In a Canadian first, transit commission approves mandatory masks on OC Transpo
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 14 hours ago • 4 minute read
The transit commission on Monday endorsed an OC Transpo recommendation to make every person wear a non-medical cloth mask on buses, trains and in stations starting June 15, with the top boss assuring commissioners that law enforcement won’t be aggressively ticketing people for breaking the unprecedented rule.
John Manconi, the general manager for Transpo, said the agency doesn’t intend to fine people for not wearing masks but rather educate them.
“We’re not going to have mask police,” he said.
Manconi said Transpo will be the first transit agency in Canada to implement a mandatory mask policy in co-operation with the local health unit. Ottawa Public Health (OPH) endorses Transpo’s plan to require customers to wear masks.
“We want to see as many people as possible who can wear a mask do so,” Brent Moloughney, OPH associate medical officer of health, told the transit commission.
The masks are necessary because Transpo doesn’t have enough buses and trains to keep people properly distanced from each other to reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially if the ridership returns to normal levels. Health officials want people to stay at least two metres a part.
Far fewer people are riding buses and trains, but as the province reopens more of the economy there will be an uptick in ridership.
Ridership in May was down about 80 per cent during the pandemic closures, which is a slight improvement from the 85 per cent decrease recorded in March. Transpo has been been providing about 60 per cent of its usual service for this time of year.
Transpo is largely counting on the good sensibilities of the transit ridership to look out for each other and staff.
Supervisors and special constables monitoring the network will talk with customers about the new policy and will have extra masks, Manconi said.
Since it’s difficult to distribute messages about masks at every bus stop across the network, bus drivers won’t refuse service to customers for not wearing masks, he said.
The only passengers not required to wear a mask will be young children, people who have difficulty breathing and people who can’t put on and remove masks without assistance.
Along with the mask policy, Transpo is increasing cleaning of buses, trains and stations, installing barriers on bus driver cabs and installing hand sanitizers at stations. The extra COVID-related measures will cost $950,000 each month, plus a one-time cost of $325,000 for equipment, such as the sanitizers and barriers.
Phillip Turcotte, the chair of the city’s accessibility advisory committee, said he was disappointed that Transpo didn’t consult the committee on the plan.
Turcotte said there’s a concern that passengers who are unable to wear masks for accessibility reasons will be stigmatized, so he encouraged Transpo to increase messaging on that issue.
Transpo will make 200,000 disposable masks available to customers for free for about a week after June 15 if they forgot their own masks. The agency is also working with the United Way to have masks for sale at some stations for a small fee.
Pat Scrimgeour, the director of transit planning and customer systems, warned the commission that a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak could roll back service.
“We will have to adapt to whatever comes,” Scrimgeour said.
For now, Transpo has established the service plans for the summer.
Transit service will begin returning to regular operations later this month. All routes begin summer service on June 28.
Fall service will begin Aug. 30 and Transpo anticipates there will be 15 LRT trains, rather than the current maximum of 13 trains, operating on the LRT system by the start of fall service.
The only Transpo customer service centre that will open will be at the Rideau Centre, but not until the mall reopens.
There was skepticism on the commission about Transpo’s proposal.
Michael Olsen, a citizen transit commissioner, said he prefers a policy that encourages the voluntary use of masks since he doesn’t want customers who are unable to wear masks to be harassed under a mandatory policy. He was the only commissioner who voted against the plan in a 10-1 vote.
Only when OPH gives permission can Transpo end the mask-wearing requirement.
Coun. Riley Brockington said he’s against giving the health unit the sole authority to say when the masks are no longer required on Transpo.
“We’re are the people who are accountable to the public to make decisions,” Brockington said.
Meanwhile, Olsen issued an apology to a fellow citizen commissioner for remarks he made during the last commission meeting of 2019.
There was a discussion about the mysterious stench on Parliament Station during that Dec. 18 meeting, with Olsen suggesting it was a “gender equity thing” that he couldn’t detect the smell after Sarah Wright-Gilbert questioned management over the stink.
She demanded an immediate apology. Olsen, at the time, refused.
“I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt my remarks may have caused commissioner Wright-Gilbert, others on the commission or any in the wider public,” Olsen said at the start of Monday’s meeting.
jwilling@postmedia.com
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https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-bc06ec887344/
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