Thanks for visiting our site. Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union was founded in Toronto in 1899 by a handful of employees of a small, privately-owned transit service. We now represent about 10,000 workers at the Toronto Transit Commission, North America’s third-largest public transit system. We also represent workers at Veolia Transportation in York Region, just north of Toronto. We’re proud of our members and the work they do that benefits public transit users, the economy of Canada's largest city and, of course, our environment.

Bob Kinnear, President ATU

Joyce Williams with the appreciation plaque presented to her by the Mahavihara Buddhist Temple. Bob Kinnear attended and participated in the ceremony on behalf of Local 113 members.

An ATU Local 113 member was honoured today by the Toronto Buddhist community. The Scarborough Mahavihara Buddhist Temple paid tribute to bus operator Joyce Williams at their east end temple for her heroic act last year. The temple is a place of worship and meditation for many new Canadians from the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka.

Williams was driving on Kingston Road past the temple in the early hours of November 27, 2009 when she noticed smoke coming from the wooden building. Williams called 911 and waited for emergency vehicles to arrive. Later, it was discovered that the blaze was deliberately set by someone using gasoline. 

Vice-president of the temple, Ben Seneviratne, called Williams a true hero and said that temple members could never thank her enough for her courage. “Others would have kept driving or would not have even noticed the fire,” he said. “Part of our Buddhist teachings is to be mindful or aware of our surroundings. Joyce Williams demonstrated that awareness on the day that our temple was in danger. We will never forget what she has done.”  read more »

The following statement is issued by Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, Toronto, ON:

“We have learned that an officer of CUPE Local 2 has been arrested and charged with theft from the Toronto Transit Commission.

“The accused is an official of another union and is not affiliated with ATU.

“We deeply regret this situation. We believe in and respect the presumption of innocence principle. ATU 113, however, has never and will never condone theft from an employer or anyone else. It is wrong in and of itself and also reflects poorly on one’s fellow workers.

“The union will be making no further comment on this matter while it is before the courts.”

Hitting the finish line at Sunday’s Ottawa Marathon at 2:57:49, TTC Subway Mechanic Rick Ball, 44, a long-time member of ATU Local 113, set a new world record for single leg amputee Marathoners in Sunday’s Ottawa Marathon. To do this, he had to break his previous world record of 3:04:00, set at the 2009 Boston Marathon.

Rick also holds two other world records in his class, the 10K and the half-marathon. There is no faster one-legged man on the planet. Rick is also a member of Team Canada and will be competing in the 2012 Paralympics in London, England. Read the Ottawa Citizen story.