It was close to midnight on a Saturday last month when Sydnie Campbell saw something that made her stop her streetcar in fear.
There, on St. Clair Avenue, the TTC operator saw someone walking in the middle of the street, seemingly unaware of the dangers swirling around them. Cars honked and swerved. One driver stopped, spoke to the figure, then drove off.
As Campbell moved the 512 streetcar closer, she saw it was a boy, about 10 years old, all by himself.
“I notice that they’re not wearing any shoes and as I get closer, I notice it鈥檚 a child,鈥 said Campbell. 鈥淚t made me pause.鈥
The child seemed interested in the streetcar, touching the side of it. Campbell 鈥 who鈥檚 been a streetcar operator for four years 鈥 pulled into the next stop and let the child inside.聽
“As they got on to streetcar, I was watching them on the camera just to make sure they were safe, not bleeding or anything like that,” Campbell said. She called transit control to let them know what had happened.
She put her streetcar out of service, letting nearly a dozen passengers on board hop off and onto the streetcar just behind hers. She then pulled into a loop on Oakwood Avenue off St. Clair.
There, she and the boy, who wouldn’t speak even to say his name, waited for the police.
“I at least let him know, I am a friend,” Campbell said, guessing that the boy had special needs. “And I was showing him my (TTC) crest on my arm to say, 鈥業 drive this (streetcar)鈥 and just to make him comfortable.”
They listened to music and watched videos on Campbell’s phone. First, he sat a few seats away. As he warmed up to Campbell, he inched closer and closer. When police finally came to take him back to his parents, he was sitting right next to her.
“I actually do have a sister who has special needs, so I understand that they can be scared, especially in an unfamiliar situation,” Campbell said, tears welling in her eyes, as she spoke to the Star about the Aug. 23 incident.
“I just kind of pictured, if my sister was here right now, what would I want someone else to do for her? And, I just took over as, ‘I’ll be your big sister for now.’”
At her suggestion, the boy’s parents came to the streetcar instead of him being taken home by unfamiliar police officers. Later, Campbell found out that the boy had walked nearly a kilometre barefoot 鈥 alone 鈥 through the streets before he stumbled into her streetcar.
“It’s not every day that you see that there’s a child that’s missing and you’re able to help,” Campbell said. “We’re a city of millions of people; there’s something happening every day. And we’re the eyes out there, so it’s nice when we actually see what we need to see.”
TTC CEO Mandeep Lali told a board meeting on Wednesday about Campbell鈥檚 quick thinking. The 35-year-old streetcar operator was congratulated for her care by city councillors and board commissioners.
“Her compassion, quick-thinking, dedication 鈥 I could go on,鈥 said Lali. 鈥淚t is a reflection of the true best of who we are.”
Campbell, who was in banking before joining the TTC, says the job has given her a connection to Torontonians across the city 鈥 whether it鈥檚 a late-night emergency or just the daily commute.
“There are many times where you’re doing a route for usually about six weeks at a time, and I’ve seen people that I’m like ‘Oh, she’s pregnant.’ And then, ‘Oh, she’s pushing the baby,’” Campbell said, an infectious grin across her face.
“You kind of get to know people without them really knowing you.”
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation