Results tagged “ttcstrike”

Because nothing says "I'm sorry" like cash in hand, the TTC has just announced a fleet of refunds for all day passes, metropasses, weekly passes, GTA passes.

The idea of a TTC riders' union is nothing particularly new, but after what happened this weekend, it's quickly—and deservedly—picking up steam.

Sarah Lazarovic—curator of the garage-based Montrose Portrait Gallery of Canada—is painting a portrait of a Torontonian every day. Each Monday, we'll feature one of those portraits here. Suggestions for subjects welcome.

Ding, ding, grumble, grumble…the TTC is back on track for the Monday morning commute, ushering in a new era of mutual respect, trust and fellowship between riders and employees. Anyway, it turns out that while Torontoist was trapped at home all weekend drinking and shaking an impotent fist at Bob Kinnear's smug televised face, there was non-TTC news going on out there too.

It's 1:45 a.m. now. The TTC strike is done: twelve hours ago, TTC employees were legislated back to work by the provincial government; nine hours ago, TTC service started back up; not too far from now, employees' Monday morning shifts will start as usual, in time to transport the morning rush. But you wouldn't know that from the Star's Strike Watch blog, which the front page of the Star's website still links to, which boasts of having "the latest on the Toronto Transit Commission labour situation," and which hasn't been updated since Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.

Torontoist is following the TTC's strike, using our own reporting, other local news sources, and any other resources available to us to keep this article updated continually with the latest information. Use the TTC Strike tag to view Torontoist's other strike coverage, or view our list of online resources to see coverage, photos, videos, and ideas elsewhere.

Photo by ariehsinger from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

The TTC pulled a disappearing act this weekend, leaving many people to find alternative means of transportation. However, our provincial politicians have a trick or two up their sleeves as well, and are trying to make the TTC reappear. Let's hope they succeed—it will take some powerful magic to get anywhere on Monday if they don't.

Despite its excellent online coverage from 10:30 p.m. Friday and onwards, not all print editions of Saturday's National Post carried news of the TTC strike. All versions of its Toronto Magazine, however, included the presciently coincidental graphics shown above (Post illustrators' responses to the predictably utopian sentiments of the "My Toronto Is..." tourism ads proffered by OCAD advertising students for their annual let's-generate-PR-for-a-billboard-company contest).

This post will contain a list of links (regularly updated and added to) that might be useful throughout the TTC strike. Follow Torontoist's continual strike coverage at our strike status post, or see the entirety of our coverage by using our TTC Strike tag. You can suggest a link by posting it in the comments or e-mailing tips@torontoist.com.

At 6:45 a.m., Cy Goldsbie spotted a guy spraypainting this message on both of Spadina station's Spadina-immediately-north-of-bloor entrances and was kind enough to snap these pics for us.

The TTC has issued this press release, containing "highlights" of the tentative agreement reached last Sunday—the agreement that the union voted 65% to reject, creating a TTC strike as of midnight Friday, April 26:

This post was updated throughout the weekend with the current status of the TTC's operations, using our own reporting, the TTC's website, and local news sources as a guide.

As it happened, this wasn't the only ATU ad in the subway car to which this message had been appended.

Latest transit update from the Torontoist Action News Team Live Info Centre, Your Only Source For All TTC Strike News: if you're a regular TTC rider, GO Transit doesn't want you. A spokesperson for GO has advised that that they're already operating at capacity with their regular passenger load, and don't plan to run any additional buses or trains in the event of a TTC strike.

Taxi! Taxi!

TTC strike: not today, but probably Monday. If it happens, Torontoist will let you know.

Mayor David Miller, anxious to prove the civic value of his trade mission to China, announced yesterday that a major Chinese mining company would be opening an office in Toronto. Well, not necessarily an office. It could be one of those shared rental suites. Or a mailbox, definitely a mailbox, at least. Say, how 'bout that Great Wall?

In a grudging acknowledgement that Canadians are still entitled to some measure of freedom of speech, the Ontario Human Rights Commission dismissed a complaint against Maclean's magazine for articles critical of Islamic fundamentalism, saying the Commission had no jurisdiction over print. However, the Commission—whose members are not required to have training in law, journalism, or, um, anything, really—did say that the articles caused "serious harm" to society with their "destructive, xenophobic opinions." That's nice. The Human Rights Commission is nice. Muslims are nice. It's very nice to live in Ontario.

When the City of Toronto issued a press release last week detailing its TTC strike contingency plans, cyclists quickly noticed that alongside the proposals for parking restrictions and pleas for employers to allow workers to use staggered schedules, "cycling" and "bikes" were mentioned exactly zero times. Spacing Toronto's Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler reported yesterday:

Get your bathing suits out people—spring may finally be here, with the temperature expected to hit 9° today and a sub-tropical 15° tomorrow. (Disclaimer: the phrase "get your bathing suits out" is not intended to recommend or endorse the practice of swimming in Lake Ontario. Residents should always consult with their toxicologist before bathing at beaches in or around the GTA.)

TTC workers may opt for a work-to-rule or slowdown campaign rather than an out-and-out strike—moves which could include actions such as refusing to collect fares, adhering to rules of the road, and not wearing uniforms. Union President Bob Kinnear's comments indicate that they'd prefer the less drastic action so as not to antagonize the public. Hmmmm, let's see...empty pier...tearful relatives waving goodbye from the wharf...yep, sorry, Bob, that ship has definitely sailed.

TTC union reps walked away from the bargaining table yesterday, meaning you could be walking to work as early as next Tuesday. Much like everyone else on the planet, the union is looking for more money and better benefits, but unlike everybody else on the planet, they can force the city into shutdown if they don't get it. As Clint Eastwood famously said in Unforgiven, "Deserves got nothin' to do with it."

Turns out that the union was actually ready to walkout again yesterday. Fortunately a few last minute desperate phone calls prevented what would've been a disastrous second wildcat strike in as many weeks. The TTC and the union are still in intense negotiations. Hopefully they can avoid any future job actions.

Thankfully, yesterday's TTC strike fizzled out and the city's buses, subways and streetcars are now running again. Kevin McGran at the Star dissects yesterday's events and points to an automated phone message from union head Bob Kinnear as the spark that caused TTC employees to walk out.