Upcoming motion a first step to improving bus safety, councillor says

A Winnipeg councillor says the motion he plans to table on Tuesday will be a first step in preventing another tragedy on board a Winnipeg bus like the city saw last week.

On Feb. 14, Irvine Jubal Fraser was stabbed to death on the job after finishing his route at the University of Manitoba.

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"All Winnipeggers have been terribly affected by this tragic event with respect to the loss of Mr. Fraser's life," said Coun. Marty Morantz (Charleswood, Tuxedo, Whyte Ridge), chair of the infrastructure renewal and public works committee.

He tables a motion Tuesday to ask transit staff to compile a report on bus driver safety.

"It's really a first step. We need to have a good sense of where we are before we can make administrative decisions over what we can improve," he said.

The motion will come after Fraser's brother,Dean Byard, spoke at the bus driver's funeral on Tuesday demanding politicians take action to protect transit operators.

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Morantz said staff will need up to 90 days to complete the report, meaning it would likely be available in May. The end document will be public, he said.

"A transit driver lost his life simply doing his job and when something like that happens, as tragic as it may be, sometimes maybe some good can come out of a tragedy," he said.

Amalgamated Transit Union Winnipeg president John Callahan said the motion makes him optimistic.

He met with Morantz on Tuesday and was invited by Morantz to speak to thedelegation at the Tuesday committee meeting. Callahan has been calling on improvements for driver safety for years.

"No one wants [Fraser's] death to be in vain," said Callahan. "I will demand that something good comes from this."

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