact of teaching the course has influenced her greatly. She adds, “It motivated me to do even more and seek more resources. There were so many informal discussions among students inside and outside of class. There’s a real hunger for spaces like this. It was inspiring to see how much students are already engaged in anti-Black racism work, and I feel I was learning just as much as they were.”

There are many testimonials from students who have been enrolled in this extraordinary course. Faizi Ali, an undergraduate student in the early childhood studies program states, “Any forum that allows Black students to lift their voice is cause for celebration. The course provides so much space for us to exchange ideas and thoughtful dialogue. I’ve gained many new perspectives and techniques to better support students.”

Magdalena Grammenopoulos, a media production undergraduate student, talked about the insight that left the biggest impression on her from the course. She states, “The concept of Black ‘futurity.’ It’s about imagining a stronger future for Black children through the ways we live day-to-day-ways that counter the stereotypes and discrimination which prevent Black children from living as freely as others. I want to implement futurity by always taking it upon myself to create safer spaces for Black children, whether it be my friends, family, or strangers.”

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“No! You can’t check my phone.” Border officers are not authorized to search your electronic device

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Each year, millions of Canadians travel abroad, and we carry our personal devices (computers, tablets, and smartphones). These devices contain highly sensitive and private information about who you are, reflecting your: lifestyle, beliefs, relationships, finances, and health.

What you may not know is that even though your personal device is very personal, and highly sensitive because of the information on it, section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act allows Canadian Border Officers to search these devices without any reasonable suspicion. This law was recently challenged by two travelers, Jeremy Pike and David Scott, who were charged with possessing and importing child pornography after their devices were searched. Now, although it is a good thing that this type of behaviour was caught, the key question in their appeal is whether this law is constitutional.

On August 12th, 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its decision in R v. Pike, 2024 ONCA 608, holding that section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the section 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. CCLA was an intervener in the case.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a human rights organization committed to defending the: rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. CCLA is the pre-eminent voice advocating for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and all persons living in Canada. They are leaders in protecting rights and have earned widespread respect for their principled stand on such issues as: national security, censorship, capital punishment, and police and state accountability with a fearless voice on civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms.

Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement, “CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter-free zone. As CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.”

I had a chance to review the decision, and I found direct references of CCLA’s submissions at paragraphs:

  • 63: The Crown’s related counterargument that travelers’ “choice” to travel with digital devices merits a lower threshold also fails. Because digital devices are our “constant companion[s]” (Bykovets, at para. 1), travelers need to bring them across borders to work and communicate. As the trial judge ruled, leaving them behind is not a meaningful choice. Neither is declining to leave and re-enter Canada, which, as the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association (the “CCLA”) submits, is not merely a choice but a section 6 Charter Just as “Canadians are not required to become digital recluses” to preserve their privacy (R. v. Jones, 2017 SCC 60, [2017] 2 S.C.R. 696, at para. 45), they also should not have to surrender the ability to enter and leave Canada with an indispensable instrument of modern life.
  • 66: The law’s low threshold increases this risk because, as the CCLA submits, low threshold powers are the easiest for officers to wield to target, whether intentionally or not, racialized and disadvantaged people: R. v. Landry. While the law’s good faith purpose test offers some protection against this risk, its subjective nature makes that risk harder to detect because officers do not have to point to objective facts to justify the search and help negate the possibility of discrimination.
  • 73: Simmons held that the state’s interest in suppressing the trafficking of drugs produced in other countries that had to be transported across the physical border to enter Canada justified the strip search law: at pp. 526-529. In contrast, digital contraband, even when downloaded to a device, is usually also stored on external servers and can be electronically transmitted into Canada, a mode of transmission that the Agency admits it has no mandate to control.

(They refer to Professor Steven Penney’s article “Mere Evidence? Why Customs Searches of Digital Devices Violate Section 8 of the Charter” and an article by Professor Robert Diab “Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border” (2018)

  • 89: Manual searches can still invade large amounts of highly private information and, if officers invest the time, can be almost as revealing as forensic searches. Further, officers could easily use manual searches as a backdoor to gain information that would meet the higher threshold to conduct forensic searches.

They refer to an article by Bingzi Hu, “Border Search in the Digital Era: Refashioning the Routine vs. Nonroutine Distinction for Electronic Device Searches” (2022)

“Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information,” shares Shakir.

The pandemic showed how willing our government is to overlook and ignore our rights and freedoms. This is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will always keep you “In the Know,” when it comes to how to truly live as a FREE Canadian.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2024/2024onca608/2024onca608.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2017/2017scc60/2017scc60.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html

https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCLA-Intervener-Factum-R.-v.-Pike-Scott-COA-23-CR-0023-C70656.pdf

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