It’s official: the countdown clock on a lockout or City workers strike is ticking. Today the Ontario Labour Board granted the City’s request and issued what’s called a “no board” report—a confirmation that negotiations have broken down and that the province will not be appointing a conciliation board to try to resolve contract debates. Specifically, [...]

The clock may have just started on a city workers strike or lockout. The City of Toronto announced today that it has filed a “no board” request with the province regarding its negotiations with CUPE 416. This means that the municipal government is stating that negotiations with the union local representing so-called outside workers have [...]

Photo by Ayngelina Brogan/Torontoist. Well, not really. It will live on in political grandstanding and pre-election speeches and in all manner of rhetorical asides for months to come. But, in real, day-to-day terms, it has come to a merciful end. By two 21–17 votes, after a day-long debate, City Council has just approved contracts with [...]

Photo by Ted Healey (deadrobot) from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It’s not enough to have Toronto amass into a literal garbage dump or to bar kids from City-run pools and daycares—now they’ve stolen the rainbow from the sky. In possibly the saddest-sounding phrasing of any strike-based sign this week, the traditional hoist of the rainbow [...]