Transit Commission

WHEREAS, the City of Ottawa declared a State of Emergency, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020; and WHEREAS, during the entire pandemic, OC Transpo continued to operate, without one day of cancelled service; and WHEREAS, OC Transpo personnel who work as bus, train and Para operators, transit supervisors, O-Train ambassadors and transit supervisors come into direct contact with the public and are essential to its success; and WHEREAS, many OC Transpo personnel who provide critical service to the entire system may not be in direct contact with the public, but also provide essential service; and WHEREAS, between March 2020 and December 21, 2020, 51 OC Transpo personnel were diagnosed with COVID-19; and WHEREAS, between January 1, 2021, and April 18, 2021, 55 OC Transpo personnel were diagnosed with COVID-19; and WHEREAS, the more aggressive and contagious variants of the virus have accelerated the transmission and case counts in Ottawa and Ontario have increased significantly; and WHEREAS, with the oldest cohorts of the population already vaccinated with at least one dose, essential workers that are critically required to ensure the City operates effectively, need to be prioritized as part of the Phase 2 strategy with greater haste. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Transit Commission recommends that Council direct the Mayor to write to the Premier, Minister of Health and Ottawa Medical Officer of Health, urging them to prioritize essential workers, like trans

WHEREAS, the City of Ottawa declared a State of Emergency, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020; and WHEREAS, during the pandemic, OC Transpo continued to operate continuously, without one day of cancelled service; and WHEREAS, OC Transpo personnel who work as bus, train and Para operators, transit supervisors, O-Train ambassadors and transit supervisors come into direct contact with the public and are essential to its success; and WHEREAS, many OC Transpo personnel who provide critical service to the entire system may not be in direct contact with the public, but also provide essential service; WHEREAS, the service provided by OC Transpo and its staff supports our City’s frontline essential workers and their transportation needs; AND WHEREAS public transit workers are included in Phase 2 of the technical framework for COVID-19 vaccine distribution developed by the Province of Ontario; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Transit Commission direct the Chair to write to Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health, with a copy to the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, to emphasize the role of public transit workers in enabling essential work to continue in the City of Ottawa, and ask that this be shared with the Ottawa Vaccine Sequencing Task Force for their consideration as they undertake the work of sequencing essential workers who cannot work from home, including Transit workers.