Humber Strike: How public transit is affected

Oct 13, 2017 | Campus News

Students boarding a TTC bus outside Humber College

By: Adriana Di Santo

Faculty members aren’t the only ones preparing for a potential strike; students are also bracing themselves to have suspended classes as of this Monday.

Andrew Leopold, the Director of Communications at Humber, said that certain administrations will be opened during the time of the strike.

“If a strike occurs, it means that all full-time and partial-load faculty of the Ontario college system, including at Humber, will be on strike,” Leopold said. “It is important to remember that the strike will be system-wide, and not just an individual college.”

Colleges across Ontario, such as Algonquin, are making statements to students that they will not lose their academic year because of the class suspensions.

Classes during this time will be cancelled, however Humber students still find themselves confused about what they can access during the strike.

“Some placements will continue,” Leopold said. “Any student who is currently on, or has a planned, co-op, work/field/clinical placement should contact their academic school to determine the status of this activity.”

Students at Humber are still unsure on what services will be provided if the strike goes forward.

“During a strike, Humber and Guelph-Humber campuses will be open,” Leopold said. “Services such as Peer Tutoring and the Math and Writing Centre, food service outlets and the bookstore will be open. Varsity athletic games, fall convocation and Humber’s participation in some offsite activities will continue. Employment Ontario offices will be open.”

Although Leopold said that food services will be open; workers in Humber’s cafeteria declined to comment Friday.

Humber News reached out to Compass Canada, who owns Chartwells Food, who said that they won’t know if their employees will be participating in strike activity until the day a strike is called.

Other issues arising to this strike include public transportation.

A spokesperson from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) said bus routes will be affected by a potential strike.

“TTC vehicles do not cross picket lines. Waiting to do so – whether entering or exiting the property – slows service both ways.

“We will plan alternate routing and get students as close as possible to the campus in the event of a strike,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said in an email.

Although the TTC plans on keeping routes the same, Brampton Transit has different plans. The following buses won’t be coming into Humber’s North campus bus terminal:

  • 511 /511A/511C Züm Steeles
  • 11/11A Steeles
  • 50 Gore Road

Students choosing to travel to Humber should plan accordingly for delays. The school also suggests crossing picket lines cautiously and with patience.

In a statement, Leopold encourages students to use this time to catch up on any assignments or readings, and said peer tutoring would be available if classes are suspended.

A strike could happen Sunday night if an agreement between the College Employer Council and OPSEU can’t be made.

Stay tuned to humbernews.ca for ongoing strike coverage.