Repeat after me, public transit is a convenience, not an essential service.
Yes, I understand all the very good arguments about the usefulness of public transit services, such as but not limited to:
- Better for the environment
- Eases congestion
- Less expensive transportation option
- Especially helpful for the low income among us like the elderly
The Federal Government has the following definition for an essential service:
Subsection 4(1) of the PSLRA defines an "essential service" as "a service, facility or activity of the Government of Canada that is or will be, at any time, necessary for the safety or security of the public or a segment of the public". Services should be identified as essential where there are reasonable grounds for accepting the probability, or even the possibility, that human life or public safety would suffer if a work stoppage interrupted the duties of these employees. It should be noted that positions where occupants are to be available during their off-duty hours to report to work without delay to perform the essential services are also included.
The Ontario definition is similar.
No where is convenience, environment, traffic congestion, or other reasons listed.
People will argue that people can't get to doctor's appointments, or to the hospital for their treatments and other perfectly reasonable reasons, and therefore that proves it impacts the health and safety of the population. However, that is a simplification. People will get to their appointments by other means, they will take a taxi, or ride with a friend or family. Just like thousands of other people without access to public transit options.
The simplest argument to dismiss public transit as an essential service is the complete lack of public transit outside of large cities. Thousands upon thousands of Canadians survive without public transit options, they still get to the mall to do their shopping, they still get to the hospital or the doctors, or whatever else they need to do.
Contrast this to police, fire, ambulance, food inspectors, income and social services, or other services deemed essential. Every community has police or fire service, it might not be great especially in the deep rural areas, but it exists and functions.
Let's not rush to classify services as essential just because the lack of these services greatly inconveniences thousands of people. Contract negotiations for essential services usually ends up in binding arbitration, and binding arbitration usually ends up giving large pay raises and benefit upgrades. This makes the cost of the service more and more expensive. Look out how much fire and police now cost.
2 comments:
I agree that public transit is not an essential service but I think your reasoning is unconvincing.
Contrast this to police, fire, ambulance, food inspectors, income and social services, or other services deemed essential. Every community has police or fire service, it might not be great especially in the deep rural areas, but it exists and functions.
Go ahead and present a contrast. I challenge you to demonstrate why police, fire, ambulance, food inspectors, income and social services should be deemed essential. Without them, people will get them "by other means" if they really want them. All of those services can be provided privately.
Essentially, you are just picking and choosing which sectors of the economy deserve subsidies and enforced monopoly. The only Right choice is to dismiss all subsidies and state monopolies in all sectors of the economy.
The Government has an obligation to protect the public, that is their primary function.
Income and social services cannot be provided by private means. They dole out public money such as EI, welfare, universal child care benefit etc etc.
Regarding private deliver of police, fire, and other essential services, again, the state must provide these services. If the state doesn't provide these services, then what is the point of having a state?
The state should exist to protect the people (police, fire, military etc), and to create an atmosphere to allow commerce and trade to flourish thereby creating wealth. This means infrastructure like roads, trains, power, water etc.
The state shouldn't exist for pet social programs such as childcare.
With police and fire, the city council has control over these entities, if we don't like the direction they are going, we can apply democracy to these counselors and force them to change their minds. If this fails then we can remove them in the next election.
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