Transit workers, union leaders, and advocates gathered outside Calgary City Hall on Friday afternoon ahead of the sentencing hearing for one of two men who brutally assaulted a transit operator last year.
Rally Demands Tougher Sentencing
The rally, organized by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, called on the court to apply Section 269.01 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which mandates that the fact that the victim was a public transit operator engaged in his duty be treated as an aggravating factor.
Amarjit Grewal, then 67, was struck repeatedly with a collapsible baton in May 2025, sustaining injuries to his head and upper body. Still suffering from his injuries, he has not been able to return to work.
Mike Mahar, president of ATU Local 583, said the goal is for the application of Section 269.01 to be “a reflex” in the courts. “The judges have a great deal of discretion as to what they do, but they must look at it,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s looked at in this case and in all cases.”
Mahar noted that transit operators are particularly vulnerable to assault because they work in isolation and drive predictable routes, and the problem is worsening. Many cases are not being brought before the courts, he added. “More than 50 per cent of our members that are assaulted, when we approach them to tell them we’ll assist them through the courts, say that they don’t want to, because they’re afraid if they’re not sentenced — or if they are, and when they get out — that they’ll come after them,” Mahar said.
Rising Incidents and Workplace Safety
Calgary and District Labour Council president Alex Shevalier said that last year alone, 99 incidents were reported to Calgary Transit. Across Alberta, 144 people died as a result of workplace incidents last year, and Grewal was nearly one of them, Shevalier said.
Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said that enforcement and sentencing must be part of the solution to violence in the workplace, but it also comes down to employers to ensure that workplaces are “as safe as humanly possible.” “The message goes to the civic government, but the message also needs to go to the provincial government, that in the face of rising violence in the workplace, they need to consider what they need to do,” he said.
Mayor Farkas Supports Stiff Penalties
Mayor Jeromy Farkas, along with several councillors, came out in support of the event. “I’m just going to put it simply: if you assault a transit operator, you need to go to jail,” Farkas said. “I don’t care how politically incorrect it is for me to say that.” He added that council is taking the issue seriously and has a responsibility to make changes to policy and enforcement. “At the end of the day, if you’re working at the city, if you’re serving Calgarians, you deserve the same opportunity as if you were employed in any other prospect to be able to finish your shift safely, to be able to go home, to be able to provide for your family,” he said.
