Mayor David Miller is behaving obnoxiously during Toronto's Garbage strike

So what else is new?

Let’s take a look at Miller’s contempt for ordinary Torontonians as it manifested itself this week:

At the beginning of the week, the finger wagging from city hall chastized the people against dump garbage illegally. Granted the city has a responsibility to keep the city clean but circumstances have painted householders into a corner. They have to take their garbage somewhere but if they take it to the transfer station, they will be hectored and bossed around by a bunch of striking city workers, forced to wait needlessly in long line-ups, and ordered, again completely needlessly, to walk their garbage in past the picket lines, when the strikers decide to let them past. Where is the empathy?

And top it off, David Miller instructed us to obey the picket captains while we are at the transfer station. Say what! The citizens are told by the mayor they elected to take orders from people who are currently refusing to work? What kind of nonsense is this? Earth to David Miller: the mayor listens to city residents, city workers listen to the mayor, and nobody has to listen to strikers because they are currently unemployed.

What people need is a realistic option, an alternate place where they can take their garbage. I know, I know, the city is finally setting up temporary dumpsites. But at the beginning of the week, this option wasn’t being discussed. Instead of threatening people with bylaws infractions, why didn’t Miller reassure us that help in the form of alternate dumpsites is on the way, so don’t panic and dump garbage where it doesn’t belong. Same message, different tone, indicating a different mindset. If the mayor phrased his message that way he would have indicated to us that he viewed his job as that of providing the best services at the lowest tax rate possible. Instead, both the unions and the mayor are signalling their arrogance - that they think we are dependent on them instead of the other way around. This is what a government that gets too big sounds like.

Comments

[Reynald the Lucky]

The strike would be settled sooner if Torontonians dropped their garbage off at Nathan Phillips Square!

[Gary]

Why not a temporary dump site on the lawns of the Mayor and Councilors home? I would provide a fragrant reminder of the facts that the voters are angry and will remember (one would hope) at the next election.