TORONTO - The Toronto Transit Commission will likely be declared an essential service by the end of March.
That's when the first of three different union agreements with transit workers expires.
The city has asked the province to introduce legislation to make the TTC an essential service, but it will be a tight squeeze.
Ontario politicians return from their legislative break on Feb. 22, which gives them just over a month to get a bill passed.
The government is also inviting all three unions who represent TTC workers to participate in the discussions over declaring it an essential service.
The province says the economy takes a $50 million hit each day that the TTC is not running, not to mention the inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of riders.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is anxious to fulfill his election promise to make the TTC an essential service, a move that was supported by city council last month.
