October 15 active attacker simulation postponed
Recently, we shared with our community plans to participate in active attacker simulation training with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and emergency responders on our campus. This training has now been postponed until further notice, as Toronto Police Service resources are required elsewhere.
The Rogers Communications Centre, Kerr Hall and the Quad closures are cancelled. The Recreation and Athletics Centre will remain closed from 7 a.m. to noon.
The university remains committed to taking a proactive approach to safety and security on campus by innovating new approaches, and expanding training for Community Safety and Security staff in order to respond to the complex needs on our campus. We will work on rebooking this training for a date in the future and share that with our community when it is confirmed.
Reminder: Build your own knowledge in responding to an active threat on campus
While the chances of an active threat situation occurring on campus are extremely low, it’s important for TMU community members to know what to do in case it happens. Research of active threat events across North America (specifically those involving active shooters) has shown that being prepared can increase your chances of survival should you ever find yourself in this situation.
Empower yourself with the skills to respond by learning more
We encourage you to:
- Visit the Active Attacker page on the Community Safety and Security website and watch a short training video.
- Sign up for a training session to gain hands-on skills.
- Share this information with others.
Support available for community members
We recognize that a sense of safety and security is deeply personal. Learning about risks to one’s safety can profoundly impact our mental, physical and emotional well-being and contributes to a heightened sense of alert and concern about personal safety. We want to remind our community of resources available.
Student supports
- Centre for Student Development and Counselling offers various care, referrals, and resources, including individual and group counselling. You can make an appointment by emailing csdc@torontomu.ca or calling 416-979-5195.
Employee supports
- The Employee and Family Assistance Program provides employees with a variety of confidential resources to help support wellbeing.
- Workplace Wellbeing Services is available to discuss other supports and services.
Reminders about security supports and resources
We encourage all community members to take advantage of Community Safety and Security resources, including:
- The WalkSafe Program: This provides a uniformed security crew member to escort you to various locations on campus, including the subway and nearby parking lots. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To request WalkSafe call 416-979-5040 or email walksafe@torontomu.ca.
- Get Out. Hide. Fight. Training: While the chances of an active threat situation occurring on campus are extremely low, it’s important for TMU community members to know what to do in case it happens. In addition to the information on the Community Safety and Security website, you can sign up for workshops on the topic.
- Download the TMU Safe app to your phone and sign up for text messages. This app is the university’s tool for mass notification in the event of an urgent situation that poses an immediate safety or security risk to the community.
- Already downloaded the app but haven’t used it in some time? If you’re an iPhone user, make sure your phone hasn’t offloaded the app. If it has, you may need to redownload it. If you’re an android user, make sure you double check that the app has not gone into hibernation mode. To prevent app hibernation from occurring, redownload the app and TMU Safe will prompt you to disable this feature within their app’s settings on your phone. If the app has been offloaded or gone into hibernation mode, you will not receive notifications.
