March 13, 2008
Homeowners Not Clearing Ice, TTC Not Playing Nice, Spitzer Is Paying Price
Plagued by complaints, the City of Toronto has finally gotten around to ticketing some homeowners who don't clear the snow in front of their property. A city spokesperson said they prefer not to send out inspectors in the winter because it's so difficult to get around.
Anxious to cement a reputation for self-serving indifference to the public interest, more than 99% of TTC workers have voted more to reject their most recent contract offer. The two sides have until the end of the month to come to an agreement before the union is in a legal strike position, unless workers walk off the job randomly like they did in 2006. The consequences to participants in any illegal job action would likely be severe none.
A judge has ruled that detainees held by Canadian troops in Afghanistan do not have rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but are covered under Afghan and international law. The case, brought by Amnesty International Canada, was an effort to stop prisoners from being transferred to Afghan authorities, who they believe will torture them. That's some government we're propping up there.
With 900,000 prospective immigrants already waiting in in queue, the feds are moving to slash the number of applications accepted until the backlog can be cleared. They will also streamline immigration processes by eliminating all current criteria and replacing them with a singing competition.
Scandalously sex-addicted New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation yesteday, and the woman who literally and figuratively blew it for him has been revealed as 22-year-old Ashley Dupré (not her hooker name). Under U.S. law, Dupré will now become Governor of New York state.
Time to get out the bike as oil prices hit another new high of over US $110 a barrel yesterday, partly on weakness in the American dollar but partly just cause there are more people who want to buy it than who want to sell it. However, as long as you don't drive, or use electricity, or eat, you won't be affected.
Photo by Bitpicture from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
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Kensington is particularly bad at having shovelled sidewalks. I'm specifically talking about Nassau St. A few weeks ago my friend slipped and hurt her leg, last night it was no better, I had to walk in the middle of the street in order to not slip/fall.
really? the city said they don't like to send out inspectors to see if people are shoveling their sidewalks... because it's difficult to get around in the winter? wow.
I personally want to kick the collective asses of homeowners who never shovel their sidewalks. I notice this the most around the sidewalks of people who own corner homes.
The city should fine other landowners as well. Yesterday I walked past so many lots that have clearly not shovelled any snow. An empty lot set for development, a parking lot. It shouldn't just be home owners, but any property owner whose site has a sidewalk running along the property. If a landlord chooses to delegate that to a tenant, fine. I don't care who does it, as long as the sidewalk is clear and safe, but if it doesn't get done, a fine is in order.
Doggiez: I agree, the corner homes are often the worst culprits. I have made a pledge never to own a corner home strictly because it (at least) doubles your shovelling responsibility and I can envision scenarios in which I would not clear my whole sidewalk (which is totally unfair to pedestrians).
The weather is better for biking too. I think that there is a Duke's memorial ride this saturday at noon.
I guess it's been about a month since the fire.
Can I ticket the City for not plowing the snow on my street for over a month?! That's three major snowstorm's worth, and now it's all frozen solid.
FYI, that photo above is on my street too, where one sidewalk is now completely inaccessible (note the foot tracks to the right forcing pedestrians into the street to walk).
I had no idea that Torontoist likes to union-bash with such glee...
Non-shovellers have become a pet peeve of mine since I slipped and fell and badly sprained my ankle last winter. It's still not 100% healed. If I, a healthy, active, young(ish) man, can be brought down by a patch of ice think how difficult it is for elderly and other mobility-challenged people.
Homeowners and apartment managers on my street are generally pretty good about shovelling their sidewalks. Some people even shovel the walks of elderly people who can't quite manage it themselves. I'm proud of that community spirit.
I live near the UofT and students inhabit some of the houses that are split into apartments. I don't know if an owner lives onsite but they are typically the ones who never shovel.
Even if it's not a renters' responsibility to shovel in a legal sense, shouldn't they do it because it's the right thing to do? It makes their lives easier too. They're as much a part of the community as everyone else.
Corner businesses are also a problem. They tend to shovel only the front of their business where customers enter, and not the side. Aren't they resbonsible for all of it?
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church on King St. West never shovels the walk in front of the church either.
Don't most churches have at least one maintenance person to do that kind of thing?
Padraic: It depends on who's writing.
The entire sidewalk around the East York Civic Centre has been covered in ice all winter! Maybe the city should send an inspector out there to fine the city ...
Don't you all know that we live in a poorly run city? Shovel your sidewalks people ... as you would have others shovel theirs.
Yeah, it's funny - the houses worst at shoveling their sidewalks in my neighbourhood tend to be the frat houses full of football jocks.
#2 - the city comment was a made-up thing, though possibly not as funny as I thought.
I've always found the worst non-shovellers to be the wealthy. Having lived in Forest Hills (in an apartment, mind you), it was always the rich schmuchs who never bother having their man servant Raoul shovel the sidewalks.
I propose we replace the warm and fuzzy Ben Wicks (bless his soul) ad campaign that politely nudged homeowners to 'be nice and clear your ice."
"Hey, that snow's not going to shovel itself you inconsiderate bastard. Lace up those boots that carry your lame arse to Burger King three times a day and get to work, prick. By the way...being old is no excuse. It has snowed every one of the 90 winters you've been on this earth and this year is no exception. It's high time you toughened up your zit-faced great-grandson with a little hard work.
During my childhood I lived on a corner lot out in the 'burbs. We had a very long sidewalk to shovel plus a quarter pie shaped piece at the corner which provided double nasty effort when the plow came by (our driveway and there.) I shoveled that for 8-10 years. I loathe lazy ass people that don't shovel or pay to have their sidewalk shoveled/cleared.
Quite frankly for a city that is crying poor every year, why the hell aren't they sending out the ticket people to lay out some fines. Hell, up the ticket fines too!
Right wing, left wing, friend of unions or not... after a while you can blame the mood on the situation, or blame the situation for the mood, but there is no denying that there is a real feeling of disconnection between the riders and the TTC staff
The city has been telling us for years that they are going to add the costs of shovelling to the property taxes of dolts who don't shovel their sidewalks. I've yet to see that happen. Snow shovelling (or the lack thereof) is actually one of the things homeowners bitch about the most -- the other two are shared fences, and mutual driveways.
Re: Comment #17
Your comment, "there is no denying that there is a real feeling of disconnection between the riders and the TTC staff," sums up the present ridership situation nicely. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, suggesting that TTC drivers were on a work-to-rule. Some signs of an upcoming slowdown/strike that I've noticed over the years:
1. Streetcar drivers less helpful than usual when it comes to assisting the elderly/handicapped/mothers with babies (and yes, I KNOW it's not part of their job to help old ladies with groceries, but it certainly is a genture of humanity, no?)
2. TTC drivers not wearing uniforms, opting instead of baseball caps (shades of Metro cops), ski jackets, jeans, etc.
3. Drivers looking the other way when you put in your fare.
4. TTC collector booth attendants being "absent" when depositing fare.
Feel free to add to the list :)
Steve Munro just posted a great article to his blog:
We'll have something else about the TTC tomorrow, too. I think the "disconnect" is more perceived than actual.1. The TTC Union IS greedy. put it in perspective: you need little to no post-secondary education to work at the TTC. they make $25/hr. a nurse makes $30-35/hr. Teachers make around $30-35/hr as well.
Does anyone really think TTC workers who collect tickets or sit in a streetcar (and don't even use their hands!) all day deserve to get a raise, especially when their "owners" claim they are losing money daily?
2. no one's complained about homeowners in this city who, for some unknown reason, have this need to shovel their driveways INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET! i almost hit a woman last week who walked out of her driveway to push snow into the middle lane (where i was driving). the snow itself is a hazard, as are the shoveller.
#19, every single day at around 5:20-5:45 (after work) I use the Cumberland entrance of Bay Station. That entrance's collector booth only operates from like 4:30 to 6:00 (or something like that) all other times it's just token/metropass only. Every single day I see the guy sitting in the booth and every time I say hi or good evening or something I have no response. I have stopped trying to be nice to this disengaged person. Anyone can go after work and I bet they're gonna have a similar experience.
Those pricks in the ticket booths like to look up from their magazines just long enough to make you feel like they are doing you a favour by selling you some tokens.
Agreed, jaymo. Try leaning into that disgusting perforated window, and asking the TTC ticket booth guy for a receipt. Watch what usually happens. "Duh, a whaaa-ttt?" followed by much bitching, fumbling, and complaining on the past of the TTC employee. This is what happens with overpaid, unionized a-holes who have never been self-employed, and never needed receipts.
We should email this string to Adam Giambrone. Instead of spending $21 million on cameras for the TTC, how about spending some money on proper employee training?
Since I'm feeling feisty today, TTC passengers should revolt in case of a strike. Put in less fare than required, or pay with pennies (note to the TTC: you CANNOT REFUSE LEGAL CANADIAN CURRENCY, so don't bitch about pennies!) Pay with old and outdated fare, and refuse to add extra. I'm not suggesting we screw over the TTC, I'm saying we give employees and management a little reminder of who pays their salaries: we the public.
Apologies: I forgot to link to BlogTO's article about the TTC union (that Steve Munro was replying to) in my last comment. I hope this comment thread doesn't go the way it did.
Doggiez ... I love your ideas! Let's all take our bikes on the subway during rush hour while we're at it!
I'm game ... let's organize it!
The entire public sector needs a reminder of who pays their salaries, if you ask me.
When were civil servants ever so exploited that they needed a union?
Re: post 20 and the "great" blog post.
The argument made therein annoys me to no end - that employees are excused from performing the services they were hired to perform because the transit system is "underfunded". The argument ignores that most increases in funding the to TTC - that might otherwise go to infrastructure improvement or to allieviating the dismal conditions that, in this argument's formulation, lead to surly and entitled employees - are crowded out by wage increases of the very type that are being urged now by the union. Users who want better transit should rightly be suspicious of a union that wants an even larger slice of the resources flowing to the TTC, especially in light of threatened service cutbacks and ever-increasing fares.
In other words, if there is a causal link between entitled and obnoxious workers providing the services and the horrors of working in an "underfunded" TTC (which I highly doubt - it is of the nature of an apology rather than a rational explanation), it's more a case of the parasite eating the host.
(Note: I put "underfunded" not to indicate that the TTC is lax or wasteful (nor, however, do I suggest the opposite) but rather to indicate that, like everything else, it is a rhetorical claim - "underfunded" can mean that your expenses are too high in light of your revenue, and since labour expenses are the largest slice, its certainly worth asking whether the TTC (and by that I mean the dysfunctional committee of counsel whose apparent mandate is to run it into the ground to support the above-market incomes of its workers) could do more with its funding if it had the stones to face down the union. Torontonians should be outraged, at the very least, that no damages flowed from the illegal strike waged by the union because of the allegiences and sensitivities of our incompetent mayor).
Doggies and Jaymo: count me in.
Does the TTC accept IOUs? Perhaps it's worth a try. If that's a no-go, I'll barter my way to work tomorrow. "I'll trade you the rest of this coffee and firm handshake if you take me to Spadina Station, please."
I have a mattress that needs moving and I could be persuaded to do it (unassisted) via King streetcar at a few minutes past 5:00.
I don't have a dog but if someone set up a time and date for "take your dog for a ride on the subway", I'd definitely borrow one.
Doggiez (25): Although I like your idea, any business can at any time refuse to take Canadian currency if they haven't yet performed a service.
So, since you have to pay before you go on the TTC, they can refuse you all they want.
#21: It takes two to tango. If you are going to 'blame' the union or call them greedy, then you also have to blame TTC management for agreeing to the terms.
Do you really think bringing your bikes or furniture on the subway will hurt the union or send a message to anyone? Because it won't. Just like when the union strikes, your protest would only hurt the million-a-day riders who have no other choice. Your bikes and your fumbling at the fare box will only prevent people from boarding the vehicles they need to get on to get to work and school. Unless your goal is to piss off people and try turning their anger in the direction of the TTC, this is just a dumb idea.
The TTC just doesn't work the way it should. Even if the province and Ottawa chipped in the billions they ought to, the mismanagement would continue, the union would still threaten to strike (because you really should be making $30/hr doling out tokens, it's so stressful!) every other year... And there's nothing we can do about it. We're always going to be stuck in the middle, forced to pay rising fares, forced to elect council members who won't be able to do anything meaningful, and ignored by the rest of the province and country because we're just whiners.
If I were a leading member of the ATU, I'd recommend that instead of undertaking job action that will antagonize the public, drivers and collectors should just stop collecting fares. Still, if the union membership decide its in their best interest to strike, I'm behind them. A union's job is to fight for its members, period.
t-rek ... of course it won't do anything. But, like any act of protest these days, it will make us feel like we have acted out against the system.
I'm not a fan of the "there's nothing we can do about it" attitude that exists in our society.
Where have all the revolutionaries gone? Maybe we are "just whiners" as you say --- unless people stand up against a system they believe is flawed they are just whiners.
I snapped these photos this morning at Mutual and Alexander on my way to work, passing 100 Alexander Street. Aside from Mutual Street never having been plowed, 100 Alexander is responsible for the sidewalk on the east side of the building, but it's totally inaccessible.
On the south side of the building, they also plowed their driveway snow onto the sidewalk, making pedestrians step into the street to pass by. This is also the same building that had this idiot parked on the sidewalk the other day because there isn't any street parking allowed because of a school.
I agree that fines need to be hiked up real high, and the by-laws need to be enforced. Because people are selfish, lazy dicks.
[35]
i don't think the point was that 'there's nothing we can do about it' and so we should do nothing. i think the point was that ineffective, symbolic protesting is pointless. so what if it makes you feel like you've acted out against 'the system' by taking a mattress on the ttc? you haven't achieved anything but annoying the other riders. don't protest less, protest better.
and please, don't imply that people who have a minor beef with the ttc are revolutionaries- it's just silly to do so.
I also remember a very telling story, that also just rings so true and so TTC. A person was writing about their relationship to the TTC staff that operated the ticket booth in their local station, and realized that there was never so much as a moment, look or grunt of recognition -- whereas there would be conversations and jokes between themselves and the barista and the local coffee shop.
It reminded me of the attitude that some nurses have at hospitals when they are overworked -- taking their frustrations out on all the wrong people. I think there is a solution needed that comes at the problem from both ends.
#36. Oh man, I walk that way all the time and Mutual Street is a total fucking mess right now. I was walking on one of the side streets there, just south of Carlton, and there was one house with a massive pile of snow/ice in front of it. Of course on the driveway was a Land Rover and treads showing that the owners just drive in and out on top of that shit with no consideration for people *walking* there. Dipshits.
This may sound stupid, but am I the only one who is pretty content with TTC customer service? Like overall I've had more good experiences than bad. And I really don't mind when the TTC person isn't there to take my money...free ride, man. If you can't get in through the turnstile just go in through the stroller gate.
Do you got through the empty lane at the grocery store when the cashier lines are too long for your important schedule too?
It is difficult for me at least to take a hard line on either side, since both (or all three) sides have so much better to do.
Yes, the TTC could be funded much better, as it is an old story that it gets a higher percentage of its revenue from fares that most other major transit systems do -- but before you compare it to Europe, have a look at the taxes they pay for all their great services.
The union has a lot to deal with, with the drivers of busses and streetcars particularly bearing the brunt of rider frustration or people just not wanting to pay. It seems that a lot have given up on trying to enforce the rules to avoid the hassle. Then again, they contribute to the funding problem by insisting on fantastic contracts, with the very devastating threat of a strike in their pocket, all the while knowing they have the most union-friendly mayor in quite a while in office. If you're going to try, why not now?
Management could help out a lot more, but they are hampered by being the ones actually having to pay the bills.