Toronto City Council Tables Strike Contingency Plan

Here we go again.

After narrowly averting a strike by city outside workers, the Toronto City Council has tabled a contingency plan in anticipation of a potential strike by inside workers.

The labour disruption would involve more than 24,000 city workers (represented by CUPE Local 79). They will be in a legal work stoppage position as of March 14.

The contingency plan, should it be implemented, would include the closing of all city-run early learning and child care centers, the suspension of non-critical Toronto public health operations, and the slowing or suspension of many city administrative services, including permitting and licensing.

Only emergency building inspections will continue. All other zoning and building code reviews will be suspended. Building permits for critical, large scale public infrastructure projects may also be issued. 

Emergency response by Toronto police, fire and paramedic services would not be affected. Court proceedings will also continue as usual.

In a news release, the council said a bargaining team is currently in negotiations with Local 79 and "remains committed to negotiating a new collective agreement that is fair and reasonable to employees, and affordable for residents."

At a meeting March 6, the Toronto City Council approved a new collective agreement between the city and the Toronto Civic Employees Union (Local 416-CUPE), which represents Toronto's 5,000 outside workers.