October 1, 2026  |  Committee Meetings, Road Safety Summit, and Sponsors’ Networking Reception

Room: Markham Ballroom

Fireside Chat: Training Expert Panel – How Training Has Evolved and Where It’s Headed
  • Moderator:
    • Karen Lusk, Supervisor Safety and Training, Transportation Operations – York Region Transit
  • Panelists:
    • Marc Richer, Manager, Transit Training and Development – OC Transpo
    • Additional panelists – To be confirmed
Safety & Training from an MTO Perspective – What’s Next for DCP and CVOR
  • Speakers:
    • Lisa Venier, Sr. Manager, Carrier Sanctions and Investigations Office — houses the Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) program – MTO
    • Hala Mair, Senior Policy Advisor, Carrier Sanctions and Investigations Office – MTO
    • Alex Booth, Manager, Carrier Program Development Office — policy lead for commercial vehicle safety and compliance initiatives – MTO (Invited)
    • Jill Melo-Graydon, Sr. Manager, Program Oversight Management Office — houses the Driver Certification Program (DCP) – MTO (Invited)
    • Standing Item: Recent Serious Transit Bus Collisions
Fitness for Duty Best Practices – Exploring Processes and Challenges
  • Moderator:
    • Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer – OC Transpo
  • Panelists:
    • Matt Hopkins, Executive Director – People, Toronto Transit Commission (Invited)
    • Additional panelists – To be confirmed

Location: York Region Transit (YRT) Orlando Garage

York Region Transit (YRT) Orlando Garage Tech Tour. Due to parking limitations, shuttle buses will leave the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites at 9:15 am.

Agenda

  • Lithium-Ion 12V Starter Battery Replacements
  • Al Pritchard, Fleet Manager – York Region Transit
  • Naeem Farooqi, CEO & Co-Founder – FleetZero

Location: York Region Transit (YRT) Orlando Garage

Due to parking limitations, shuttle buses will leave the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites at 9:15 am.

Agenda

  • Bill 98 and Specialized Transit Integration – MTO (Invited)
  • Mobile Data Terminals, Distracted Driving, and Transit Exemption?
  • Collection and Privacy of Demographic Data in Paratransit Applications
  • Demand vs Budget – Roundtable

 

Room: Markham Ballroom AB

Fireside Chat: Transit Safety Panel – Building a Strong Safety Culture

This session will feature senior safety officers sharing perspectives on the most significant safety initiatives currently confronting transit systems and the measures being implemented to address them. Participants will gain insight into the wide range of issues affecting agencies, from sharing tips on protecting vulnerable road users to operational risks and broader community concerns.

  • Moderator: TDB
  • Speakers:
    • Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer – OC Transpo
    • Farah Kassam, Vice President, Safety – Metrolinx (Invited)
    • Betty Hasserjian, Chief Safety Officer – Toronto Transit Commission (Invited)
Safety 2.0 – Shaping Safety Culture Beyond the Blame Game
  • Speakers:
    • Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer – OC Transpo
    • Laurie Krahl, Director, Bus Safety – Metrolinx
The Road to Safer Transit – Ideas for Safety Communication Campaigns
  • Speakers:
    • Tricia Wretham, Manager (A), Communications, Community Engagement and Marketing – York Region Transit
    • Melanie Clarke, Senior Project Manager, Transit Marketing – OC Transpo
Ontario Traffic Council – Forging a Closer Partnership between Transit and Roads
  • Speakers:
    • Geoff Wilkinson, Executive Director – Ontario Traffic Council

Agenda

  • Multi-Agency Coordination
    Speaker:  Bernard Au, Manager, Rail Service Design (Operations) – Metrolinx
  • An interactive session on how to define a broader and more practical set of key performance indicators for each stage of transit operations planning
    Speaker: Michel Courval, Partner, Senior Project Director – CSCHED
  • Planning for Technology
    Speaker: Tamas Hertel, Manager, Service Planning – York Region Transit

  • The evening will feature the Sponsors’ Networking Reception and Dinner at Dave and Buster’s (120 Interchange Wy, Vaughan, ON), providing members and partners with an opportunity to connect in a relaxed setting.

October 2, 2026 | Committee Meetings and Policy Forum

Room: Markham Ballroom A/B

Keynote Speaker: Cynthia Davis, CEO of Lakeridge Health (Invited)

The Link Between Mobility and Health: Exploring how healthcare and transit can unite around a common advocacy agenda

  • Equitable access to reliable transportation is fundamental to healthy, connected communities. As a longstanding advocate for recognizing transit as a key social determinant of health, DRT continues to champion the role of mobility in connecting people to essential services, including healthcare.
  • Join Cynthia Davis, CEO of Lakeridge Health, as we explore how stronger collaboration between the transit and healthcare sectors can improve health outcomes, expand access to care, and support older adults in aging in place. This discussion will examine the importance of a shared advocacy agenda to build more connected, inclusive, and supportive communities where residents can live independently and access the service they need.

Equitable access to reliable transportation is fundamental to healthy, connected communities. As a longstanding advocate for recognizing transit as a key social determinant of health, DRT continues to champion the role of mobility in connecting people to essential services, including healthcare.

Join Cynthia Davis, CEO of Lakeridge Health, as we explore how stronger collaboration between the transit and healthcare sectors can improve health outcomes, expand access to care, and support older adults in aging in place. This discussion will examine the importance of a shared advocacy agenda to build more connected, inclusive, and supportive communities where residents can live independently and access the service they need.

Room: Markham Ballroom A/B

Speaker: David Cooper, Principle of Leading Mobility

  • David Cooper, Principal of Leading Mobility and a longtime friend of OPTA, has been a leading voice in transit safety and security. His work on TCRP Synthesis 179: The Impacts of and Response to Drug Use on Transit or of TCRP Synthesis 179: The Impacts of and Response to Drug Use on Transit, has highlighted the growing challenges of drug use on transit systems and its impact on customer and employee safety across North America. For the first time, David will bring a Canadian lens to his TCRP study.
  • The report examines the impacts of drug use on transit systems and the safety of customers and staff. It identifies three key themes emerging from the program responses of five participating transit agencies in the United States: Legislative and Enforcement-Led Measures, Station Design and Operations, and Outreach and Harm Reduction.
  • At the 2026 Fall Policy Forum, David will share a Canadian perspective on this important issue, bringing his leading-edge research, experience, and insights to Ontario’s transit community as agencies continue to navigate evolving safety and security challenges.

Room: Markham Ballroom A/B

Moderator: Kelly Paleczny, General Manager – London Transit Commission

Speakers:

  • Myha Truong Regan, Associate Director, Policy and Sustainable Growth with AMO – Invited to share the methodology and early results of a research project focused on the state of condition of municipal infrastructure assets, including transit. Early analysis suggests transit assets show a worse state than expected.
  • Tamara Gilbert, ADM, Integrated Policy and Planning Division, MTO – Invited to speak about Bill 98 and the implementation of the Fare Alignment and Seamless Transit (FAST) Act.
  • Kim Earls, Executive Director, Rural Ontario Institute – Invited to speak on the connection between economic development and rural mobility

Room: Markham Ballroom A/B

Moderator:

  • Christopher Norris, General Manager, Maintenance – Durham Region Transit

Speakers:

  • Kevan Marshall, Manager, Transit Development – Grand River Transit (Region of Waterloo)
  • Ian Semple, Director, Transportation & Transit Services – Kingston Transit

Who owns your fares and revenue strategy? If you’re not so sure anymore, you’re not alone!

Traditionally stable sources of transit revenue and ridership are increasingly volatile post-pandemic.

Many transit agencies need to diversify ridership and associated revenues to both maintain and invest in services. At the same time agencies are faced with growing calls to offer free transit solutions.

This session will explore the pressures facing transit agencies today, as well as quick wins and new ideas that can help you build a multi-year strategy that will help riders and decision-makers see the value of fair transit fares and other revenue streams.

OPTA members – we want you! This session will be used to gauge interest in starting a dedicated “Fares and Revenue” Committee / Working Group. The goal is to share strategies, tools, and evaluations of fares and revenue programs to strengthen the fiscal resiliency of members.

Room: Markham Ballroom C

Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) – 310T Apprentice Working Group
  • Speaker:
    • Michael Barnett, Deputy Registrar and Chief Operating Officer – Skilled Trades Ontario
Impacts of Tariffs on Transit Supply Chains
  • Speaker:
    • Chad Sadowy, Regional Sales Manager – Canada – NewFlyer
    • Michael Coote, Regional Sales Manager – NovaBus (Invited)
DriveON Inspection for Hydrogen Buses
  • Speakers: TBD
Bus Pulse – The Integrated Hub for Fleet Managers
  • Speakers:
  • Al Pritchard, Fleet Manager – York Region Transit
  • Naeem Farooqi, CEO & Co-Founder – FleetZero
Roundtable Discussion – Input for ZEB User Conference at OTE 2027

Room: TBD

Navigating the awkward middle – Growing the GRT brand through change
  • Speaker:
    • Pat Morabito, Manager – Communications and Community Engagement, Transportation Services – Grand River Transit (GRT)
    • Melissa Murray, Supervisor of Marketing and Communications – GRT
    • Renee Fonte, Assistant Manager, Customer Experience – GRT
“Building Confidence and Independence: The Evolution of Wheel-Trans Travel Training”
  • Speaker:
    • Arlen Orellana, Travel Specialist, Wheel-Trans – Toronto Transit Commission

Wheel-Trans continues to innovate and enhance its travel training program, empowering customers to navigate public transit safely, confidently, and independently. This presentation will highlight the program’s progress to date, showcase key achievements, and outline strategic goals for 2026/2027. The second part of the presentation will focus on the soft skills and customer-focused approaches employed by the Travel Training team to deliver effective training sessions that foster customer confidence, encourage independent travel, and contribute to increased trip diversion from specialized transit services to the conventional transit network.

October 1 – 2, 2026 | Road Safety Summit, Policy Forum, and Committee Meetings
Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre & Spa
500 Warden Ave., Markham, ON L6G 1A5

Register for the Fall Member Meet-Up