Last week Toronto MPP David Caplan put forward a private member’s bill to declare the TTC an essential service – a move that would make strike action illegal. The bill was supported 39 to 7 by a vote in legislature , but provincial transportation minister Kathleen Wynne  blocked it.  Wynne said the province should not interfere with the union without a formal request from the City of Toronto.
City council voted on this very issue in October 2008, and the proposal to make the request of the province was defeated by a single vote, 23 to 22.
The potentially higher cost of arbitrated contracts was a major point of contention with the 2008 proposal, and was mentioned again by Wynne in her decision. TTC chair Adam Giambrone said passing the legislation could result in contract cost increases in the tens of millions of dollars.
The Et Cetera believes declaring the TTC an essential service is worth those costs.
During the 2008 city council debate, it was estimated Toronto businesses collectively lost $50 million each day of the two-day strike, due to the public being unable to reach shops and their places of work.
In September 2007, the city introduced a new official plan – a long-term policy and planning document for development. It emphasizes environmental sustainability and a reduced reliance on the family car. Following the plan, Metrolinx, the umbrella organization overseeing transit in the GTA, expects to spend $50 billion over 25 years upgrading all forms of public transit.
It is clear from the Metrolinx report that city officials support intensification – more people living and working within its boundaries – and favours those people leaving their cars at home.
Many of those commuters are necessary for the city to run. As we move closer to a car-free ideal, more vital workers such as doctors, police officers, power plant workers and health inspectors will rely on public transit. We can only speculate what the non-monetary costs of a day without the TTC are.
If the City of Toronto is committed to becoming a transit-driven city, then costly service disruptions are unacceptable. The city should demand the province declare the TTC an essential service.
Transit is the beating heart of commerce in a modern city. It must not be allowed to stop.