When the first of the buses was delayed because the driver couldn’t find the playing field where the Don Bosco Eagles were waiting, Ford called TTC CEO Andy Byford’s cellphone.
Normally the TTC tries to dispatch shelter buses from terminal stations so it doesn’t have to interrupt riders’ journeys. But in this case, riders were left on the sidewalk mid-trip to wait for the next vehicle.
It’s not clear why police called for a TTC bus to carry the team Ford coaches back to their own school after the Thursday semifinal at Father Henry Carr’s school field.
Police spokespeople offered different explanations. Const. Tony Vella emphasized the “cold” and wet weather conditions. Mark Pugash suggested officers were concerned about the potential for the situation to escalate.
The TTC says Ford was simply echoing the concerns of police when he called Byford, that there was no pressure on anyone at the TTC.
Transit control received a request from police for a bus at 3:46 p.m. after officers were called to the Carr field, on Martin Grove Rd. in Etobicoke, following an altercation between that school’s coach and referees. The regular Bosco bus wasn’t due to arrive until about 4:30 p.m.
Police and school board officials insist the mayor had nothing to do with requesting the bus. Ford ignored a question on the topic upon his return to City Hall on Thursday, and he refused to take any questions related to football at an appearance on Friday.
Ford missed more than two hours of Thursday’s council meeting to coach the game. After his allies prolonged a debate on a routine housing motion, he made it back to the meeting just in time for the debate over the city’s $8.4 billion transit deal with the province.
Later, council voted to postpone a decision on whether to reprimand him for calling the chief medical officer’s salary an “embarrassment” and declining to apologize.
But on Thursday he suggested there was the potential for a brawl involving the players. “It could have gotten really ugly,” he told reporters.
A police officer at the school, a sergeant, requested the bus because she understood it would be a long wait before the Bosco bus would arrive, police spokesperson Vella told the Star.
“She made the call, she was on scene, and she ordered the bus . . . she didn’t want to leave them out in the cold standing there,” he said.
A school board spokesperson also cited the weather.
“It was about 3 degrees (Thursday) night with the wind blowing. They would have been out there for 45 minutes at least waiting for the regular bus to come . . . the kids are just chattering, and it’s pretty cold,” said John Yan of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. He said it was Bosco principal Ugo Rossi, who proposed calling for a bus.
He said the Carr players had already left the field and that none of the football players got close to one another.
Vella told the Star the possibility of violence was a secondary factor in requesting the bus.
Police spokesman Pugash said two school resource officers at the game were concerned the altercation between the coach and football officials would escalate.
They sent for an additional six officers, including a supervisor. They assessed the situation and called for a TTC bus.
“They felt the situation needed to be de-escalated and so the quickest and most effective thing to do was to call the bus to get the Don Bosco students back to their school,” said Pugash. “And it worked.”
The first TTC bus to be called off its regular route at the start of the afternoon rush, the busy Finch West 36, was delayed because the driver couldn’t find Father Henry Carr. So transit control dispatched a second bus — the 46 off the Martin Grove route. In the end, the 36 arrived at Carr and transported the Don Bosco players. The Martin Grove bus was directed back to work and the Finch bus was back on its route by 4:35 p.m. said TTC spokesman Brad Ross.
When Byford received Ford’s message he was unaware that police had requested a bus. He immediately called transit control to ask about the delay, and was assured a bus would be there momentarily. Byford then called the mayor, who thanked him for the information, said Ross.
“The police were concerned about how long it was taking for the bus to get there. There was no pressure put on Andy Byford or anybody else at the TTC. It was simply making an inquiry,” he said.
Ford also called Byford directly after the mayor drew a streetcar operator’s ire in June for driving past its back door as riders disembarked. And he has been accused of seeking preferential treatment from the city for asking top officials in July to expedite repairs outside his family company’s building.
The TTC gets two requests from police and fire officials a week on average for shelter buses. Typically they’re used as a refuge for people evacuated from buildings for fires or gas leaks.
“We don’t question those reasons. We comply. We assume they are legitimate requests,” said Ross, who added that the TTC has no plans to alter that protocol.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Tess Kalinowski, and Daniel Dale
No comments:
Post a Comment