By David Topping

As the city accumulates garbage throughout the ongoing city workers’ strike, we’ll be accumulating photos. Torontoist’s Michael Chrisman is checking in on the garbage and recycling bins outside of Osler Playground on Argyle Street throughout the strike and documenting their day-to-day change, an attempt to follow the tangible effects of the strike and complement our other coverage.

Well, this’ll probably force a slight change of plans. As you can see, what once was full now is empty: there’s distinctly less garbage in the bin outside of Osler Playground today than there was yesterday, and that’s because—surprise!—the City is actively directing non-union employees to empty garbage bins from inside some parks.

This morning, just around the corner from Osler Playground and not long after discovering that Osler’s garbage bin was emptied, Torontoist caught two workers in an unmarked Ford pickup truck—whose license plate we’ve obscured above—emptying Trinity-Bellwoods Park’s garbage bins (pictured above). Reluctant to speak to us, and even more reluctant to be photographed, they identified themselves only as “management.”
So, we called Joe Pantalone’s office—which presides over both Trinity-Bellwoods and Osler Playground—and were told to call the City of Toronto Administrative, Professional, Supervisory Association (COTAPSA), whose website notes that they’re “the only voice that stands up for, speaks for, and protects the interests and rights of non-union management and exempt employees of the City of Toronto.” COTAPSA’s Executive Director, Richard Majkot, could not confirm that the workers in Bellwoods were his members but told us that “it’s entirely possible,” and that if they were they’d be “working on orders of the City.” Majkot explained that people are supposed to be dumping their garbage in the “designated spots,” but that, since some people aren’t, “the city’s trying to control that a bit.”
After discovering later in the afternoon that Dufferin Grove Park’s garbage bins had been recently emptied as well, we asked Geoff Rathbone, the manager of Solid Waste Management Services, to what extent the city is cleaning up public parks. Rathbone explained that, while bins outside of parks are covered to prevent their use, “parks management staff” is providing and will continue to provide “maintenance” within city parks. (Even though the City’s contingency plan says that “there will be no turf or grounds maintenance” for parks.)
Which all means that, as the strike lurches ahead, we might have to pick some new bins to watch.
Photos by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist. Additional reporting by Jerad Gallinger.