Effective Feb. 6, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., City of Orillia unionized staff in the Environment and Infrastructure Services Group represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 636 went on strike.
The unionized employees on strike include staff from water/wastewater, waste diversion, operations staff (including roads and winter maintenance), environmental officers, and electricians. A contingency plan is in place to maintain all critical services to the public, which includes bringing in outside contractors and redeploying City staff. The strike will not impact drinking water and wastewater treatment. The City’s Waste Diversion Site will remain open and garbage collection will not be affected. Winter maintenance will be carried out in accordance with provincial minimum maintenance standards and road maintenance will continue.
For updates related to the strike, please continue to check this page and follow the City of Orillia on Facebook and Twitter.
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| How will my services be affected? |
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A contingency plan is in place to maintain all critical services to the public, which includes bringing in outside contractors and redeploying City staff.
The strike will not impact drinking water and wastewater treatment. The City’s Waste Diversion Site will remain open and garbage collection will not be affected. Winter maintenance will be carried out in accordance with provincial minimum maintenance standards and road maintenance will continue.
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| Will the roads and sidewalks be cleared? |
| Yes. Winter maintenance will be carried out in accordance with provincial minimum maintenance standards. For more information on the City's Winter Control policy, please visit our Winter Control Information page. |
| Is my drinking water safe? |
| Yes. The strike will not impact drinking water and wastewater treatment. For more information on the standards for Orillia's water system, please visit our Drinking Water Quality Management System page. |
| Will my garbage and recycling get picked up? |
| Yes. Orillia's curbside collection is not impacted by the labour disruption. The Waste Diversion Site, 100 Kitchener St., remains open. |
| Why are they striking? |
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The City of Orillia has been in negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 636 bargaining committee since August 2020. Negotiations broke down when the union team rejected the latest offer from the City.
Out of respect for the negotiating process, we are unable to provide any further information at this time.
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| Will I have to cross a picket line to go to the Waste Diversion Site or City Centre? |
| The Union does have the legal right to picket, so this is a possibility. You have the right to cross a picket line without being touched; however, you may be subject to comments from picketers expressing their views. The picketers may delay your entrance into a City facility. We thank you for your patience and remind everyone that six feet of distance and mask wearing is a necessity. |
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| Temporary Suspension of the Orillia Snowplow Tracker Mobile Application |
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Due to the current strike action, some winter control operations are being completed using contractors to ensure winter maintenance is completed in accordance with the City’s Winter Control Policy. As these contractors are not
equipped with the necessary GPS tracking devices, the Orillia Snowplow Tracker mobile application has been temporarily suspended.
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