ACAT Meeting - June 30, 2022

Meeting Date: 

Thursday, June 30, 2022
1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location:

Virtual meeting via WebEx

Present:

Jonathan Marriot, ACAT Chair
Debbie Gillespie, ACAT Co-Vice Chair
Anita Dressler, ACAT Co-Vice Chair
Craig Nicol, DRS Chair
Carmen Galvan, SPS Chair
Angela Marley, CS Chair
Lauri Sue Robertson, WTOS Chair
Bobbi Moore
Erica Tanny
Gwyneth Dalzell
Howard Wax
Lauren Foote
Sean Hollingsworth
Wangari Muriuki

Regrets:                   

Janice Shachter

Pool Members:

Lorraine Le Camp 
Robert Hampson

TTC Representatives: 

Joan Taylor, Chief of Staff, TTC
Cameron Penman, Acting Head of Wheel-Trans
Dean Milton, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Wheel-Trans
Mohammed Shaikh, Divisional Manager of Operations, Wheel-Trans
Lodon Hassan, Acting Manager of Customer Service,Wheel-Trans
David LoPresti, Manager, Contracted Services, Wheel-Trans
Matt Hagg, Acting Manager of Customer Experience & Fare Policy, Strategy and Foresight
Heather Brown, Director of Customer Experience, Marketing and Customer Experience 
Chris Hong, Customer Experience Analyst, Strategy & Foresight
Brittany Manu, Policy Consultant, Anti-Racism, Diversity
John Boucher, Garage Manager Lakeshore, Wheel-Trans
Sher Khan, Divisional Assistant Manager, Wheel-Trans
Samantha Peters, Human Rights Consultant, Human Rights & Investigations
Victoria Kolakowski, Travel Specialist, Wheel-Trans
Waseem Aslam, Divisional Assistant Manager, Wheel-Trans
Paolo Nicolas, Coordinator, Training & Quality Assurance,Subway Infrastructure
Levenson Lincoln, Supervisor, Customer Service Wheel-Trans
Louise Riggi, Project Coordinator for Dispatch, Wheel-Trans
Adrienne Isaac, Administrative Assistant, Wheel-Trans

Items Discussed

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Land Acknowledgement
3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Review and Approval of May 26, 2022 Minutes
6. Remarks from ACAT Chair
7. Remarks from TTC Executive
8. Outstanding Items – ACAT Honoraria, Identification for ACAT members without a transit pass, Review of ACAT meeting times, DRS motion – Davisville Platform Width
9. Deputation: Nil
10. Motion to rename Service Planning Subcommittee to Strategy and Planning Subcommittee
11. Review of Correspondence
12. Wheel-Trans Transformation & COVID-19 update from Cameron Penman
13. Subcommittee Reports, Highlights and Updates
    a) Communications
    b) Design Review
    c) Service Planning
    d) Wheel-Trans Operations
14. New Business
    a) Service Advisory for Excessive Noise due to construction – Gwyneth Dalzell
    b) Sensory considerations for Wheel-Trans Eligibility Applications – Janice Shachter
15. Next Meeting – July 28, 2022
16. Adjournment                     

1. Call to Order/Attendance

The Chair Jonathan Marriot, called the meeting to order at 1:08 p.m. and attendance was taken.

2. Land Acknowledgement

The land acknowledgement was read by the ACAT Chair.

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest

No conflicts of interest were declared. 

4. Approval of the Agenda

On a motion by Bobbi Moore and seconded by Howard Wax, the agenda was approved.

5. Review and Approval of May 26, 2022 Minutes

The Chair expressed appreciation to Angela Marley for consistently taking the time to improve the minutes by making suggestions and recommendations. Angela encouraged everyone to review the minutes.  On a motion by Angela Marley and seconded by Debbie Gillespie, the May 20, 2022 minutes were approved with this amendment:

Page four, item seven; insert regarding Line 5. ACAT is struggling to get information regarding Line 5 from Metrolinx.

6. Remarks from ACAT Chair, Jonathan Marriot

National Accessibility Week was held May 29 to June 4.  Jonathan was privileged to hear from a diverse range of people who shared their authentic stories and insights from their lived experience and how a more accessible and inclusive Canada can be built. The theme of National Accessibility Week this year was "Inclusive from the Start”. The Chair encouraged the TTC, as well their partners and contractors to ensure that accessibility is always considered from the start of every project.

Jonathan provided the memorial resolution to the TTC Board, for John Rae, a previous ACAT member who passed in April. The Chair also reported the key highlights from all subcommittees in his report to the TTC Board. 
 

7. Remarks from TTC Executive, Joan Taylor

Joan Taylor, Chief of Staff, TTC introduced herself and her role. She explained that her role has low visibility in that she works primarily with the CEO and executive team, and the Board to prioritize corporate plans. Joan stated that she ensures that projects including the Easier Access Program are being monitored very closely for delivery as promised by the 2025 deadline. Joan also mentioned that there are strong government-related functions within Joan’s office to proper funding for the TTC, as well as advancing better coordination with Metrolinx and the City that are also involved in transit. Joan has also helped to advance accessibility, equity and inclusion at the TTC. She then thanked ACAT for the opportunity to be in this month’s general meeting. 

Questions & Comments from the Committee

Craig Nicol noted that there is a serious coordination problem with Metrolinx; they have not responded in a timely manner to questions or advice that they receive from the DRS Subcommittee.  Joan explained that it has been difficult to enforce cooperation as Metrolinx is a provincial agency however, she will raise the issue to Rick Leary, TTC CEO, who has regular meetings with the CEO of Metrolinx. In addition, there is a senior table set up with both the City, the province of Ontario and The Ministry of Transportation, which Metrolinx and the TTC report into. Angela Marley added that regarding the 2023 to 2027/28 Corporate Plan, the first plan in 2013 had nothing about accessibility. Joan responded that accessibility is one of the plan’s cornerstones and there will be an opportunity for engagement on the priorities. Debbie Gillespie inquired how a motion is handled once ACAT passes it in their general meetings. Joan stated that an agenda is sent to the Board for information, and it usually takes a long time however ACAT is always on the agenda. Approved minutes and the motion documents are passed through to the Board from Commission Services, manager of the entire agenda for the monthly TTC Board meetings. If there is a gap between passing motions and getting a response, Joan will work with Michael Atlas, and Cameron Penman to make sure there is proper two-way communication. 

Craig advised that a motion for a study of the Davisville platform safety was passed in April, however, did not come up in the June Board meeting. Craig estimated that it would have gone to the Board because of capital project requirements. Jonathan advised that he sent the motion to Commission Services. Jonathan invited Joan Taylor to reach out to the ACAT Executive for collaborative discussions around inclusion from the start.  

8. Outstanding Items 

Cameron Penman, Acting Head of Wheel-Trans provided updates. 

• ACAT Honoraria: the City is doing a review as it is within public funds and will report to the City Council by mid-November. The timeline for this to be reported to ACAT will be early 2023. 
• ACAT IDs: moving forward a visitor’s pass would be issued for non-public TTC properties for ACAT members when attending in-person meetings. For expected visitors in advance, they will receive a Visitor Pass upon check-in at the TTC facility. 
• ACAT meeting times: no update. Craig Nicol asked to know about the process and Cameron advised that the ACAT Executives and members would need to have their own meeting, provide a consensus to TTC for their consideration to see if whatever solution provided is something that TTC can accommodate. 

9. Deputation: Nil

10. Motion to rename Service Planning Subcommittee to Strategy and Planning Subcommittee

Matt Hagg, Acting Manager of Customer Experience & Fare Policy, Strategy and Foresight suggested to the ACAT to rename the Service Planning Subcommittee to Strategy and Planning to better reflect the topics that the subcommittee has provided recommendations on for the past few years, such as policies, strategic planning, training, etc. The new name would also maintain the same acronym, so it will be easier to remember. Some members suggested that they would like to see the word ‘service’ included in the title while another member suggested the name “Customer Service, Strategy and Planning” in addition. Matt responded that adding ‘Service’ to the title might not be the solution, as it no longer fits the internal organizational structure of the TTC. A member asked for clarification of what ‘Service Planning” means in a TTC context and Matt advised that it typically refers to short-term transit route planning and scheduling, for example, creating transit route changes, determining levels of service on transit routes, and vehicle schedules. Matt confirmed that the subcommittee now provides advice on transit service planning about once or twice per year. A member asked for more clarity at a future meeting and an explanation of what ‘Strategy’ and ‘Planning’ means as she feels that is where the disconnect is. Matt advised that he would take this issue back for further discussion with the ACAT executive. 

11. Review of Correspondence: Nil

12. Wheel-Trans Transformation & COVID-19 update 

Cameron Penman, Acting Head of Wheel-Trans, provided the Wheel-Trans Transformation and COVID-19 Update. He advised that Paolo Nicolas, Administrative Assistant, is leaving the Wheel Trans department at the end of the week. He has been an incredible asset and Paolo is wished the very best in his new role in the Track and Structure department. Adrienne Isaac was welcomed as the new Administrative Assistant. 

Regarding the transformation program, the trailer of the Family of Services Video was shown to the committee. Cameron stated that the full-length video is posted on the TTC.ca website, under the Family of Services page. An e-blast was sent to customers, telling them about the video along with a Self-Booking website update. Cameron confirmed that audible description would be added to the video. A member pointed out that proper protocol needs to be adhered to in all TTC media work. 

Conditional Trip Matching will continue to be monitored and evaluated regarding safety in this pandemic. Customers will receive advance notice once a launch date is set. Shared riding is back on accessible taxis, and wearing masks remain mandatory on Wheel-Trans vehicles.

Questions & Comments from the Committee

A member questioned the enforcement of masks due to an experience she had. Cameron advised that everyone is screened prior to trips and where possible, book trips with larger vehicles. 

13. Subcommittee Reports, Highlights and Updates

Communications Subcommittee (CS) – Angela Marley, CS Chair 

A CS meeting was held on June 2, 2022 via Microsoft Teams.

Roger Caramanico, Customer Service Supervisor, demonstrated how to submit a Complaints, Compliments or Suggestion Form on the TTC website. In response to members’ questions, Roger explained that no matter what options a customer selects, all correspondence comes through the office where staff will make the required adjustments. The way the form is filled out is not as important as the information provided on the form. Once the feedback form has been submitted, customers receive a reference number that confirms that the information was received.
Maria Khan, Senior Digital Communications Specialist provided a website update on the accessibility components. To date, they have cleared 27 of the 70 accessibility related deficits identified post launch in Q4 2021, and continue working toward the goal to complete the remaining defects by the end of 2022.

The reporting of escalator status item raised in the May ACAT meeting was referred to IT staff. 

The next CS meeting is on July 7, 2022.

CS Highlights

• Review of customer complaints form
• Update regarding the website accessibility items

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) – Craig Nicol, DRS Chair

A DRS meeting was held on June 8, 2022. 

DRS members raised the issue of missing buses due to the absence of audible pre-boarding and bus idling sounds when bus engines are shut off while buses are standing at a station stop. Audible pre-boarding announcements are missing so persons with vision impairment miss their bus, as they cannot know if a bus is present, or which bus is present. DRS requested results of investigations into a solution for existing fleet. Tony Clunies will provide an update once he has the information and forward it to Matt Hagg. 

The second item dealt with was 65 Cumberland Terrace and new accessible entrance for Bay station. There was a concern about the elevator configuration. In addition, there was a concern that there was no option to have an accessible entry on Bay Street and it is important that clear signage indicate the location of the accessible entrances. The next meeting will be July 6, 2022.  

DRS Highlights 

• Bus Pre-Boarding audible announcements missing and non-compliance with AODA.
• 65 Cumberland new accessible entry for Bay Station

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS) – Carmen Galvan, SPS Chair

SPS meetings were held on May 20 and June 1. 

There was a follow-up to the April 6, 2022 meeting where the Culture Change Program and related policies and training was first discussed. Several ACAT members emphasized the importance of training being given by people with disabilities. ACAT members were asked to pass along any resources that they are aware of, such as groups that employ people with disabilities to help conduct training.  

Staff explained that running too many training sessions could cause scheduling issues. It may be more practical to bring in an outside firm that works with people with disabilities to deliver training for other people with disabilities. ACAT members supported this idea. 

At the June 1 meeting, TTC staff introduced the RapidTO Jane Project presentation, its next steps and operations. Members discussed concerns and provided suggestions. 

SPS Highlights

• Culture Change Program policies and training
• RapidTO Jane Project communication strategies

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS) – Lauri Sue Robertson, WTOS Chair

A WTOS meeting was held on June 15, 2022 via Microsoft Teams. 

Marco Iorfida, Scheduling and Policy Specialist announced that stations for the Line 5 LRT are being reviewed.  Ross Visconti, Project Manager, presented a mobile app pilot update. The app now also includes requests for an early pick up time, SMS messages: and more routes and stops. About 2600 stops are now operational and more will be added. Phases One to Four are completed and the mobile app will be a part of the next set of phases. The tentative release date to either expand the pilot or make it available to everyone is the fall of 2022.  David LoPresti, Manager of Contracted Services stated that he would continue to improve communications between dispatchers and drivers in contracted taxi services. Dean Milton, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, discussed Wheel-Trans Eligibility outlining the application process; including functional assessments using healthcare teams to determine eligibility. He added that travel training is provided for all customers who wish to travel independently using conventional transit. Cameron Penman updated that the air conditioning on the ProMaster vehicles have been mitigated. Cameron Penman reported increasing incidences of aggression on Wheel-Trans services, the Conduct of Behaviour Policy was reissued as a result. The next meeting is July 20, 2022.

DRS Highlights

• Line 5 station reviews 
• Mobile app pilot updates
• Wheel-Trans Eligibility

14.  New Business

Howard Wax asked about the email from Heather Brown about the video as the Open-Door program is coming up. Angela advised that the Communication Subcommittee would meet next week, so the point will be brought up then.

a. Service Advisory for Excessive Noise due to construction – Gwyneth Dalzell

Gwyneth Dalzell raised the issue of how the accessibility service disruption notices are distributed. She proposed that an accessibility announcement around loud noise be included in the current alerts. Jonathan agreed, and Cameron will take this on in the meeting next week. Angela advised that the content of messages is decided by the department (with advice from Service Planning subcommittee) and then that is sent to the Customer Communications department who brings accessibility related communications to the CS for review. This item will be addressed internally among the subcommittees. 

b. Sensory considerations for Eligibility Applications – Janice Shachter

Janice was not present at this meeting so this will be postponed to the next meeting on July 28.

15. Next Meeting 

The next meeting is on July 28, 2022. 

16. Adjournment

On a motion by Debbie Gillespie, Jonathan Marriot, The Chair, declared the meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.

Michele O’Reggio
Recording Secretary