Kudos To Ron Singer And Countless Others......

.....who have been helping out. I have a neighbor who has been making regular trips to our local dump with garbage from locals who don't drive. And let's not forget local BIAs who are keeping the main drags clean.

Good samaritan helps neighbours during strike

Updated: Sun Jul. 19 2009 6:52:35 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

A Toronto resident stepped forward on Sunday to help a disabled woman who was quickly becoming overwhelmed by garbage four weeks into a civic strike.

Brenda Ross told CTV Toronto on Saturday that the strike has left her helpless as her disability prevents her from bringing her garbage to the various trash dumps around the city.

Her city councillor told her to compost her waste but Ross says her property is way too small to do that. Over the last month, garbage piles have been mounting on her front porch and inside her home.

Ron Singer heard Ross's story on CTV Toronto Saturday night and decided to help her out. Singer has been volunteering since the strike began, transporting garbage for elderly and disabled Torontonians.

"I'm so impressed and so pleased to get rid of my flies and my ants," Ross said with a smile. "Unless you can get to a dump or have someone who can take you to a dump, you're out of luck."

Singer, who works as an insurance salesman and once ran for city council, said he wanted to help out his neighbourhood.

"The garbage strike, that is out of our control," he said. "So I thought instead of complaining, what could I do? If everybody does something for the community we will all be better off."

Singer says he pays a private collector to take the trash away. He pays about $135 for a box full of trash. So far, he's filled about 10 boxes.

Aside from garbage collection, the strike has frozen dozens of city services such as day camps, swimming pools and building permit applications.

One mom told CTV Toronto that she worries about the children who have been victimized by the strike.

A lot of these kids are now on the streets, getting into trouble because they are not going somewhere constructive," she said.

City management and two unions representing municipal workers have been negotiating throughout the strike.

A sticking point for the two sides centers around sick day payments for city workers. Currently, union members are allowed to bank unused sick days and cash them out at retirement. The city says it can no longer afford the arrangement.