Hello fellow members

I am happy to provide some positive information with respect to the horrific assault yesterday.

The Operator is improving and has a good group of friends and family providing support right now.

We are being advised the two assailants that were arrested will be charged soon. The charges are likely aggravated assault and theft.

The Union will be actively involved in every proceeding we have access to.

We have confirmed that there was a passenger on board at the time of the assault that came to the assistance of our Member. We share in the extreme gratitude the Operator has expressed for his assistance.

It is also important to note that we did receive a call from General Manager of Transportation Doug Morgan expressing his concerns and support for the Operator and his family as well as all of you. We will be following up with Mr. Morgan to discuss in depth where we need to proceed from here.

We have also received a personal call from Mayor Jyoti Gondek offering her heartfelt concerns for the Operator and his family as well.
The empathy and concerns she expressed in the media yesterday were as sincere in our personal discussions.

I had the opportunity to briefly speak on the need to meet to discuss the gaps we see as front line workers in this industry and she clearly gets it. I encourage you to view the local media outlets she spoke on. It was refreshing.

Vice President Renee Dunn and I will be meeting with the Mayor a week from tomorrow and are confident our concerns will be respectfully received.

We will also be doing an interview on CBC Calgary tomorrow to ensure this issue doesn’t go cold.

Calgary is repulsed by these criminals and this is a story that can not be pushed to the side. Similar to when we changed the Criminal Code to better protect Operators, there is a window open to make change and we will not let it close.

In Solidarity
Mike Mahar