🎧 Behind the scenes of OttaTalk’s episode on the TOCC 🎙

Thanks to its extensive network of CCTV cameras and displays, the answer is the Transit Operations Control Centre (TOCC), and this month, it is the subject of the latest episode of OttaTalk.

OttaTalk is the City of Ottawa’s official podcast, a virtual venue for City staff and residents to discuss topics that affect your everyday life. This month’s episode offers a look into the multi-modal nerve centre of OC Transpo operations, the TOCC. It’s where communications are overseen between rail and bus operations, Para Transpo operations, the Special Constables Unit and more, and it is a bustling place indeed with 400,000 annual calls.

To learn more about the TOCC and how it works, OttaTalk was able to catch up with a couple of TOCC insiders, Director of Transit Service Delivery & Rail Operations Joel Lemieux for the French podcast, and TOCC Manager Brad Tubman for the English.

Joel has worked with OC Transpo for 25 years, gaining a wealth of experience as a bus operator, training instructor, supervisor, section head and superintendent. He also served as Manager of the TOCC and managed OC Transpo’s training department before taking on his current role as interim Director of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations.

Brad began his professional journey at OC Transpo 16 years ago as Section Manager of Training. After working in Section Head and Rail Superintendent roles, he transitioned into a Program Manager position within the TOCC branch and managed OC Transpo’s on-street bus supervisor team. Since April 2024, Brad has held his current position as the TOCC Manager.

Like many of the TOCC’s visitors, the OttaTalk Podcast team immediately noted that the room has a sense of purposeful activity that you can see, feel and importantly for the podcast format, that you can hear. The beeps and chimes of various notifications and alarms provide an echoing backdrop to the near-constant calls between Transit Supervisors and Rail Controllers at the TOCC and the bus and rail operators navigating Ottawa. Recording this unique soundscape provided a great opportunity to allow Ottawans to get a sense of what providing transit services to some 1.1 million residents sounds like.

For Michael Reid, a Media Relations Officer and co-host of OttaTalk, the opportunity to witness first-hand the hustle and bustle of the TOCC was a special one.

“As any City employee can tell you, the amount of systems we have in place to make our city run is astounding.”

“Getting the opportunity to actually speak with people who are doing some groundbreaking and important work is such a treat, and one heck of an education.”— Michael Reid - Media Relations Officer and co-host of OttaTalk

Designed from the ground up for optimal working conditions, a memorable characteristic of the TOCC is its walls of screens, each populated with a live feed of a place in Ottawa. This allows bus, rail and Special Constables Unit staff to monitor service throughout Ottawa in real-time.

The room also features cork floors, acoustic wall panels, and an uninterrupted power supply and generator on hand. If staff ever were required to leave the TOCC, there is a Backup Control Centre located at Belfast Yard, that provides full redundancy to continue to operate rail Lines 1, 2 & 4. In short, the TOCC is a room that is purpose-built to support the dedicated staff who work inside, with every element configured to help them keep our city moving 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It’s this constant level of support, provided year-round, that was perhaps most impressive to Shirley Manh, Strategist, Operational Excellence & co-host of OttaTalk:

“Recording this episode of OttaTalk featuring the TOCC not only appealed to the public transit lover in me; it brought me back to the days of my younger self marveling at how so many pieces, people, and ...THINGS have to tick along in the background in order for us to live the lives that we do.”

“These glimpses into other people's work give you not only a greater sense of understanding and wonder, they also enhance the empathy and gratitude I have for them. Thanks to the team at the TOCC and OC Transpo for doing what you do!”— Shirley Manh - Strategist, Operational Excellence & co-host of OttaTalk