The strike by Toronto’s municipal workers has entered its second week, and although all sides are still talking, some residents are showing their frustration with the most visible sign of the labour dispute: the mounting piles of garbage.
About 24,000 city workers walked off the job on June 22 to back their demands for a new contract.
Two Canadian Union of Public Employees locals are on strike — Local 416, which represents outside workers, and Local 79, which mostly represents inside workers.
The union and management negotiating teams continue to meet, but no details have been released on the progress of the talks.
A number of municipal services have been cancelled, including city-run daycares, parks and recreation programs, city-sponsored day camps, and many Canada Day celebrations.
To try to deal with the garbage mess, the city has asked residents to take their own garbage to any of 26 dump sites in Toronto — 19 of them temporary sites located mostly in city parks.
At at least one location, people are complaining, loudly, about the measure.
About 100 people showed up at a park in the city’s west end on Sunday evening to protest.
Monica Gupta, of Friends of Christie Pits Park, said in an email to CBC News that the demonstration was held so people could show their “collective disappointment over the new temporary dump site in the park.”
Although the temporary site has only been open since Friday, already half the surface of the rink is filled with green garbage bags up to the top of the boards.
Nearby residents say the dump is starting to have an impact on people’s lives. The smell from the refuse, they say, is starting to creep across the park and into the surrounding neighbourhoods.
(Source: CBC)
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wow! we made it to YW!
This strike is ridiculous in the extreme and very, very unfair. The main point of contention is the right to roll-over their 19 paid sick days weach year. !!!! With so many people grateful to have ANY job, let alone one with so many benafits, in this economy, the union picked the wrong issue! (It’s not even so hard to collect garbage anymore, since we got big cans, and they’re lifted by the truck.) So if you come to visit, bring noseplugs, and don’t forget – bags in stores are 5c, please!
I think its easier now to assemble the garbarge. No need to sort the green bin, recycables, and other garbage. Just put everything in one garbage bag (like the old days) and either drop off your bags at one of the drop off locations or store it until after the strike when they will accept more than your allowable limit.