The transport company rolled out its controversial drug and alcohol testing policy this week with “disappointing” results.
The Toronto Transit Commission finally rolled out its controversial new drug and alcohol testing policy this week with “disappointing” results.
The transport giant confirmed that the very first employee to be tested under the new policy was found to be under the influence of alcohol while another worker failed a drug test later in the day.
"We are incredibly disappointed at this, but it does affirm our belief for random drug and alcohol testing to drive down the number of instances of impairment that we've seen rise over the last couple of years," said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
The new policy was introduced on Monday after the Ontario Superior Court finally gave the go ahead following years of objections from the Amalgamated Transit Union.
Under provincial law, driving with a blood alcohol level over a 0.08 is considered a criminal offence while anything between 0.05 and 0.08 is in the “warn range.” However, the TTC’s policy considers anything over 0.04 as impairment and anything between 0.02 and 0.039 a policy violation.
The worker who was found to be under the influence of alcohol blew more than 0.04 on a breathalyzer test.
For drug testing, the organization is not made aware of what or how much an employee has consumed, simply if they passed or failed the test.
Both employees – neither of which is a driver or vehicle operator – have been suspended with pay.