Silly Little Country

Heading Home to Face Garbage Problems Again

The Toronto garbage strike continues (yes, I know many other services are also withdrawn but few of them matter much to me - I even got a street parking permit on-line after the strike started).
Lawrence Solomon summarizes my views on the farce Miller has got us into.

Toronto’s garbage strike creates hazards to the public health and inconvenience to all, but it does have some saving virtues. It highlights the self-centredness of the unions, which have again timed their strike for summer to maximize the fetidity of the garbage and the distress of the citizenry. And it reminds us of the resiliency in our society, through the entrepreneurship that instantly sprang up in response. Within hours of the strike’s commencement, numerous providers emerged to offer garbage services at a reasonable price and, more importantly, with a smile. In my neighbourhood, Milton appears on request to remove my garbage for $4 a bag. To save on fuel — a large factor for public and private haulers alike — Milton ferries garbage from his customers to his parked truck by a hand wagon. Every neighbourhood in Toronto now has its own Milton.

A walk around my neighborhood before I left for my vacation (well, trip) identified a Milton within walking distance. If the drop sites in Toronto no longer afford convenient disposal of my garbage, no doubt Milton will get some new business.
As for the next municipal election, contracting out will likely be the issue most likely to determine my vote.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 5:16 PM