After over a decade, workers at the Toronto Transit Commission once again have a right to strike—effective immediately. In 2011, Premier Dalton McGuinty (a Liberal, it should be noted) signed a law banning workers at the TTC from strike action following a request by the Toronto City Council and Mayor Rob Ford. That law, the Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011, was justified on the grounds the TTC was an essential service; it was estimated by his government that "TTC work stoppages cost the economy $50 million a day" when they occur, thus justifying the action. Strikes were replaced with "binding arbitration by a neutral third party" when contract disputes occurred.
Today, that law has been overturned with immediate effect. After repeated union efforts to overturn the law, an Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled it to be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Efforts to delay the ruling have been rejected, despite the arguments of the province.
