ZR
06-02-2017, 07:44 AM
Hell of a fight against it that dragged on for years but early results suggest testing is warranted. Personally, being as the whole thing was so public, figured everyone would be well out front of it and testing would show no problems.
Two more TTC employees failed on-the-job drug tests last month, taking the number of transit workers nabbed by the agency’s new random testing policy (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/04/03/court-upholds-ttcs-random-drug-testing-policy.html) to four.
“It is, of course, disappointing, and it is always disappointing when we get a positive result,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross in an interview Thursday.
He said the positive results vindicate the TTC’s random testing policy, which has been in place for less than a month.
“This is part of ensuring that the TTC remains a safe public transit system, for our customers, for the public, and for our employees who work alongside colleagues who may come to work not fit for duty.”
Ross wouldn’t provide specific information about the two employees, but confirmed that neither was a driver or vehicle operator. One was a non-unionized employee, which means the person held a supervisory or management role.
He also wouldn’t disclose what substances the workers were found to have ingested, but the drug test they failed detects common intoxicants including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and PCP. A breathalyzer test is used to detect alcohol.
The TTC began random drug and alcohol tests of its workforce on May 8 (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/10/first-ttc-worker-tested-under-new-drug-policy-found-to-be-impaired.html), after a labour and court battle with the transit workers’ union that dragged on for years. The very first employee selected failed a breathalyzer test, and a second worker tested positive for drugs later that day.
One of the more recent positive tests occurred during the week of May 15 and the second occurred the week after that, Ross said.
Two more TTC employees failed on-the-job drug tests last month, taking the number of transit workers nabbed by the agency’s new random testing policy (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/04/03/court-upholds-ttcs-random-drug-testing-policy.html) to four.
“It is, of course, disappointing, and it is always disappointing when we get a positive result,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross in an interview Thursday.
He said the positive results vindicate the TTC’s random testing policy, which has been in place for less than a month.
“This is part of ensuring that the TTC remains a safe public transit system, for our customers, for the public, and for our employees who work alongside colleagues who may come to work not fit for duty.”
Ross wouldn’t provide specific information about the two employees, but confirmed that neither was a driver or vehicle operator. One was a non-unionized employee, which means the person held a supervisory or management role.
He also wouldn’t disclose what substances the workers were found to have ingested, but the drug test they failed detects common intoxicants including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and PCP. A breathalyzer test is used to detect alcohol.
The TTC began random drug and alcohol tests of its workforce on May 8 (https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/10/first-ttc-worker-tested-under-new-drug-policy-found-to-be-impaired.html), after a labour and court battle with the transit workers’ union that dragged on for years. The very first employee selected failed a breathalyzer test, and a second worker tested positive for drugs later that day.
One of the more recent positive tests occurred during the week of May 15 and the second occurred the week after that, Ross said.