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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Smell of Statism
I live in a condo. We have private garbage collection. It's very nice here. How about where you are? Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he won't be legislating a quick end to Toronto's civic workers strike. A while back I called for declaring the TTC an essential service. Depriving people of the right to strike is not Publius' first option in any situation, but the TTC is a government monopoly. More to the point, it's a government monopoly that's hard to replace - you can't dig up a subway system over a long weekend. How long would it take to privatize garbage collection in Toronto? Weeks? Hours if the price was right?
McGuinty told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning after shuffling his cabinet that as a Toronto resident he is inconvenienced by the garbage strike, but he will let negotiators do their job.
''I think it's right that we hold our fire and let the two sides do what they're doing,'' he said.
The premier added, however, that he would be happy to send a provincial mediator to help, if that's what the city and the two CUPE locals want.
Posted by Richard Anderson on June 30, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Living in a building with private garbage collection is awesome. I heartily recommend it.
I also liked the story (I read it in the Toronto Star but it may have been printed elsewhere) about the guy who's been hauling people's trash away in exchange for a donation to a charity. I'd still like it if he was pocketing the money. Private = awesome.
Posted by: Ker | 2009-06-30 8:02:36 AM
I agree, the same should be done with Health Care workers. As long as I don't have a choice but to use the public system and am not allowed to buy my own insurance, they should not be allowed to go on strike. They've already got a monopoly for heavens sake.
If they want to go on strike like GM auto workers then I need to be able to go out and buy a Toyota.
Posted by: Farmer Joe | 2009-06-30 10:30:47 AM
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