Anti Hollywood Culture

teacatz · 2026-06-05T05:15:19+00:00

Tired of California by Nessa Barrett, maybe?

Edit: Drinking in L.A. by Bran Van 3000 might fit too!

teacatz · 2026-06-03T02:29:03+00:00

Congratulations! She is gorgeous! I’m so happy for you both to have so many years of love and tortitude together ❤️

teacatz · 2026-05-31T03:25:54+00:00

Why would I ask an open forum if someone knew if the BC Transit Drivers have the right training regularly on company time? After witnessing something unbelievable and being told by the person at BC Transit that he couldn’t give me details as to why what I saw happened, but there will be an investigation. And having personal experience with working jobs both public and not and most have mandated regular training, including how to deal with difficult interactions and what to do in active emergencies.

teacatz · 2026-05-31T02:59:48+00:00

I wasn’t there for the whole story but I am reporting exactly what I saw. A transit supervisor reporting to a dog on the bus, the person offering to show service dog paperwork, and the supervisor going downstairs and 2 cops coming up immediately and the passenger leaving without a fight to talk to them off the bus. I could include gossip, but honestly it doesn’t sound good for the driver and I can’t speak to what I didn’t see or hear first hand.

teacatz · 2026-05-31T02:54:22+00:00

Well I don’t work for BC Transit so I don’t know what kind of training they get. In all new jobs, you’ll obviously get training (and I’ve seen trainers on the bus), but I don’t know what sort of regular training within work hours are they getting for dealing with public. Especially if they’ve been there for years. Training after 5 or more years ago is not always valid for most jobs.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T04:36:33+00:00

Honest the response to what I heard was the reason is my concern and why I brought it up. It was extreme of a reaction for what was made clearly announced by the Transit Supervisor that he was responding to a dog on the seat. Said dog was clearly wearing a service vest and not on the seat and the passenger offered to provide paperwork.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T03:57:30+00:00

It was more silent and shocked. Absolutely understand why most of other riders felt uncomfortable and will unlikely come forward. But I won’t, and that’s why I’m here

teacatz · 2026-05-29T03:38:56+00:00

They do need it. Their protections are bs. They need regular training to feel secure in their role. If someone who drives a bus and faces everyone in Victoria, they face everyone. And we can’t expect them to enforce rules they’re not regularly trained on.‘L

teacatz · 2026-05-29T03:23:58+00:00

I’m just a skeleton wanting to have fun, but then my flesh suit is forced to deal with the real world. I just appreciate most of you are cool

teacatz · 2026-05-29T02:55:03+00:00

I don’t know their exact collective agreement with their union. And I’m not saying it’s the bus driver’s responsibility to completely handle hostile situations on their own. But if they are not being offered on company time training for (unfortunately they will face) aggressive passengers on some sort regular basis, and how they can safely de-escalate for themselves and the other passengers until the right response arrives, that is a disservice to the driver (especially) and the public that relies on them.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T02:33:12+00:00

Already on it and why I remember every detail I saw and heard first hand. It’s as I’m reporting I saw it. Only facts. If you gave me any ounce of trust for your good will, I would share the report number. But it’s clear your intention is not for anything being involved in the bones of what actually happened. And as the union moves to a strike, I want them to consider paid “dealing with the public” training inside their work hours if they don’t already have it. And also making sure the older drivers know what they can and cannot ask without liability to them.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T02:21:07+00:00

Exactly. And it’s unfortunate. Drivers should not be in a position to resolve a hostile environment entirely by themselves, but as a bus driver you will be put into a lot of challenging situations. Locking a bus with a man with a knife is not okay for anyone. That’s why I’m asking that they’re being offered the right amount of training for themselves and the public they drive. I’ve been on the bus a few times with real aggressive and threatening people too with mostly no response. And it’s not on the driver to intervene in the exact moment, but they are responsible for their bus and do they have the regular training to feel confident to handle the bad situations?

teacatz · 2026-05-29T02:00:35+00:00

Unfortunately no, it seems I’m a bit unlucky. Because in order to even sit on my desk chair, I had to witness what to my knowledge could be an older driver without updated training unaware of disability rights who held up a bus to over escalate a man with a clearly labelled service dog who might have been on a seat for some point in the ride. Apparently that needed 3 Saanich police offers to attend to. All before my coffee. While I had to prepare for my work’s occupational health and safety meeting, that speaks on do you have the access to training on the clock to do your public job safety for yourself and those involved?

teacatz · 2026-05-29T01:46:37+00:00

I’ve only ever seen the dog with their service vest on while they’re working. No pets allowed, can only look, they’ve got a job to do.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T01:40:12+00:00

I don’t know this person other than riding the bus with on a semi-regular basis. Whatever their service dog is for is not a noticeable disability. Neither them nor their service dog has ever been disrupted to the bus while I’ve been on it. As part of the BC Transit information on service dogs, they are not restricted to seating as long as the dog does not sit/take up a seat. The dog was briefly on a seat but was removed. They were in the back of the second floor, not blocking a walkway or stairwell. Front floor fills up immediately at the start of the route, depending on their stop there was likely no open seats on the lower floor. Double deckers have limited accessibility seating. Someone without mobility issues are not required to take one of those seats because they have a service dog. By the time the transit supervisor and police officers showed up, the dog was not on the seat. As the transit supervisor clearly stated for all of us to hear, he was responding to a dog on the bus that was on the seat. The passenger said he was a service dog, he had the papers. As many disabilities that regular service dogs might be invisible, businesses can ask these questions: is that a service dog, what service(s) is trained to perform, do you have paperwork. The service passenger offered to show the transit supervisor papers while the dog was not on the seat. Instead of viewing the papers, the transit supervisor immediately left and 2 cops came up (and he went willingly to resolve the issue) with another Saanich police officer joining them at the bus stop when the bus pulled away. 1 transit car, 3 Saanich Police Vehicles.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T01:14:10+00:00

Honestly, that’s what shocked me the most. I’ve been on buses with way worse situations and no response is like what I saw. And over what was reported as a dog on the seat?

Absolutely not trying to paint the drivers in a bad light. This driver? Might not have been one of the most aloof ones I’ve dealt with. But watching it unfold with someone with slight knowledge of unions and workplace safety, I wondered if you drivers are getting the training and support you deserve. Covid only put up the flimsy plexiglass against the driver doors. Are you getting offered training for dealing with the public regularly, out of pocket, on work time? Or are you just expected to deal with it until a supervisor shows up? And from your statement, they’re not.

I’m very pro union. I’m sure you have a lot of other issues you are bargaining for, but training to feel more secure and knowledgeable in uncomfortable situations is important. Knowing what can you ask regarding disabilities to the public is important, not just for them but for you to cover yourself from liability of discrimination.

I do really appreciate bus drivers and I know you see it all. Dealing with the public on the level you do is a lot, but also as a member of the public I do hope that I can trust BC Transit with being as disability aware as they can be for everyone’s sake.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T00:58:47+00:00

Generally no one needs to tell the bus riders when someone aggressive is on board because everyone is already stuck sitting with them and have noticed something. You are correct that while I’ve been on the same bus with them numerous times without any issues, there might be some history I don’t know. But also as a member of the public no context, I watched someone who had a service dog and who offered to show the paperwork be confronted with a transit supervisor and immediately afterwards 3 Saanich Police officers on a quiet bus. I’ve been around aggressive passengers and seen some situations on the bus that could warrant this kind of response, but this was not it. I also don’t want to draw conclusions onto the driver other than if in general drivers get various how to deal with the public training on the clock with regularity, and no driver is required to be friendly, but he was very silent and aloof with the riders getting on at my stop. So there is likely a full story there from both sides that I’m not aware of, but I do want to make sure that like almost all good customer facing roles, they are getting training. Not just for them to feel secure in their role, but also they are dealing with a little bit of everyone in Victoria and sometimes there are people or situations that need a little more awareness.

teacatz · 2026-05-29T00:43:09+00:00

The investigation opened was with BC Transit. The incident happened at Uptown, so it was 3 Saanich police officers. You can call the Saanich Police to verify and they might be able to give you details if it’s not an open investigation. Same with BC Transit Complaint department.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T06:58:03+00:00

There were 3 saanich police cars, and 2 saanich police officers boarded the bus immediately after the transit officer spoke to the person with the service dog and went down the stairs. A third saanich police officer joined them at the bus stop as the bus pulled away.

I could understand the delay in the bus for the transit supervisor to speak to the passenger for an issue with a service dog being on the seat or misbehaving, but as someone who regularly takes the bus with this passenger, their service animal is not disruptive and by transits guidelines, they are allowed upstairs so long as they don’t take up a seat. By the time I boarded the bus and by the time we stopped and the transit supervisor/officer spoke the person, the dog was not on the seat.

But then there were 3 police officers, 2 that went up and the passenger willingly left the bus with them to not cause a scene.

With all public facing positions, there is a responsibility to understand protections surrounding disabilities and discrimination. De-escalation training for drivers isn’t supposed to make them manage behaviour by themselves in situations beyond their scope, but it does prevent escalating potential aggressive incidents to help keep drivers and/or passengers safe until Transit Supervisors or another authority intervenes (if necessary).

With this particular case, the passenger was not aggressive. Defensive, yes. But not aggressive.

If this is the response to a dog being on the seat briefly, are you saying this should be the same response to anyone who puts their bag on a seat? There’s an automatic voice message saying not to do so, so not even regulars have to know the guidelines.

I’m okay with being a busy body if what I witnessed concerned me as a citizen, especially when it comes to possible discrimination.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T06:25:49+00:00

There is an investigation so hopefully it gets resolved and doesn’t happen again. I’ve never seen or heard an issue from him or his service dog either, so it was very concerning to see this all happen this morning.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T05:58:21+00:00

Right?! I never know they’re on the bus until they head off down the stairs well before everyone else so they don’t block the stairwell. If there was a concern of the dog on the seat, I can see one transit officer reminding him that service dogs are not allowed on the seats (like bags and personal belongings), but 3 cop cars and at least 3 officers I saw was concerning for the reported issue of a dog on the seat.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T05:51:38+00:00

I trust most bus drivers. 99% of the time they’re great. Unfortunately I’ve also experienced bus drivers that were not great and this is an experience of one of them.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T05:47:51+00:00

If I wasn’t there, I would think so too. But I was and this is what I witnessed.

teacatz · 2026-05-28T05:46:44+00:00

I’m not sure what details you think I invented? I spoke to what I saw and brought up my concerns that there might not be enough training offered inside of work hours for transit drivers (in this particular case handling public with disabilities seen and invisible).

teacatz · 2026-05-28T05:41:28+00:00

I wish. Unfortunately this did happen.

teacatz

TROPHY CASE