Public Commons

Part of Municipal Strike 2009

July 18, 2009, 9 e-mail

B. L. wrote:

I have looked for the law that allows pickets to detain vehicles for 30 mins and have been unable to find it anywhere. Can someone provide a link or a source for this?

J. H. wrote:

Where to begin?

Ok, the 30 minute wait time legally allowed to picketers is a well known figure in union circles, it's just that most unions don't choose to make people wait that long. A police officer told a driver who had just run at some picketers at city hall (where many picketers have been hit or nearly hit at the underground parking, including two staff people from Dufferin Grove hit) that they had the legal right to detain drivers for 30 minutes each. It is the union's discretion to lower that time, but not raise it.

If you want to get some information, you can always go to the picket lines and ask the workers about the issues. Here are a few things from the picket lines:

They don't want to be on strike (getting yelled at every day and sometimes attacked, getting hit or nearly hit by cars, lost wages, unpaid bills, mortgages etc). The city's offer included 200 concessions, or take-aways, they wanted the union to acquiesce to, and no pay increase. This was the only offer the city was willing to consider, no matter how the union negotiators danced and sang, for 8 months unchanged. Is this bargaining in bad faith? Some would say so. Though I wouldn't really use the word bargaining, since that word implies some kind of real discussion and movement.

Sometimes management negotiators need the push of a labour dipute to justify themselves to their bosses for giving in on issues... even when they themselves agree with the union.

The union saw some movement within the first three weeks of the strike, it was the same 200 concessions unchanged, and a zero percent increase the first year, and a point 1 percent increase the second. This is the time the union walked away from the table, and Mayor Miller announced to the media that the union was "bargaining in bad faith". The union said nothing to the media, or so it would seem. My partner spoke to Local 79 president Anne Dembinsky on the line, and she said she spoke to dozens of reporters but none of them put anything she had to say on tv or in the newspaper.

The most recent offer, you know, the "reasonable one" touted by the media, includes a pay increase (most of which happens in the 4th year and nothing in the first year) and all 200 concessions, with the addition of a moderate (some might say half-assed) attempt to deal with the retirement payouts lost to the sick day concession, which would see the city paying "pennies to the dollar" (Anne Dembinsky's phrase in Wednesday's letters to the editor in the Globe and Mail) to replace the payouts, which are reduced should you be retiring after 2010. As well as a Short Term Disability program which the union describes as "substandard". Many union people think the city is going to try to privatize some city services (which explains the concessions which will make it easier to sell), so the 4th year pay increases might never happen.

For those who think that privatization will save the city money, it does not. But that is a much larger debate.

What are the concessions? Well, as far as I know, they have not been released en masse due to the understanding that negotiations are supposed to be confidential (another convention tossed out by Miller); and I believe that most of them apply specifically to the multitude of different jobs done by city employees, so they would be mostly incomprehensible to people who don't understand the jobs.

There are a few that would see change happen in Dufferin Grove.

One is to do with Flexibility, as it is described. Workers could be sent from site to site at the discretion of city managers. So there would most likely be rotating staff at the park. I'm sure CELOS would find a way to get around that obstacle, but consider the other parks which are working to emulate the highly successful staffing models at Dufferin Grove and become truly effective communities promoting inclusive involvement of the local citizenry. Also consider the staff themselves. This would be a hardship to most of them. Nobody likes to have to shuffle their work-week, and going to a strange workplace at the whim of managers is highly stressful. It could well spell the doom of the culture we have helped grow into fruition at Dufferin Grove. Staff have been a huge part of that success.

Many of the staff have highly educated backgrounds with several PHds. Some are professional artists. Would the building and maintenance of the various cob structures and artwork be possible without the experience and professionalism of the staff? What about the ovens? Many of the staff have been here for years. That would all be gone.

Well I seem to have gone on for quite a bit.

Please, if you want to understand what's going on, and not rush to hasty judgement, consider looking for your information in other places than the usual media suspects. Raghu Krishnan has included in his posts several links to alternate media, which you might want to check out. Thank you, Raghu.

Many thanks to the clear-headed and rational voices on this list-serve that give me hope that this will not end in defeat for the people. It is a struggle, but most worthwhile things in life are.

ps you may want to filter your tap water if you're drinking it, water treatment workers are walking the line too.

M. W. wrote:

It isn't in the Labour relations act, it is precedence based law, thus open to interpretation.

I did read that it is considered illegal to delay entry on to "private" property unless you were delaying people to provide them with information. Once again, precedence based.

Under labour relations act the strike action being taken is entirely legal.

Thus, CUPE employees are exercising their legal right to strike on public property and providing information. They have legal precedence to hold people there.

As much as this strike is a huge pain in the butt to most residents (including myself) it is also demonstrates rights that we as a society have long fought for and are trying to spread throughout the world.

B. L. wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I have again looked all over for support for this 30 minute delay and have found nothing. Also found no mention of a different standard for public vs. private sector picketing.

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R. K. wrote:

A.: Sorry it took all of three weeks for you to lose patience with City workers and their union. I look forward to reading your critical review of the City and corporate media's performance.

There is no doubt an interesting discussion to be had about trade- union tactics, but organizing negotiations and then a strike on behalf of thousands of workers spread out over a huge area in a number of very different job categories and workplaces is no easy matter. And to do so in the present economic and political climate further compounds the difficulties. While not always popular or pretty, withdrawing one's labour and ensuring that others do not perform that labour is the principal and often only leverage workers have over their employers and managers. There's nothing "old style" about this. Creative tactics have to supplement this normal and natural response to the unequal relations of power in our workplaces and society, not replace it.

As for strategy, I would be quite critical of the union leadership -- but for reasons diametrically opposed to those put forward by Andrew. The leadership of the municipal workers has actually been far too close to the Miller team. This has meant that it has neglected to do the kind of creative and independent long-term planning, organizing and campaigning that would have made it much easier to rally public support, build alliances and mobilize the membership -- to better resist the City's rollbacks during negotiations and, in the event, carry out a more effective (and shorter?) strike.

Instead, we now have quite a pathetic situation. The only thing that has shown itself to be definitely "old style" in this whole business is the naive reliance of some union leaders on elected officials and narrowly delimited collective bargaining. This approach has blown up in their faces. Miller and many councillors would probably not even have been elected (especially in 2003) were it not for the campaigning done by the labour movement, CUPE in particular. Now the same administration pays back the favour by demanding more than a 100 pages of contract rollbacks to the point of provoking a strike; and to my knowledge not a single "labour-friendly" councillor has criticized the City's hardline approach. It's a fiasco, and probably something of a turning point in the history of labour and left-wing politics in Toronto.

Miller and his team on council are adults. If they are defeated in 2010 because of some supposed "right-wing backlash" to the strike, they will have only themselves to blame. And if they do win again, it appears they have already decided to cater to more conservative segments of the elites, media and electorate -- and to increase their reliance on super-clever power politicking with various business lobbies and the provincial government. Yawn.

I just hope significant sections of the labour movement and its supporters won't be too discouraged by this latest turn of events; and that they will still have the time and energy for building a new kind of progressive and working-class politics in this city. We certainly have to set our sights beyond the miserable affair that the 2010 municipal election is already shaping up to be.

ps. by the way, 89 percent of Local 416 voting members gave their elected leadership a strike mandate in late May. The figure for Local 79 was 90 percent. I don't know what percentage of members voted, but CUPE is generally known as one of the more democratic and active unions out there. (And if it's a matter of voter participation, Miller was elected with only 22% of the vote in 2006. So...why again are such numbers useful in this discussion?)

K. F. wrote:

Very well said. You consistently say what I am thinking and feeling but express it much more articulately than I could. I have really appreciated all your well informed, thoughtful comments. You have a politics of deep integrity and understanding, rare in this day and age. I appreciate your insight about the dangers of the unions being too close with Miller. I think an important lesson to be learned here is that we can never take so called "progressive" governments for granted because the power of neo-liberalism is so intense and any "crisis" will be used as an opportunity to roll back the rights of workers. I guess for me this underlines the importance of worker education and unions investing more in non strike times to build a culture of solidarity and an understanding of the historical and current importance of unions.

I know that I will definitely be pulling Naomi Klein's book "the Shock Doctrine" off my shelf and giving it a long overdue read. I encourage all the others who have chimed in on this list to do the same.

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A. W. wrote:

hi there, i was there around 12 or 1pm yesterday. city tv ctv were there. many angry residents. and 2 of our favourite zamboni drivers. the place was filling up FAST. I bet it will be closed in no time flat.

maybe a celos bbq on friday night if there it isn't closed by then?

M. M. wrote:

I was there this morning. There weren't any protestors but there was a steady stream of people leaving garbage. One of the residents on Cambpell told me they had a candlelight vigil last night, but there weren't a lot of people. There's going to be a neighbourhood 'strategy meeting' in the park at 2pm on Sunday.

I was also there yesterday at 5:30. There were some protesters but not a lot. CityTV, Global and CFRB were there. I heard some people including the two organizers, Jack Fava and Virginia Novak, saying that Campbell was picked instead of Dufferin because of Jutta. I asked Virginia about that. She said that's the rumour that's going around. She said the City didn't put the dump at Dufferin because of the community garden there. That remark was interesting because she and Jack had organized the opposition to the community garden at Erwin Krickhahn.

Jack turned it into a compliment. He said Campbell Park needs a spokesman like Jutta to stick up for it, though I'm not sure how sincere he was, because in the past he's posted derogatory comments about the "bio-toilet crowd" at Dufferin. Joe Silva of the Toronto Eagles said when Campbell is full they should start dumping garbage at Jutta's house. I can't decide if he was being silly or nasty.

Himy Syed from the Friends of Christie Pits said the City was afraid the Friends of Dufferin Grove would bring out 200-300 people to protest a dump at Dufferin. I said the Friends of Dufferin Grove is a mailing list not an organization. We got into a discussion about the reality of Dufferin Grove versus the perception.

A. W. wrote:

Interesting...

Adding to the list of strange compliments: the zamboni drivers who were there from 416 (neither were the really difficult ones) both know very well that Jutta and freinds of dufferin grove are quite involved with Campbell as an Ice rink. They said to me "finally you are here, and where is Jutta? she'll get this shut down."

Anyways, for your meeting tomorrow, i think that protest things just grow and often need help from nearby neighborhoods and so forth including maybe the Davenport Perth community centre The Stop, friends of Dufferin Grove etc. Note that Trinity Bellwoods is one of the largest parks in downtown and it hasn't been opened for trash yet either.

Also in the east end of town where I live there are no garbage dumps in the Beaches, Riverdale, Leslieville. Last strike the Forest Hill park called Well's Hill was a dump immediately and isn't this year. And in west end Toronto High Park and Roncesvalles have no dump (except the huge one at Sunnyside).

To me it seems true that there are some very ill chosen garbage sites (sunnyside, christie, campbell) and some semi intelligent sites (Taylor Creek Park, Cherry Beach, commissioners). And some mid range (Ted reeve).

Incidentally I spoke with some Parks and Rec management folks who said they are starting to call in sick with doctors notes, (they got to keep their sick days frozen to use up or to cash them out whenever in their career at full value), they are exhausted with working overtime changing garbage cans in parks and cleaning toilets where they are open. Another hopeful manager said that Outdoor Recreation programming could restart in 4 days at maximum. I said, unless a lot of you are calling in sick, the strike isn't ending too soon.

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July 19, 2009, 2 e-mails

M. W. wrote:

You may have to contact one of the unions to give you the names of the cases where the right to hold people has been upheld.

I've looked for that info from the Labour Board and Ministry of Labour website and cannot find individual cases.

A labour lawyer who specializes in collective bargaining would also have information about the cases that pertain to legal pickets.

My information comes from police websites based in different parts of the country. The information on these sites was for keeping people safe around picket lines, thus outlined some of the precedence based laws around picketing

My question is: WHY the heck isn't the media giving clear information about legal strikes, the right to picket, and legal hold times?

This is the only reference I have found regarding precedence based wait times is http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/655759 and it isn't explained or referenced at all.

So far, I read so many editorials and comments referring to the union's behavior as "illegal". I am so frustrated, if people had an understanding of their own rights, the rights of the picketers, the actual cost of services through the city, where their taxes go, the actual pay of different members of the union, there would not be so much animosity building.

Even if people disagree with the strike, understanding all citizens rights and responsibilities could alleviate a lot of negativity.

A little information could go a long way.

B. L. wrote:

The only thing that I could find was a ruling from the Windsor strike where they were limited to a delay of 15 minutes. And that delay was total, without stacking people at the front, so the total delay anyone would have is 15 mins, not a clock that starts for each person when they get to the front. Which makes sense. Even if 30 mins is the rule (and I have found no mention of that anywhere), making people wait for hours would still be illegal. The clock, one would think, would start ticking the moment I am held up by a picket. I think making that change in the delay tactics would go a long way to alleviating the tensions.

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July 20, 2009, 6 e-mails

R. K. wrote:

A few people have said they appreciate getting alternative views of the City strike. Here are a number of links that may be of interest:

"Incomplete information turns the public against CUPE strikers" by John Bonnar http://tinyurl.com/o6fkuq

Toronto Labour Council -- City strike bulletin #1 http://tinyurl.com/m84xbc

Toronto Labour Council -- City strike bulletin #2 http://tinyurl.com/n2c22g

"Finance Corporation Organizes Anti-CUPE Rally" http://tinyurl.com/nv62ut

B. L. wrote:

Thanks for the links. Here is another that tells a somewhat different story.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2009/07/20/advice-for-david-miller.aspx

R. K. wrote:

Sorry, here's a piece I missed the first time around:

"City crosses the line by using scabs" by Gary Shaul http://tinyurl.com/mn4otj

That's a lot of reading. I'll hold off on the links for a while.

A. M. wrote:

I think it's possible to be pro-labour yet also maintain a critical eye.

Just a couple of points in to follow up on my earlier posting and some of the responses. R. is correct. Not one NDP or progressive councilor has broken with the city to support CUPE. Not even Paula Fletcher, die hard union supporter, whose husband is John Cartright, President of the Toronto and Region Labour Council. I think that is telling.

David Miller did win election with the support of CUPE. Raghu seems to be suggesting that the union is entitled to some sort of tangible payback for that support. Of course the city shares the blame by going on a massive spending spree in the last budget and raising expectations.

Another historical example to keep (fearfully) in mind Bob Rae's government, defeated in part by angry unions. We got two Mike Harris majority governments out of that one, with the biggest rollback of labour rights in modern Ontario history. I often wonder if the hard left prefer a truly right wing government to focus their attacks, rather than more moderate Liberal or NDP governments who make difficult targets with their occasionally progressive policies.

I'm not really concerned about Miller and the council's progressive majority allies having hurt feelings over their potential defeat in 2010. I'm more concerned with the impact the right wing backlash will have on the city, residents, and yes, the workers.

THis is the most progressive administration we're likely to see in our lifetimes. Enjoy it while you can.

Again, I'll speak of tactics. Yes, the corporate media is hostile to labour. But CUPE has made little or no effort to explain its case to the public, or even many of its members. Old school tactics of withdrawl of services and telling the public to dump their garbage in parks (as one of my neighbours was told by a picketer at a transfer station) reinforces the public's negative attitude towards the union.

Re: unions and democracy. Greater participation of members could be encouraged by using technology (telephone and internet voting ) to enfranchise the membership, rather than expecting them to travel to one or two remote balloting locations as was the case this time. And I'm not sure that the right message is, if you don't like them, vote them out the next time. Does that hold for the Harper government as well? I thought democracy was an ongoing process of civic engagement, not just an occasional trip to the ballot box.

I do agree with Kim that we've missed an opportunity to use this strike for coalition building. Unions like CUPE used to lead that sort of thing. Maybe it's not too late.

M. S. wrote:

All it really tells us is that Toronto Mayors can buy loyalty through plum appointments. I imagine Paula Fletcher would like to retain her Parks committee headship and her seat on the Executive Committee, which she would lose in a second if she publicly supported CUPE (which isn't to say she would necessarily want to).

R. K. wrote:

While I'm tempted to provide a detailed reply to Andrew's specific comments, I also hesitate to get drawn into debates about matters that are really very peripheral to the central issues of this strike. I might be wrong, but my impression is that people on this list don't want to read intricate discussions about strike tactics and internal CUPE politics; and I also sense that there would be limited patience for discussions of the Rae years in Ontario, let alone of British politics in the 1970s!

Let me instead offer the following:

1. On the matter of union tactics and their effects, I think Andrew seriously misreads the forces at play in and around this strike. The near hysterical reaction to the strike goes well beyond tensions stirred up by the garden-variety, anecdotal (and one-sided reporting of) picket-line kerfuffles that Andrew mentions. Smoke was coming out of people's ears in some quarters even before a single cup of coffee or doughnut was consumed on the picket lines. The elites and corporate media want a clear defeat for City workers and their union. Not only are public-sector workers their age-old preferred target; they also want to send a clear message to unions and working people generally about who is going to pay for the present severe economic crisis. That the supposedly labour-friendly team around Miller have decided to be the architects of this attack on City workers is manna from heaven for this right-wing crowd. If this fiasco should also contribute to Miller and company's defeat in 2010, it would just be icing on the cake. No doubt, this will have real and serious consequences for all of us -- but, I repeat, as far as the present strike is concerned, all this is entirely a creation of the Miller team; and they have only themselves to blame.

2. You can out me as the neighbourhood's token representative of the "hard left" if you like, but to characterize the union leadership of the City workers in this way is laughable. Andrew speaks of some supposed union expectation of "payback" -- whatever that might be -- but that is so clearly NOT the issue here. As others have said, CUPE is not demanding anything new. What we have here is the City actively and consciously turning against its core work force -- demanding a massive package of freezes and rollbacks, and furthering opening the door to the privatization of services they provide. Though hardly fire- breathing Marxist radicals, the union leaders have to actually respond to their members' opinions and interests -- and respect some basic tenets of collective bargaining -- so they can't just cave in to the City. Andrew is suggesting that if the union were even more active and democratic -- and if there were even more participation in union elections and contract votes -- City workers wouldn't have given their union a strong strike mandate in response to the City package of freezes and rollbacks. To put it politely, this is pure conjecture based on a bad misreading of the situation on the ground.

3. I maintain my previous comment that it is precisely because the CUPE local leadership has aligned itself so closely with the Miller team that they have been unwilling and unable to develop a more effective campaign to mobilize their membership and reach out to potential allies and the broader public. Andrew's approach would not change anything in this regard, on the contrary. I also repeat what I said about this being a turning point in the history of left-wing and working-class politics in this city. I think it's precisely this "we're-the-most-progressive-people-in-town-so-be-quiet-and-enjoy-it- while-you-can" attitude that makes ordinary people so cynical about politics and discourages the kind of civic engagement that Andrew mentions. If at least some people draw this lesson from this sorry episode, then we should be able to salvage something and rebuild over the coming years.

Of course, if the City reverses course and negotiates a fair settlement with its workers, the task of renewal and rebuilding will be that much easier. That, too, is an option.

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July 21, 2009, 11 e-mails

M. G. wrote:

This email came yesterday and I found it really interesting. If it is true, then I feel this is really telling of how our government operates. I find it really surprising that they really thought the Christie Pits neighbourhood would just sit back and let it happen.

Friends of Christie Pits Park has been watching the strike and the garbage piling up in parks around Toronto for the past 29 days. Please don't mistaken our silence for acceptance. I think we are all suffering from PROTEST FATIGUE.

Residents have been forced to do with less for much too long. Christie Pits Park is missing three outdoor pools, a vibrant wading pool, a pizza oven to have picnics around, day camps for over 300 children, a working water fountain and any public washroom.

We want to see a resolution to the strike soon. Voice your opinion
Mayor David Miller
mayor_miller@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-397-CITY (2489)
Fax: 416-696-3687
Mail: Toronto City Hall, 2nd Floor, 100 Queen St. West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2

Councillor Joe Pantalone
councillor_pantalone@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-392-4009
Fax: 416-392-4100
Mail: 100 Queen Street West, Suite C47,Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Councillor Adam Vaughan
councillor_vaughan@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-392-4044
Fax: 416-392-4130
Mail: 100 Queen Street West, Suite C50, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Other councillors:
http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp

Call on the Medical Officer of Health to intervene to prohibit dumping of garbage in parks:
Dr. David McKeown
publichealth@toronto.ca
http://www.toronto.ca/health/mohmessage.htm
416-338-7600

Dear Friends of Christie Pits,

Your reputation precedes you and your website shows your vitality.. Of all people involved in the current city dispute, you deserve some truth.

For obvious reasons I cannot identify myself. Let's just say I work with City of Toronto management. My role over the last few months has been as a " special consultant - risk management". I have had the job, with others, of determining where the temporary garbage dumps go. I have found this work disgusting in its political cynicism and preferential treatment, and have thankfully engineered my way out of that work group for the time being. My cheques are cashed, so to speak.

Christie Pits was NOT chosen simply because of the superficial environmental excuses that were given.

Your area was chosen because we analyzed your income levels, voting behaviours and ethnicity and decided you would be a soft touch.

Using the city's privileged data, we looked at property tax payments. business licensing levels in the neighbourhood and the financial background documents they would provide such as tax returns, voter turnout records as well as some more cofnidential information 'on loan' from strategic communications and other levels of government, as well as candidates and parties re: political contributions. The councillors in each ward are given a head's up also, and are allowed a veto if they think a neighbourhood is too important for their re-election to be dumped on now, so to speak. It is an arm's length process only superficially - enough so that the councillors and mayor can cover their asses.

So you have garbage and stench there now because you are not rich enough, not white/anglo enough, don't vote enough, don't contribute enough to the right election campaigns and are otherwise not a threat for reasons that have nothing to do with whether your "site is suitable".

I have my fingerprints all over this process for other areas so have to be careful in what I say. But rest assured, if you check some 'potential' dump sites in other more affluent or homogeneous parts of the city, you will find no garbage there. Interesting, huh....

I have vowed I will not be sucked into this cesspool again. This kind of cynical and secret deliberation is not why I got into the field of urban affairs many years ago, but it will surely hasten my departure.

Don't be afraid to speak up. Something really IS going on and it is appalling to those with a conscience. Sorry to say I did not stop it.

A. K. wrote:

Thanks for sending Monica. Not surprising information though great to have this info leaked to us. Thanks to whomever sent that email as it has lifted by spirits to know that we are not the silent, non-voting demographic they thought we were.

Shall we gather people together for a 2nd attempt at a Bloor Street and Park clean up on Saturday? Perhaps10am, meeting outside Banjara? The last clean up effort was during a pretty big thunderstorm!

Please let me know who is interested so we can organize and coordinate.

C. M. wrote:

I myself hesitate to accept anonymous emails as fact, especially one that makes this kind of very serious allegations.

J. N. wrote:

Perhaps this information should be shared with the Press for them to do some digging on this story.

I always wondered why the original 19 dumps were scattered in only 10 wards. My suspicions have been answered.

B. S. wrote:

The disclosure by "R" appears no more or less Kafkaesque than the situation in which we find ourselves in.

This is the real fallout of the strike: "R"s e-mail appears plausible today

E. B. wrote:

I question validity of some aspects of the email (anonymous email) given the fact that there are some degree of embellishing that is happening. How is it possible for City of Toronto to obtain copies of tax returns.

Having said that, we do need to recognize that there is a problem with how the City runs things - how is it that places like Forest Hill and Rosedale did not end up getting a dumpsite in their backyard?

S. G. wrote:

Hi - I agree with E. and C. that caution is advisable with anonymous messages. However, the income tax factor may be poorly worded rather than untrue. StatsCan income data from the 2006 census is included in the City's demographic data down to the ward and neighbourhood level - 140 neighbourhoods! Check out actual data at http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/ "Population density, population change, visible minorities, household income and low income and other key demographic indicators reveals the changing fabric of the city." There us also a large report on pollution and poverty: "poverty rates at the census tract and neighbourhood ( group of census tracts) level." See neighbourhoods 93 (west of Christie), 95 (east of Christie) and 80 (south of Bloor).

"Census tracts include several city blocks and have on average about 4,000 people." The city would have that data also, and likely combined it with the political and other public and non-public factors listed.

To say it's very disappointing and undemocratic if true is a huge understatement!!

Kudos to those in this FCPP group keeping the very real public health issues in the public's mind. I agree with Monica and others that it's time to increase the political pressure.

C. L. wrote:

hi all, tomorrow i will be going to campbell park with the kids participating at La Muse Modern art camp, to an install POP ART works created by the kids. it is a reflexion about parks being used as dumps, where we will be hanging in trees small pertinent creations and also using words sending a positive message describing why the kids love their parks. we should come around lunch time.

B. K. wrote:

I am not as skeptical as C. about the authenticity of this e-mail, but that could be my conspiratorial leanings. I was saying to someone recently how it is strange that some neighbourhoods [Forest Hill, Rosedale] do not have temporary dump sites, and others have more than one. Now that they have started closing various sites, I guess we will have to wait until the temporary sites are so far away from the influential areas, that the influential people will start to complain to the people who matter, that the sites are too far away for them to be taking their garbage in their [insert far too high priced car here] and something needs to be done about it. Or it could be that people in Forest Hill and Rosedale don't make any garbage. Who knows? Just a thought.

R. wrote:

I certainly can vouch for the authenticity of the email your received but I also found it very strange the more affluent neighbourhoods have been spared 'dump sites'.

While I realize you've been working tirelessly to protest the use of parks as dump sites and get the message out to the media, I wonder if this new angle would interest the media. It could certainly keep the issue and story alive and perhaps put more pressure on the city. (I'm not suggesting you mention the anonymous email you receive as I'm not sure how helpful that would be but simply making the observation re: locations seems fairly logical to me.)

H. S. wrote:

With everything going on, I hadn't realized I did NOT update this list on what I did on Tuesday July 21, so belatedly, my report back :

I made hard copies of "that" email

I then headed to the 2:30 p.m. Briefing at the Members Lounge behind and above council chambers in City Hall. They'd moved it there from the Original Metro Hall location to prevent CUPE from making a public demonstration on the outside through the windows.

I was not allowed into the Media briefing, they only allowed city hall accredited reporters.

I witnessed at least one other person from the "public" who was also turned away, despite his having an email on his blackberry from someone higher up asking him to attend the media briefing.

Hence, I could not ask the Mayor directly.

I waited and caught media as they were walking past the ground floor security desk.

Handing them a hard copy of the email.

Interest and attention was mixed.

CFRB radio recorded a minute of me for potential broadcast.

GlobalTV did as well, though initially they dismissed it as an "anonymous" email.

At first CP24 didn't care.

BUT, they had anti-miller city counciller John Parker there giving interviews on the square. He was live on CP24 at 4 pm.

Councillor Parker actually agreed with me off camera that it is at least possible that the contents of the email might be correct, but he could not comment further as he has never even imagined this could happen.

He also agreed that it is not beyond one's imagination that if it is true, then yes, hard drives and emails would be deleted to prevent any data trail to confirm it. A public inquiry would be the ultimate remedy.

I found I actually had more strike information that he did, so that's disturbing in itself, as he is a City Councillor and I am not.

CP24 asked me for the 4:30 pm live report. They gave me 4 minutes.

I repeated that single statement from the email :

"Christie Pits was NOT chosen simply because of the superficial environmental excuses that were given.

Your area was chosen because we analyzed your income levels, voting behaviours and ethnicity and decided you would be a soft touch. "

on air, Nathan Downer, the reporter played devil's advocate, I responded with the trust/believability angle, emphasizing not the veracity of the author of the email, but the validity of the questions raised in the email. Those same questions are being asked by many many Torontonians. The email seems at least plausable.

Within a minute or two, Miller's deputy of communications, showed up demanding to know who sent the email etc etc.

I gave him a hard copy of the email, CP24, now off camera, waited to see the exchange between he and I.

He called it "nonsense" but his reaction didn't convince me, in my opinion.

I "agreed" with him in principle, but raised the other angles of trust and the validity of the questions raised in the email. He ended up "agreeing" with me that forget the author of the email, the questions raised are valid.

He apparently at least superficially agreed with my point that the email is display of the lack of trust on the part of citizens in the elected officials because of recent events.

Nevertheless, That was not aired. Me reading the above two sentences was aired.

Initially I decided not to tweet nor blog anything else about this.

But, it appears, the mayor's office took this serious enough to send someone senior immediately down to where the interview took place.

Their immediate denial and use of the word "nonsense" is instructive in itself. It is an oft repeated word that lately, with the passage of time, has become "sense".

Anyway, I know I must blog this properly as an op-ed kind of piece, then just blast it out there online.

Rita, unless anyone saw or heard me live on air, they don't know I did this.

It would appear, the media, at present do not care about the email nor its questions.

At moss park on friday from 5 pm on, I will still ask those questions.

p.s. On Tuesday afternoon, I always identified to the media that I was speaking in my individual capacity and not as a representative of any group nor organization of the matter of this specific email. despite it being originally being sent to FCPP.

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July 22, 2009, 4 e-mails

D. M. wrote:

Hello everyone,

The dump has not been expanded yet…but as yesterday’s Toronto Star reported, Moss Park has the largest capacity for garbage in the entire city.

So, the plan remains to use the whole soccer field, we just don’t know when….

That is why we need to keep a presence at the site, to encourage and educate people, and offer them a viable option for their garbage.

Here is the Tuesday update:

Thanks to H., P., H., for joining me at Moss Park.

Thanks to M. C., for pursuing the Salvation Army hostel (they are dropping off large loads of garbage each day)

And, thanks to everyone who responded and offered to help when they could, and to those who continue to email Mayor Miller, and Kyle Rae….

We were on site from 4:30 to 7:00 yesterday.

City TV was there, and although I did speak with Francis de Souza, he did not interview us.

It was fairly quiet, probably because it was raining.

Any ideas as to better identify our group as local residents, rather than part of the CUPE picketers?

My feeling is, if we don’t have a sign identifying us, it will be assumed we are part of CUPE

I will have a large sign done today, which will show the map to Villiers Street and it will say “Friends of Moss Park”.

P. has offered to work on the information sheet, which we will then send out to all of you, should you wish to use it or edit it.

I will be at the parking lot, at the south east corner of Sherbourne and Queen, at 5:00 today.

I did speak with staff at Villiers Street yesterday at 4pm. They are aware of our action at Moss Park. There is no bag limit, and they will not stop cars from dropping off garbage.

The paved roadway is not at all full, which is great news for us! They were very supportive at both sites, and I have found most people to be supportive once they have the information.

ANY ideas, suggestions, comments and of course help are welcomed…..

Hoping to see you today at 5, take good care,

H. S. wrote:

Good Morning Friends of All Toronto Parks,

If the Exhibition Grounds remain dump free, and Moss Park has the largest capacity, it is most likely only a matter of "when" the dump there will be expanded, accordian style, over the entire grass lands.

Examples like the Villiers Street dump location confirm that parks need not be the first choice for any future temporary dump sites.

There is a weariness, dump/protest fatigue in many of us. It is understandable. I feel that way too.

This TOStrike many of us thought of as a sprint, has become a marathon.

We, the regular residents of the city, have become the baton being passed back and forth between other decision makers and in a word:

It Sucks.

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S. wrote:

Private garbage pickup. There's a lot of that going on right now. And, the temporary dump at Bayview and Yorkmills in the parking lot of the arena is smack dab in the heart of Bridle Path country.

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B. S. wrote:

To: Rod Adams
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
CC: "Access Toronto" | City of Toronto | Spills Action Centre| Strike Command Centre

Wednesday, July 22. 2009

Dear Rod Adams,

This is an update on last week's correspondence regarding apparent leachate run-off from several temporary dump sites of the City of Toronto. (Images attached).

The Strike Command Centre has informed me this morning by e-mail that the City is monitoring the situation at all sites and taking whatever action is deemed appropriate. No further details were given.

As you are aware, we had a little over 4mm of rainfall yesterday and more showers are anticipated over the next days.

Sunnyside

Please find attached images of the dump site taken yesterday afternoon at approximately 8:30 p.m., regarding the storm grille I had pointed out to you on several occasions. A conservative estimate can be made that this grille drains rainwater from two swaths of piled garbage that are each about 6m wide and - depending on the distance to the next grille beneath the garbage bags, at least 20m long. On this area of 240sqm, yesterdays rainfall would have deposited a total of 960L of precipitation, or about three bathtubs. As can be seen from my first image, virtually none of yesterday's precipitation has been held back. My second image shows that there is no appreciable pooling on the surface of the hard-top, i.e. the precipitation has drained somewhere. An inquiry at the site confirmed that no liquids were removed by a suck truck. My third image shows some pooling of leachate in an exposed gap between the garbage bags.

Christie Pits

I have attached a number of images taken this morning at approximately 10:00 am of effluents escaping from the ice-rink into the ground. The booms that have been placed around the rink were as I have found and documented them previously. I have collected a pooled sample of the effluents from several locations around the rink.

Once again, if you need high-resolution images or any other information, just let me know.

As previously, I would be interested in your assessment regarding the suitability of the sites and the adequacy of the measures that are being taken, both in response to my alerts, and in response to your own monitoring.

Kind regards,

Images:

%i lframe%{{http:www.celos.ca/wiki/uploads/CommentsFromNeighbourhood/ChristiePits-July22a.jpg | Christie Pits, Wednesday, July 22. 2009, morning,
northwest corner of ice rink. Run-off and residual pooling on
concrete skirt.}}

%i lframe%{{http:www.celos.ca/wiki/uploads/CommentsFromNeighbourhood/ChristiePits-July22b.jpg | Christie Pits, Wednesday, July 22. 2009, morning,
north side of ice rink. Compare with images in my previous
mail: this is a spot where effluents appeared throughout the
dry period, the liquids are now seeping beneath the booms
into the ground. The storm sewer there is covered with a
rubber mat but there was no retention of precipitation
or effluents whatsoever.}}

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C. L. wrote:

we did our pop art installation and thank you to monica there was CTV television waiting for us at the park. they shot the art work interviewed a few kids and i think it was very positive. As much as the kids have been ignored through all this cnflict, they had a voice today. it will air on the news at 6:00. CBC also was there and will do a story at 6:00.

thank you also to one of the friend of christie pits that came and took some pictures to eventually put the story on the blog.

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July 23, 2009, 5 e-mail

H. S. wrote:

Good Morning Friends of All Toronto Parks,

In Windsor, CUPE and The City there apparently have a tentative agreement and the voting begins tomorrow. Hopefully there is some spillover effect and the TOStrike ends soon.

Yesterday evening, members of the Friends of Campbell Park formed a human chain, literally locking themselves using a link metal chain and locks to the blue fence entrance of the Campbell Park dump site entrance. It lasted about 40 minutes, was broadcast live on several of the 6:00 p.m. TV news reports.

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090722/trash_protest_090722/20090722/?hub=TorontoNewHome

Traffic was backed up to Dupont.

No one was arrested as the Police on scene said something like they have a right to express their voice this way...to a point. 40 minutes was the limit.

What's Next and why? - Friday July 24:

Having Spoken earlier with D. at Moss Park and J. from Campbell Park, we're going to turn out on Friday July 24, 2009 at the entrance to the Moss Park dump site, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Some people will try to be there as early as 4 p.m.

The message: the grass soccer field is not a paved enclosed area, like an ice rink, so even by the City's previously stated criteria in choosing temporary dump sites, Expanding Moss park is just plain wrong.

Campbell Park is almost full and likely to close soon, joining Christie Pits as closed but still there.

The Moss Park Dump most probably will be expanded onto the soccer field by this weekend.

Hopefully, in addition to myself, members from the Christie Pits neighbourhood can turn out Friday evening.

D. M. wrote:

Here is the update on Moss Park:

Wednesday, there were 3 of us, handing out information from 4pm to 7pm. One car turned around. The rest, for the most part, were receptive to using Villiers Street next time BUT still dumped their garbage at Moss Park.

The present site is filling up. I predict they will expand over the weekend.

Today: Hostels and Shelters dumping large loads at Moss Park -- Marilyn Crawford has been working with the Salvation Army, asking them to use Villiers Street. Progress has been made. We will be making the same request with other hostels/shelters in the area.

I will ask L., Site Supervisor, when he plans to expand the fence, and let you know his response.

I plan to be on site from 4pm to 7pm today, rain or shine!

I will be there Friday to welcome everyone who will raise a voice for Moss Park.

Take care, everyone.

D. M. wrote:

Just came back from Moss Park.

Bad News…..

L., the site supervisor at Moss Park, confirmed today that they will be expanding the present dump site by 4 fence lengths on Monday, July 27.

Today, CUPE has closed off the driveway to the parking lot (where people drive in to dump garbage.)

The parking lot is almost full, so it would be difficult for people to drive in and drop off garbage. What were they thinking?

So instead….

They are directing people to drive around the corner to Queen Street.

As a result, the staff are waiting for them, and are removing the garbage from their cars.

There are 2 CUPE staff, standing there watching the team take away garbage, and thanking people for dropping it off.

What valet garbage disposal service.

I parked my car on Queen Street, in front of the truck they are using to load garbage.

I handed out flyers for about 30 minutes.

If anyone can do the same this afternoon, it would be wonderful.

I spoke to the CUPE picket captain, explaining that they were in fact helping people to dump garbage, rather than hindering.

I’ll be back on site by 4:00 today.

Thanks for listening,

Take good care,

H. S. wrote:

just confirmed, Moss Park dump will grow on Monday...

Cross posted on my twitter:

http://T.oronto.ca/w82 - Moss Park Dump to Expand by FOUR Fence Lengths on Monday July 27 2009; Valet garbage disposal service.

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Boris Steipe wrote:

I just came back from a lengthy interview with CBC at Christie Pits Park re. the leachate and run-off situation. It is slated to air at 6:00 today.

P.S. No follow up from the Ministry of the Environment so far, they're still preparing a response to my mails.

Boris Steipe wrote:

Just saw it: http://tinyurl.com/msvrfa

One of the key moments didn't make it into the clip however: we got some audio of significant amounts of leachate trickling, splashing, dripping into the sewer system...

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