Entry FeedYesterday was my garbage day. I cleaned out all of my garbage, as it was started to smell, double bagged it in the dark green bags, and put them into my minivan to take to the local temporary dump site.
I didn't have to wait, and my van wasn't approached by any union members (three sat on lawn chairs reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.) The manager came over and asked how many bags I had. I apologized for having eight, as I had collected the trash from two elder members and my grandmother. He stated that I could bring as many as I wanted. The manager then unloaded my vehicle for me and told me to have a nice day.
This is way better treatment than I get on a regular garbage day with home pick-up.
I know that the garbage collectors are not the only city employees on strike, but they do seem to be the most obvious since all of us are now dealing with our own garbage.
I hope that the city doesn't settle anytime soon. I think it is ridiculous what the unions are demanding, even by their own PR. And if the city does choose to settle, it will only be to take even more money out of my pocket to do so.
In Toronto, we are already paying 65% more for garbage pick-up then the average of 30 other Canadian cities. WOW! Cities that contract out save a lot of money, and have better service. Living in Toronto, I see my property taxes go up annually without receiving any increase in my services. The claim is that my home value also increases each year, but that only helps if I am planning on selling, which I am not. Also, I now get to pay $60 extra each year, per vehicle, just to live in the City of Toronto.
I hope that David Miller and the city councilors don't settle with the union anytime soon, because I know that settling with them will just be meeting their demands. If anything, the unions have been given too much power and money in previous negotiations, and no one is standing up for the tax payers of Toronto.
This used to be an amazing city - I would have said the best city in Canada to live. However our city hall is so messed up, it is a huge pain. I still love Toronto, I just wish that our unions, our councilors and our mayor did, too.