The Little Black Bin
Ms. K should have been getting a discount for using the smallest black garbage bin, but she wasn’t. She called Solid Waste Management Services, who told her that she did not have a bin at all.
Case Stories
Showing 37 to 45 of 51 items
Right Name, Wrong Number, No Wheel-Trans
Ms. X moved to a new apartment in her TCHC building when her ceiling collapsed in March 2009. After the move, she asked her building superintendent to move her name on the intercom to reflect the apartment change. Despite her requests, the TCHC superintendent did not update the intercom.
Caught in Red Tape
Ms. D came to Canada in 1989 and applied for refugee status. She was given a permit to work and a temporary Social Insurance Number, but was later denied landed status in September 2010. This meant Ms. D lost the ability to work and was not eligible for Employment Insurance. She appealed the decision, but in the meantime, Ms. D was unable to work and needing money. She went to the Toronto Employment and Social Services (TESS) office, where she told by staff that she needed to apply by telephone.
The Grass Isn’t Greener
In 2009, the City did some work in front of Mr. A’s home. After having to dig up part of his yard, the laid gravel and new sod. Mr. A, however, complained several times to the City that the grass wasn’t growing.
“But I Can Still See It Sitting There”
Someone left a broken stroller on Ms. K’s lawn. She tried to move the stroller to the lane at the back of the house where her garbage is picked up, but the stroller was too heavy and too big to fit between the houses. She called 311 to ask if someone from the City could pick it up. She was given a tracking number and told it would be picked up in 72 hours. That didn’t happen.
Can’t Get No Compaction
Mr. Y and Mr. Z had a garbage compactor at the back of their apartment units. They were no longer using the compactor, but were being charged extra fees for it. They called Solid Waste to complain about the extra fees and were told to weld the compactor shut, making it inoperable. Mr. Y and Mr. Z did this, but kept receiving bills.
Up the Downspout
Ms. C’s basement had been flooding for more than three years. As she did not use the basement, she had not noticed the extent of the problem until she saw sludge backing up into the plumbing on the upper floors. Ms. C approached Toronto Water.
No ID, No Insulin, No Cheque
We received a call from Mr. N, who was in a City of Toronto social services office in a state of crisis. He told us that he had lost his wallet, so had no money and no ID after losing his wallet. He was diabetic and had not had insulin in two days, but City staff at the social services office had told Mr. N that they could not help him without identification.
Taking Responsibility for a Shared Tree
Mr. E has a Norway maple in front of his home, more than half of which is on City property. In April 2009, a storm broke a limb on the tree and it was hanging dangerously. In the past, the City has pruned the tree under the boundary line street tree policy, so Mr. E phoned the City for assistance. He was told, however, that the tree was privately owned and therefore his responsibility.