

Sandie Benitah and Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





City bargaining officials say child care centres, garbage collection east of Yonge and city-run programming would be cancelled in the event of strike by Toronto's inside and outside workers.

City Manager Peter Wallace informed the public of the city's contingency plans at a press conference Friday afternoon.

In the event of a strike, community centres, permitting services and other programming at municipal facilities would also grind to a halt.

Wallace said that with only 4,200 managers left to do the work of as many as 25,000 municipal employees, they would have to prioritize.

“We are prioritizing health, safety and other vital public services first,” Wallace said.

Vital services that would continue during a strike include services for arriving refugees, assistance for the city’s homeless population and various Toronto court functions. Welfare recipients would also not be impacted, Wallace said.

Speaking after Wallace, union leaders said they are not yet bracing for a work stoppage, and are instead focused on reaching a deal at the bargaining table.

“Our focus is on a collective agreement, that’s what we need to achieve here. We’re not focused on a contingency plan at all, and the city needs to be focused on a collective agreement as well,” CUPE 416 spokesperson Matt Alloway said.

“No-board reports” have been issued by the Ministry of Labour in negotiations with both unions, meaning CUPE 416 outside workers will be in legal strike position by Feb. 19 and the city’s inside workers with CUPE 79 will be in the same position one day later.

CUPE 79 president Tim Maguire said both unions presented offers to the city on Wednesday, and will continue to bargain as long as possible.

On Thursday, leaders of both unions said the city has refused to offer transferring temporary contract workers into more permanent roles; something both unions say is a top concern.

“The city seems to be wanting to impose mobility that would create even more instability for frontline workers and the services they provide,” Maguire said.

He would not elaborate on what the city is proposing, saying issues should “be left to the bargaining table.”

They also said they have proposed that the city merge their two separate benefit plans into one to save money.

The city retorted on Thursday afternoon that the benefit package changes advocated by the unions would cost taxpayers an additional $9.5 million.

Wallace said the city remains committed to reaching a deal with both unions, but later added that negotiations since October have been “a real challenge.”

“We may not be in a position where we reach a collective agreement before the legal strike or lockout time.”

CUPE 416 represents approximately 6,000 outside workers, including snowplow operators, paramedics, garbage collectors, and park staff. CUPE 79, meanwhile, represents more than 20,000 inside workers.