September 1st was a special day for the TTC. It marked our 100th year of service to the citizens of Toronto and beyond. This day belonged to both our retired employees as well as our current workforce. Together, we’ve built a reputation as one of the finest and safest transit systems in the world.

Mayor John Tory declared the day as “TTC Centenary Day” in appreciation of TTC employees – past and present – for their hard work and tireless dedication, and for delivering safe, reliable and efficient transit service day in and day out.

TTC Chair Jaye Robinson brought greetings from our Commissioners and helped to commemorate the day with the presentation of a 100-year commemorative bus transfer, and the unveiling of next year’s Ride Guide cover art by Toronto artist Robert Croxford.

My thanks to the following employees for representing the workforce at our centennial event at Roncesvalles Yard: Nick Ullah, Pamela Mastrella, Evan St. Louis, Donald McKend, Keith Littlewood, Wayne Meyers, Yonatan Yemane, Jason Banfield, Brenda Michaud, Jesse Goulah, Pat Lavallee, David Mahadeo and Juliette Layne; and special thanks to two of our most experienced workers, Collector Robert Kernoghan (50 years of service) and Wilson Operator Barry Allen (49 years of service).

It was also wonderful to welcome back to the TTC a number of special guests: former TTC Chairs Julian Porter Q.C., Lois Griffin, Michael Colle, Paul Christie, Howard Moscoe and Josh Colle; as well as former Chief General Manager Rick Ducharme.

The September 1st event kicked off a number of other celebratory activities, which you can read about in this commemorative issue of MyTTC | Weekly. We have lots of TTC100 celebration plans for the coming months and I’m looking forward to sharing these with you as well. You can find more information and interesting historical photos at ttc100years.ca.

Looking back at the last 100 years, and how the city and the TTC have grown up together, there’s no doubt that public transit has played a massive role in the development of our great city. We’ve been along for the ride in the city’s best moments, and in some of its toughest – and we will continue to be there for the people of Toronto. The TTC is the most heavily used public transit system in Canada. We’ve become a fully integrated, multimodal network that has carried more than 32 billion riders since its inception in 1921.

Over the past century, one thing has been a constant for our organization – our greatest asset remains our skilled and professional workforce. It is the TTC’s employees who have contributed greatly to the city’s economic and social well-being. Your commitment to excellence and public service can be seen every single day.

Happy 100th anniversary to the TTC and continued success in the future!

Stay safe,

How well do you know TTC history? Test your TTC trivia knowledge with the quiz below. The correct answer and how readers responded will be provided in next week's edition of MyTTC | Weekly.

On September 1, the TTC celebrated 100 years of service. Take a look below for just a few ways how the TTC and the city are celebrating this milestone. Many exciting initiatives are still to come in the months ahead and in 2022.

Left: TTC CEO Rick Leary addresses media and dignitaries; Right: TTC Honour Guard representative David Mahadeo

Toronto Mayor John Tory, TTC Chair Jaye Robinson, TTC CEO Rick Leary joined a small group of guests and media at Roncesvalles Yard to mark the TTC’s 100th anniversary on September 1.

Visit ttc.ca/ttc100 for a closer look at the various initiatives celebrating the TTC’s history and 100th anniversary.

A variety of TTC100 commemorative items are now available for purchase at TTCShop.ca, including t-shirts, pins, mugs – with more to come!

The TTC commissioned a local artist to create a commemorative piece for the cover of the 2022 Ride Guide, and the artwork will be a gift to the City’s art collection. A number of signed and unsigned limited edition prints are available for sale at TTCShop.ca.

A special initiative to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the TTC, "A Century of Moving Toronto: TTC 1921-2021" is a hard-cover, coffee table style, commemorative book presenting a decade-by-decade overview of the TTC.

Featuring archival photographs, the book documents the history of the TTC from its inception in 1921, through the challenges and opportunities faced throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, up until the present day. It tells the story of the TTC and of the dedicated people who have worked hard to make this iconic Toronto institution possible – and who keep the TTC rolling 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The book will be available for purchase online at the TTC Shop at the end of September.

“I am a third generation proud TTC employee.

Our newest addition to the family is expected in November. Who knows how many more generations will be serving the TTC in the next 100 years to come.”

"This is my grandfather, John Schmuck (badge 3829). Here he is working on the streetcar tracks on Bloor, west of Lansdowne. This picture was likely taken in the early '50s although I don’t know the exact year.

He was very proud to have two of his grandchildren working for the TTC. I started in March 2012 as a bus operator out of Birchmount Division. I am now a Wheel-Trans Reservationist. My cousin, Bryan Polt works out of Greenwood in Subway Infrastructure."

Do you have a TTC memory that you would like to share?

Find more employee stories and memories on the MyTTC | SAP Jam employee app.