Garbage Strike In Toronto - Day 16
This strike has started to impact this household in ways I hadn't considered initially. In terms of household garbage it's not bothering us all since I have devised my own method of dealing with it. I compost all vegetable stuff, freeze leftover food matter, recycle like mad and what's left just stays double bagged until the strike is over. There is no smell, no raccoons and no maggots and I don't have to use neighbourhood parks, which I think sucks anyway.
No, the bigger impact is on my husbands business. He has now turned down three jobs that require him to remove demolition material and take it to the local dump. This was always included in his service since there are very few homeowners who would want to take their own debris away.
There has been one fence job and two kitchen jobs which he has now turned away. We certainly can't store old cabinets and old fencing in our driveway. Steve's also not prepared to wait hours at the local transfer station while the strikers hold up all comers. I suspect we are not the only small business in this predicament.
Toronto is starting to look pretty ugly these days and by allowing parks to be used for garbage it's pitting neighbour against neighbour. Our city council had lots of time to settle these issues before it came to this. At the moment the Mayor and most councilors are missing in action as in not working and getting paid for it. All our local municipal offices are closed. No one can get a building permit. I think this is in support of the unions. Anybody considering a visit to our fair (stinky) city this summer should certainly reconsider. It's not a pretty place right now.
There has been talk of compensating homeowners for lost services but no one can compensate us for the lost income this strike is causing us.
Labels: Municipal Politics
posted by Rositta @ Tuesday, July 07, 2009
2 Comments:
I think that when you consider the individual household, it's bad enough, but what about hotels and restaurants that must accumulate a huge amount of waste? Or hospitals for that matter? It must be disgusting when considered as a whole.
Are they any closer to a settlement? Thank God it isn't hot and humid.
BTW, I admire how clever and resourceful you are with your recycling.
Rudee, hotels and hospitals have private trash haulers. Restaurant waste is piling up in alleyways. The rats and raccoons are having a field day. All pools, city run day cares and camps are also closed. Our councilors are not reporting to work and getting paid for it. Some councilors take union donations at election time and won't cross the picket line (mine included). It's nice to know who they are and who they work for. During a strike many years ago our then councilor picked up garbage at his own expense from elderly and disabled homeowners. The current one doesn't even return emails.
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