‘It’s devastating’: Shane O’Leary, Halifax Transit Union president who fought to protect drivers, loses cancer battle

Shane O’Leary would not back down.   

Bus drivers in Halifax were being assaulted by passengers and O’Leary wouldn’t put up with it. Month after month, he was in the media demanding Halifax Transit and the city install plexiglass shields in buses that would keep drivers safe. 

His persistence paid off. The shields will be installed in a new fleet coming next year.

O’Leary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 508, lost his battle with cancer Monday. He had just turned 60.

“It’s devastating to the local; it’s devastating to the union movement in Nova Scotia and Canada,” said Ken Wilson, a close friend of O’Leary’s and past president of the local. 

“Shane was just an exceptional leader. He was always fighting to improve conditions and especially safety for bus drivers, operators, transit workers and for passengers.”

Wilson and O’Leary joined forces back in the early 2000s as junior transit drivers. O’Leary began his union tenure as a shop steward while Wilson was vice-president of the local.

Eventually, Wilson became president and O’Leary vice-president. The tandem, along with Jeannie Garbett (financial secretary), lasted a decade. Together they fought for better pay, benefits and work schedules for their membership.

“When we started out we were both a couple of junior operators and back then you couldn’t get weekends off and we were working ridiculous hours,” recalled Wilson.  
“We built a bond and we made some changes that we were really proud of.” 

In May 2022, O’Leary took over as president of the local after Wilson moved on to take an executive role with the parent union. Within a year, O’Leary negotiated a near-unprecedented contract with the city. It included longstanding concerns around wages, particularly wage parity between drivers of accessible and standard buses. 

In large part, the agreement came from O’Leary’s tenaciousness and fearlessness, said Wilson. He wasn’t afraid to go head to head with regional council, with his members alongside him.

“He was proud to have them behind him, to put the face of the transit workers out there,” Wilson said.

“Shane was never about himself. He never wanted to be in the limelight. He wanted to give the limelight to everyone else.”

A hulk of a man, O’Leary proved to be a sharp negotiator and foe when he needed to be. He and his intellect were not to be taken lightly, said Wilson.  

“His mental capacity, his ability to research and to think on his feet, was off the charts, and I think that caught a lot of people off guard,” said Wilson. 

“I think he knew he could make a difference. He wanted to make a difference and he certainly did.”

Above all, O’Leary put family first. That included his wife, Shelley, and his six children. 

“Shane was all about family and providing for his family and he was very proud that his job allowed him to do that,” said Wilson. 
“He realized early on in his career that everything he came to enjoy about the job, benefit-wise, was because of the union.”