With mounting concerns over safety on the TTC, Toronto’s mayor says city council should explore the idea of having mental health professionals on the transit system.

John Tory made the comments, a day after a man was allegedly assaulted at Bloor-Yonge Station, in what police have described as a suspected hate motivated offence.

“In my experience, I’m a frequent user of the TTC, and I believe one of the things I might have to consider further, is whether we also put some mental health professionals onto the transit system to help support people who are experiencing mental health issues,” Tory told reporters.

The mayor did not specifically attribute the most recent incident to mental health concerns, but he did say the vast majority of the people who create anxiety on the TTC are people suffering with mental illness who are simply in need of some support.

A string of TTC assaults in recent months have resulted in calls for more safety measures to be put in place.

The proposed 2023 City of Toronto budget includes a plan to increase the TTC’s subsidy by $53-million, in part to hire 50 more special constables and additional streets to home outreach workers. This will be accomplished in part by raising the cost of a single adult fare by 10-cents from $3.25 to $3.35,