polonews5
23.06.09, 23:00
news.aol.ca/article/tempers-rise-as-garbage-strike-grips-toronto/653584/
"For two weeks, mounds of rotting garbage littered city streets in the midst of a muggy summer.
Mariko Takeuchi, 27, wasn't in the city for the first strike, but she remembers the horror stories from friends and family.
"I understand it was disgusting with the heat, with the smell, the fact that you couldn't dispose of your garbage - you couldn't walk the street without it affecting you," Takeuchi said.
"I think from a convenience and air quality standpoint, that's my biggest concern now."
Others said they were worried about the fate of the summer tourist season if the strike stretches beyond a few days.
Engel Garcia, 39, said he can stockpile bags of garbage in his backyard for a week or two, but with summer festivals and parades, he worries tourists will see Toronto as a dirty destination.
Garcia had little sympathy for the striking workers, saying tough economic times have touched almost everyone in the country, not just city workers.
"With the whole economy going down, everyone's asking for more money," he said. "Everyone's feeling it, so it's not just city workers feeling it."
While garbage had yet to pile up by curbsides Monday afternoon, city residents were quick to feel the immediate impact of the strike.
Families wanting to use the ferry service to soak up the sun at the Toronto Islands were turned away.
"Oh my God, now what do I do?" Mark Phillips said in disbelief as he was turned away from the ferry.
"I'm on vacation now. This is what I like to do, get down here on vacation to relax."
Igor Khortov said he was "shocked" to hear the service was cancelled, having promised his son a belated Father's Day celebration on the beach."