'Acts of aggression' increase on Saskatoon Transit, violence against drivers drops
Saskatoon Transit is reporting an increase in passenger aggression.
Mike Moellenbeck, director of Saskatoon Transit, said "acts of aggression" can be classified as an intent to do harm, but physical violence hasn't happened.
"Types of incidents where windows are being banged by an individual, or a barrier is being hit," Moellenbeck said.
While passenger-on-passenger incidents have increased, Moellenbeck said violence against bus drivers has dropped.
"Largely due to the barriers that are installed," he said.
The information about bus violence was revealed during budget deliberations, when the mayor asked for an update on the new support officers, hired by the fire department, to focus on Saskatoon Transit safety.
The support officers were hired in July. Their goal is to keep the peace and connect vulnerable people with social services they may need.
The support workers are trained in de-escalation and can call police if needed.
Since the program began, they have ridden city buses 220 times and patrolled transit terminals 350 times.
According to city data, the officers have had to call for police assistance about 12 per cent of the time.
"What we'd say in a nutshell is that we think that the fire support officers have been extremely effective, as far as the people that have been hired are doing what we expected them to do, and they're doing a great job," City Manager Jeff Jorgensen said, during Monday's budget deliberations.
City administration said more data on transit safety will be available at the end of the summer, once the program has been operational for a full year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING New clues emerge in hunt for gunman who killed health insurance CEO
As the investigation into a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest U.S. health insurers moved into its third day Friday, possible leads emerged about his travel before the shooting and a message scrawled on ammunition found at the crime scene.
Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid Canada Post strike
Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike.
Canadian unemployment rate jumps near 8-year high
Canada's unemployment rate rose more than expected to 6.8 per cent in November, a near-eight-year high excluding the pandemic years, even as the economy added a net 50,500 jobs, data showed on Friday, likely boosting chances of a large interest rate cut next week.
Canada's list of banned guns is expanding. Here's what you need to know
Canada is expanding its federal ban on firearms, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, effective immediately.
What is still being delivered? What to know about the Canada Post strike
With Canada Post workers on strike, many individuals and businesses are facing the challenge of sending and receiving mail. Here are the answers to some of Canadians’ most-asked questions.
80-year-old driver with expired licence accused of going nearly double the speed limit in eastern Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police say a man caught stunt driving on Highway 37 near Tweed, Ont. Thursday was 80 years old, and his licence was expired.
Jasper family reunites with cat missing 100 days in the wilderness
Nicole Klopfenstein's four-year-old black and white tabby survived in the wilderness for more than 100 days after a ferocious wildfire forced the evacuation of the Rocky Mountain town of Jasper, Alta., this summer.
Salmonella cucumber recalls include products that may not be labelled: CFIA
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has published an expanded pair of recalls for cucumbers over risks of salmonella contamination.