Is it a violation of workers' rights or a justified measure to ensure public safety?
According to a published report, the Toronto Transit Commission is considering requiring its employees to take drug and alcohol tests - a move the TTC's unions vehemently oppose.
Transit management reportedly plans to address the matter at a meeting later this month.
News of possible drug and alcohol tests come just days after a TTC bus driver was
charged with impaired driving while on the job.
Satvinder Bisla's blood alcohol level was allegedly three times above the legal limit as he navigated his route in the west end. Police stopped the bus at Lawrence and Scarlett Road Tuesday night after receiving a complaint from a rider.
The death of TTC subway maintenance employee Antonio Almeida also reportedly raised the issue of drug testing among transit management. The 38-year-old died last April when a work car hit a tunnel wall, causing part of it to collapse.
The man allegedly had marijuana in his system at the time of the accident, according to a published report, but he wasn't responsible for the terrible mishap.
Bob Kinnear, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, was outraged at the idea of forcing workers to take drug and alcohol tests, which he says would infringe on their human rights. He also expressed outrage that the TTC connected Almeida's death to this issue.