On Campus

TTC strike will surprise some students

Toronto’s subways, streetcars and buses are no longer operating after the union representing transit workers decided to walkout on legal strike with less than 90 minutes notice tonight.

Thankfully for me, I did not go to Toronto for fun this evening. (I had planned to go to North York for a movie.) I would have had an expensive taxi ride to Union Station, if I was lucky. Otherwise, I would have spent the night stranded in Toronto.

I have it good, I don’t have an exam tomorrow morning. Ryerson U has one 09:00 exam tomorrow morning. (UToronto and YorkU do not have Saturday exams)

When I’m writing a 09:00 exam, I generally go to sleep at 10pm the night before. Any student who did that will wake up to discover their subway ride doesn’t exist in the morning.

Officially, students are responsible for getting themselves to an exam regardless of a transit strike.

I’d expect Ryerson will assist students who are late because of this legal strike (it feels wildcat, but it is legal) which surprised everyone.

Additional:  A commenter informs me that University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus did have exams this past Saturday. No word on the strike’s effect. As stated about Ryerson, I cannot see any university or college in Toronto not accommodating students who missed exams because of this strike.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.