As Ontario’s legislature debates whether the TTC should be declared an essential service, Torontonians are once again caught in the middle.
No one wants to pay more for a service that saw a price increase just last year.
But ask any TTC rider if they would risk seeing a strike bring the city to a standstill and the debate over cost and service becomes a personal one.
Mayor Rob Ford campaigned on getting this declaration passed and, as he has done before, he will do whatever it takes to keep his promise.
Not everyone agrees completely with his plans, but when it comes to the TTC, he got this one right.
The TTC is an essential service. It may not be fundamental in life-and-death terms like the police or ambulance services. However, it is a daily part of millions of lives.
Mothers, fathers, students, workers, the elderly and children are all dependent on public transit.
It’s been estimated that for every day the TTC is on strike, Toronto’s economy takes a $50-million hit.
Deeming transit an essential service takes away TTC employees’ right to strike and many fear doing so will open the door to doing the same with other public sector workers.
That factor shouldn’t come into the debate at Queen’s Park. What needs to be considered is whether or not Toronto needs this service to function on a daily basis.
The TTC has driven its way into the lives of hundreds of thousands of commuters and to have it depart for even one day would be disastrous.
Ask any Torontonian and the answer is clear: We cannot risk having a union bring our city to its knees.
Passing this legislation and declaring the TTC an essential service is the best way to ensure this city stands up straight and takes its place alongside the other elite capitals of the world.
At the end of the day it comes down to MONEY!! Daily loss with a strike not the poor person who is in need of an ambulance. Current Society = Downward Spiral
Canada should shame those who take away someones right to have a legit Strike, we are going backwords. We should always strive to make our Country much better, but this is a poor choice.
Maybe Rob For will ask minimum wage be reduced to $5.00 and hr and increase RETIREMENT TO 80.
Ok, first the Unionized employes of TTC have Never striked longer than a day or two, before being told to get back to work.
Rob Ford is not just trying to just make TTC Essential but allow the TTC to contract out jobs, you think your paying HIGH fares now, lol just wait.
Great to work for a non union company for 25 years and then be told your laid off because your and old man and perform slower, and now you loose you pension. Yumm Alpo diet.
Rob Ford is Great I hope he cleans up all of the city, I hope Rob cleans up the Top heavy TTC and leaves the little guys on the bottom alone.
God Bless our forefathers for creating UNIONS
Gary Weebster $260,000 a year For What?
Funny you say TTC not as essential as ambulances however we have the TTC on teh verge of becoming essential while Paramedics are only 75% essential… meaning in a strike situation your bus will come on time but your ambulance might not. So how about helping EMS become fully essential before demanding our buses become it?