Toronto politicians optimistic garbage strike will end soon

Bags of garbage pile up outside one of Toronto's transfer stations. CUPE workers went on strike on Monday to back demands for a new contract. (Lorenda Reddekopp/CBC)As garbage continued to pile up in Toronto's streets amid widespread illegal dumping, the city's top politicians said Tuesday they were still optimistic they could soon reach an agreement with striking municipal workers.

Garbage bins across the city have been stuffed with trash. Most are now filled to overflowing.

Tuesday is usually the first day of regular garbage pickup in Toronto — and the city has asked residents to keep trash in their homes for at least a week before trying to dispose of it.

But some people wouldn't wait.

Garbage bins have been crammed full, and green garbage bags filled with trash are starting to pile up on the streets.

Mayor David Miller pleaded with the city's residents not to make the situation worse.

These members of Friends of Christie Pits Park in Toronto point out the garbage left uncollected from a weekend festival. They worry if it isn't cleaned up it might encourage others to dump their garbage in the park. (Jean Carter/CBC News) "It is becoming clear that there is a small group of people that are taking advantage of this strike to use Toronto as their personal dumping ground," he told reporters at a Tuesday news conference.

"This is not and should not be acceptable to any of us. I would ask people to be patient."

That the striking workers and the city are negotiating is "a good sign," said Miller.

But Mark Ferguson, president of CUPE Local 416, which represents outdoor workers, said Monday the two sides were still "miles apart" from a deal.

Those remarks didn't appear to dampen the spirits of city manager Joe Pennachetti, who also appeared at the news conference. Echoing comments he made Monday, Pennachetti said he's "optimistic" that a deal can soon be struck with workers.

He did not speculate on when the two sides might find common ground.

Additional garbage dropoff stations will be opened "shortly" if an agreement isn't reached soon, Pennachetti said. He did not specify when the city would open these new stations.

Residents can take their garbage to any of three transfer stations. But once they get there, some are finding it isn't easy to just dump their trash.

On Tuesday morning at the Ingram transfer station near Keele Street and Ingram Drive, in the city's west end, people were being told there's a three-bag limit.

Striking CUPE workers milling about at the entrance won't give any help, though some are directing people where to put their trash.

Some residents who were blocked from driving into the stations had to lug their refuse in on foot.

Those who left their bags at the gate were handed $380 tickets for illegal dumping.

Striking worker hit

Meanwhile, tensions between striking employees and one driver boiled over Tuesday afternoon. A worker picketing outside City Hall was hit by a motorist trying to enter the building's parking garage.

Const. Tony Vella told the Toronto Star the driver had been harassing the workers and "tried to push the man out of the way with his vehicle."

The man who was hit didn't need hospital treatment and the driver hasn't been charged.

The driver denied culpability in the incident, telling Citytv News that "nothing happened."

Businesses upset

Many Toronto business owners are upset that the job of trash collection is falling on their shoulders.

Tony Viera, who runs a fruit and vegetable store in Kensington Market, says the last garbage strike in 2002 was a major hassle.

"We had to take [the garbage] to a transfer station and we had to wait in line like four or five hours just to get rid of our garbage," he said.

Ha Chow, who also runs a store in the neighbourhood, says the growing piles of trash are a real nuisance.

"Smells," said Ha. "Too much garbage. Very dirty."

Striking City of Toronto workers picket at a garbage transfer station in Toronto on Monday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)Ha says her business has private garbage collection, but that won't solve the problem for others in the neighbourhood.

It also appears that Torontonians should be prepared for some more disappointments.

Canada Day events threatened

The city's annual Pride Parade will go ahead this weekend, but deputy city manager Sue Cork said Monday that if the strike continues "all city-run Canada Day events" on July 1 will be cancelled.

Toronto tourism officials were hoping to attract more out-of-towners to the city's many festivals this summer, as well as keeping locals at home this year.

But with the threat of cancellations and garbage piling up, they now fear people may just opt to get out of town.

The strike has also closed 57 city-run child-care centres and several other city programs.

About 24,000 inside and outside workers — virtually the entire municipal civil service — walked off the job Monday, frustrated by six months of negotiations that they say have gone nowhere.

The issues standing in the way of a new contract include job security, seniority and a bitterly contested proposal by the city to scrap employees' ability to bank sick days and cash them out at retirement.