It appears that Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 and union vice-president Kevin Morton can’t play nicely together. Kevin Morton and his supporters, the militant maintenance workers, clearly didn’t give a hoot about the 1.5 million Torontonians who use the TTC daily when they voting against the deal that Kinnear negotiated and supported in an attempt to force Kinnear out. And I thought that coups only happened in third world countries, but it happened right here in the GTA.

This behaviour is unconscionable and not acceptable in a civilized society. It is exactly this behaviour that makes the general public so anti-union that many are now calling for the TTC to be declared an essential service or to privatize it altogether. It seems that these 2 options are the only way that we will be liberated permanently for union bully tactics and a complete disregard for the people of Toronto. The maintenance workers are nothing more than cowards. The drivers are on the front line every day facing the public. The maintenance workers get to wreak havoc in the city and hide safely away from the angry residents of the city.

Stranding people with no warning so that you can try and overthrow your union boss should be a punishable offense. The pathetic part of all of this is that if the TTC had accepted the contract offer it would have put them near the top of transit wage earners in North America. The only transit maintenance workers in Canada who would have been higher paid were those who worked for Calgary Transit. There has to be a better way to get rid of Bob Kinnear that to have a TTC strike. The union is not at all apologetic. Adam Giambrone on the other hand did issue an apology to the people of Toronto and has stated that they will now look at scaling back some of the offers made in the tentative agreement. Wouldn’t it be poetic justice if at the end of the day the union walked away with less than they turned down?

The TTC is the poster child for a union who should not have the right to strike. Everyday the TTC is used by approximately 1.5 million people. The City of Toronto cannot function without an operational transit system. The residents of Toronto cannot get to their jobs and earn a living with the TTC on strike. If that is not the definition of an essential service, then I don’t know what is.

Union President Bob Kinnear, a megalomaniac and bully, pranced around beating his chest in victory last week when he declared that he accepted an agreement that made no concessions. The TTC didn’t get a good deal, they got a deal that what utterly stupid for the people of Toronto. If the TTC got everything that they wanted, then why wouldn’t the union members ratify the agreement? Instead they rejected the sweetheart deal and went out on strike at midnight on Friday night with a mere 90 minutes notice instead of the 48 hours notice that was promised. Countless numbers of people were left stranded all over the city. Others woke to the news on Saturday morning with no means to get to their jobs.

Some say that the deal was rejected because mechanics were concerned about job security because new bus repairs are covered on warranty and not the responsibility of the TTC. Another theory is that the maintenance workers were very upset that they didn’t get the “highest paid” clause that the drivers got. The reality is that David Miller gave away the store and the union still wouldn’t ratify the agreement. It’s time for the mayor to take back control of the city, and have the TTC declared an essential service. Once that’s done they should be given a fair contract for all parties. If the union doesn’t like it then these overpaid prima donnas can go out and find another job and perhaps another union boss who has a grip on reality.

In the meantime the legislature sat on Sunday and quickly passed back to work legislation. There was some service on Sunday afternoon and full service is to be restored by Monday morning. If the union or any union members defy the legislation fines of $25,000 per day for the union and $2,000 per day for individuals could be imposed. The bill imposes mediation and arbitration and must take into account the ability of the city and the province to pay. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

It seems like only yesterday that we were practically ready to riot when gas prices in Toronto hit $1.10 per litre. Sadly, that now seems like a bargain as we watched the prices for regular gas sky rocket to $1.20 per litre in Toronto.

Consultants MJ Ervin & Associates attempt to explain away this spike in gas prices with the following:

• The soaring price of oil
• Regular maintenance of the refineries reduce the supply of gas which drives the prices upward
• As the summer months approach the demand for gas increases and supports the higher prices

This all sounds like double-talk to me. I find Liberal MP Dan McTeague’s explanation much more believable. He says that the refiners are plain and simply gouging consumers. He does not see the market fundamentals supporting the rising prices. Look at the facts and decide for yourself.

• A year ago the price for a barrel of oil was $64.00 USD
• The current price for a barrel of oil is approximately $116.00 USD

If this is the reason why we are paying so much at the pumps then why is the price per litre in Toronto $1.20 and according to the latest AAA survey the average price of regular gasoline is at a record high in the US at $3.386 US per American gallon which converts to $0.91 a litre in Canadian money. Why are we paying almost $0.30 more per litre? It’s no wonder that Canadians are flocking across the border to fill up their cars. And we are being warned that we can expect the prices to soar to $1.40 per litre. It’s time that we demanded answers from our politicians and stop just accepting their double talk and nonsense excuses when we can purchase gas for $0.91 per litre in the US.

The TTC is operated normally this morning. The threatened strike by Local 113 of the Toronto Transit commission was averted, not because the union participated in honest negotiations with a sincere desire not to strike and cripple the city, but because as stated by Bob Kinnear, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, NO concessions were made. What kind of negotiation involves no concessions? The answer is strong arm bully tactics and the knowledge that the city could not afford to literally strand 700,000 hard working Torontonians who depend on the TTC.

The union, representing 8,900 TTC workers, negotiated a 3-year deal that includes 3% salary increases each year, and improvements in life insurance and dental coverage. They will now be the highest paid transit operators in the GTA. Incredibly there is actually a clause in the agreement that if workers another transit operator earns more money at the same position, then the TTC workers will get an automatic pay raise. Have you ever heard of such idiocy!

Toronto’s world traveling Mayor, David Miller, was happy about the deal and praised the negotiators. Is he completely mad? There was no negotiation. The union got everything that they wanted. Why isn’t David Miller setting the wheels in motion to declare the TTC an essential service and as such remove their right to strike? Dalton McGuinty publicly stated that he would support such action. When is this madness going to stop? The unions are in complete control of the city and David Miller seems to be oblivious to it all. I don’t know about you, but I want a Mayor who is prepared to stand up for the people of Toronto, not spend taxpayers’ money on trips to China.

Let’s have the TTC declared an essential service – which they are in case no one noticed – and remove their right to strike once and for all!

I was just astounded when I saw bus trips advertised between Toronto and Buffalo and from Toronto to New York City for as little as one dollar by a company called MegaBus. Of course being a skeptic I didn’t believe it and immediately went to the website and started putting in different dates to see if these unbelievable prices were returned on searches. And, although it absolutely boggles the mind, it seems to be true. Fares between Toronto and Buffalo really are one $1.00 each way. All of the searches that I did for fares between Toronto and New York City returned fares of $15.00 each way.

Although it may seem as though MegaBus is a new operator, they are actually owned by an established company – Coach USA. Trips between Toronto and Buffalo, New York are $1.00 each way when you reserve your seat in advance. Best of all the buses depart from The Royal York Hotel on Front St. right across from Union Station and arrive in Buffalo at the International Airport. This is just ideal for Torontonians wanting to take advantage of cheap airfares out of Buffalo, cross border shoppers, Buffalo Sabres fans, and Buffalo Bills fans. In New York City the bus arrives and departs from Penn Station.

MegaBus is launching its service in Toronto on May 30th and as an inaugural promotion for the first week of operation EVERY TRIP WILL BE FREE! All that you need to do is to pay a 50 cent booking fee. Tickets must be purchased online www.megabus.com or by phone toll free 1-877-GO2-MEGA.

Finally something may be done to slow down these monsters of the highway. I don’t know about you, but driving on the highways with the big rigs terrifies me. When I see one come up quickly behind me and hang a few inches off my rear bumper I get out of the way in a nanosecond. I know fully well that they need much more stopping distance than a car and if I was to come to a sudden stop there would be no way that a big rig that was tailgating could possibly stop. Studies show that speed has a direct correlation with the severity of injuries in a vehicle crash. Therefore if you reduce the speed of a large truck, the impact of the collision will be greatly reduced. Since November 1, 2007 there have been 31,350 car and truck collisions in Ontario. That is 2,000 more collisions than in the same period 1 year ago. And that’s a frightening statistic.

Transportation Minister Jim Bradley introduced legislation that would require large trucks on Ontario roads to use speed limiters which are built-in microchips that can preset a truck’s top speed. It is proposed that the preset top speed for the big rigs would be 105 kilometres/hour. This would apply to all trucks built after 1995. It doesn’t matter where the truck comes from. As long as it is on an Ontario highway, it would be required to be fitted with a speed limiter. However the government would allow a 6 month introduction period before the limit goes into effect. The Ontario Trucking Association reports that more than 50% of Ontario big rigs are already voluntarily using speed limiters, and that most large trucks built in the last 10 years are already equipped with them.

I would certainly feel safer if the big rigs were limited to a speed of 105 kms/hour. Wouldn’t you?

Here we go again. The Toronto transit workers, including drivers – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 – is threatening to strike. They have already voted almost unanimously to reject the first contract offer. I’m sick of listening to sanctimonious quotes from the Union Chief about how much they don’t want to take away services from the public. Well, if you feel so strongly about not wanting to take away services, then don’t go on strike.

These unions must be living in LA LA Land. In the private sector, if a company has no money, then there is no money for raises. And, benefits that cost companies a fortune get rolled back. You can’t take blood from a stone and you don’t go on strike. If you are not happy with your wages and your benefits, then do what everyone else does and go out and find a new job with a better pay package. No one is holding you hostage and forcing you to work for the TTC.

The rejected TTC offer included a 2 % pay increase in each year of a 4-year agreement and significant concessions to some benefits. The union wants more. That’s all fine and well but the reality is that the City of Toronto is broke. It’s about time that the unions got a healthy dose of reality. As an essential service they shouldn’t have the right to strike. Why should the public be held hostage by Toronto transit employees?

The current agreement expires at the end of March and technically the TTC workers could go on strike as soon as April 1st – and that’s no joke. I don’t think that transit employees should be allowed to strike. Do you agree or disagree?

In spite of efforts to wean Torontonians from driving their vehicles to work and using the public transit system instead, Statistics Canada reports that in the past 5 years only 216,000 (½ of 1%) commuters in all of Canada have been converted. In the GTA public transit use actually declined slightly (less than ½ of 1%) in 2006, while in the municipalities bordering Toronto there was an increase of public transit usage of 1%. However there has been an increase of 1% in the number of people who now travel as passengers in a vehicle. Canadians prefer to carpool than to use public transit. In Toronto:

• There are 2.4 million commuters
• The average commuting distance is 9.4 kms
• 74% of commuters travel in a vehicle – either as a driver or as a passenger
• 22% of commuters use public transit

One of the major issues facing commuters living in the suburbs is the increase in time and money once you have to transfer from one public transit system to another. Clearly public transit is not serving the public and it is forcing them to continue commuting in their cars. Hence, the increased interest in carpooling. With carpool lanes on many roads, the drive can be quite time effective.

Carpool Zone is a carpool matching service. It is free to use and is for regular commuters only, not just for the occasional trip. There are currently 5,000 registered users, with more signing on every day. If you are interested in learning more about it follow the link below.

http://www.carpoolzone.smartcommute.ca/en/my/

It’s not often that I have something nice to say about taxis in Toronto, but this is one time that I say Bravo Co-Op Cabs. They have taken very important steps in making transportation more accessible to people with disabilities in Toronto. Most of us who are able-bodied have no idea how difficult it is to do something simple like get into a cab. In case you think that this is not a major problem have a look at these statistics.

You may be surprised to know that:
• Over 1.5 million people in Ontario have a disability
• Only 4.8% of taxis in Ontario are accessible to the disabled
• Many people with disabilities in Ontario rely on public transit

A year ago Co-Op Cabs began a pilot project with the TTC’s Wheel-Trans program to increase the quality of service to Wheel-Trans clients. The program was a cooperative effort between both companies with Co-Op Cabs handling over 110,000 TTC Wheel-Trans rides between March and December, 2007. The joint effort guaranteed a portion of disabled accessible rides to the Co-Op drivers who were trained to provide the service and who had disabled accessible vehicles. As all Co-Op Cabs are owned and operated by independent contractors, this provided incentive for drivers to up-grade or to replace their vehicle with one that was accessible. The program is a resounding success for Co-Op Cabs and TTC Wheel-Trans. Co-Op Cabs has since set up a separate disabled accessible division with its own call centre and customer service reps that have had special training.

To contact Co-op Cabs follow the link below.
http://www.co-opcabs.com/

If you are like most Torontonians, you don’t necessarily get the warm and fuzzies when you think of taxi drivers. We all have our own stories about being overcharged, being driven on round about routes, rude taxi drivers…… And sympathy for Toronto taxi drivers doesn’t run very high. But if you accept as fact the results of study that was done by University of Toronto sociology professor Sara Abraham, Ryerson politics professor Aparna Sundar, and Osgoode Hall law student Dale Whitmore, then they are to be pitied, not scorned.

Deena Ladd of the Workers’ Action Centre supported the study’s findings. Even though the report is highly controversial and some of the findings are in dispute, it is very clear that something must be done to reform the taxi industry, immediately if not sooner.

The report called “Toronto Taxi Drivers: Ambassadors of the City” detailed the exploitation and substandard hourly wages earned by many Toronto taxi drivers. At the heart of the problem seems to be the small license plates that you see at the back of the taxi. They are a legal requirement and they are worth a king’s ransom in the taxi world – anywhere from $140,000 - $175,000. Needless to say many taxi drivers can’t afford to own a plate, so they lease instead on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Prior to 1998 anyone could own a taxi plate. Although the law now requires the owner to be a licensed taxi driver, there are many permits still in existence prior to 1998.

According to Richard Mucha, Licensing Manager of Municipal Licensing and Standards:

• There are 3,480 standard plates in Toronto
• There are 1,403 Ambassador plates in Toronto - These plates were given to the drivers by the city. They do not pay a leasing fee and cannot rent out their cars.
• There are 105 wheelchair-accessible plates in Toronto
• Of the 3,480 standard plates, 1,335 are owned by 556 corporate entities
• 1,080 plates are currently being leased by drivers who rent
• The average fee to lease a plate is $1,150/month

According to the study there are taxi drivers leasing plates who are earning $2.00/hour. And, if these drivers didn’t work marathon hours, they could actually end up losing money. In addition, many taxi drivers also say that they are victims of racism perpetrated upon them by their customers. Jim Bell, President of the Toronto Taxi Alliance and General Manager of Diamond Taxi, doesn’t believe that drivers are earning so low an hourly wage and states that in his experience drivers are making on average $12.00 - $15.00 per hour. His theory on the low hourly earnings is that drivers are under reporting. What ever you believe or disbelieve, it seems quite apparent that the taxi industry in Toronto merits further investigation and reform.