A striking York Regional Transit worker says a motorist is facing charges after his foot was run over on a picket line in Vaughan on Friday morning.
The worker, a man named Claudio, said his foot was run over when a frustrated motorist drove a vehicle onto a grass boulevard at Keele Street and Bowes Road to get around the picket line.
Claudio cracked the car's windshield with his cane because, he said, the car came to a stop as the tire was on top of his foot.
"I was very lucky," Claudio told CP24's Cam Woolley after the incident. "The ground is soft and my shoe was untied, so I kind of wiggled (my foot) out."
Claudio said police told him the driver is facing charges, but he doesn't know what type of charge will be laid.
"This is unacceptable. I don't think I should put my life on the line for trying to do my job and to get my money paid every week like everybody else," Claudio said.
Police were called in to investigate, and paramedics responded to check over Claudio, who suffered a minor injury.
Workers block buses to cause delays
Workers are blocking YRT buses for several minutes at a time at Keele and Bowes, and Highway 7 and Martin Grove Road in Vaughan, in addition to TTC buses that pass through the area on the 107 Keele North route.
Delays of more than 10 minutes were being reported during the morning commute.
Because of the picket line at Keel and Bowes, the TTC's 107 Keele North buses are diverting around the intersection in both directions via Rivermede, North Rivermede and Langstaff roads.
With no new contract talks scheduled, striking bus drivers and mechanics have escalated their eight-week-old strike to put pressure on York Region council to intervene, but council members are refusing to step in.
On Thursday, striking workers marched to York Region headquarters in Newmarket to rally outside of a council meeting and ask council members to begin the process of binding arbitration.
More than 550 workers, employed by Miller Transit, First Canada and Viva, who are all contracted by York Region, went on strike Oct. 24, shutting down about 60 per cent of the region's bus routes.
The strike is affecting more than 44,000 riders every day.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 represents about 340 bus drivers and mechanics in YRT's southeast and north divisions, while 220 Viva employees are represented by ATU Local 113.
Because York Region has saved more than $5 million by not paying contractors during the transit strike, the region is promising to pass on the savings to commuters with free transit rides, whenever the strike ends.
The region believes it will see a 10 per cent drop in ridership, which would translate into roughly $6.1 million in lost revenue, when the strike ends and transit service returns to normal.
With files from CP24's Cam Woolley
