TORONTO — Toronto transit workers were ordered back to work on Monday, ending a wildcat strike that stranded some 700,000 commuters and filled the streets of Canada's biggest city with extra cars, bicycles and pedestrians as commuters scrambled to get to work.
But service would still not be up to full strength in time for the evening rush hour, Toronto Mayor David Miller announced at a news conference.
The strike ended Monday afternoon after the Ontario Labour Board issued a second edict ordering transit workers to stop what it called an "unlawful strike."
"We are law-abiding people and even though we are greatly disappointed by this decision, we will comply," the transit union's president, Bob Kinnear, said in a press release. "This decision does not solve the problems that led to this situation."
Subway, bus and streetcar services were halted through much of the day because of the walkout, which centered on a dispute over working hours for maintenance workers.
Earlier, Torontonians were forced to find alternative means of transport, from cycling, to car-pooling to competing for suddenly scarce taxis.
John Price was one of many stuck for a lift who tried to catch a ride by hitch-hiking along downtown streets.
"I don't have that far to go, but I can imagine there's a lot of other people a lot worse off," Price said.
Alrigo Salvatore, a senior on his way to see his doctor, paid C$10 for a cab ride to his nearest subway station only to find a hand drawn sign stuck to the entrance announcing the service cancellation.
"They should let people know that they are going to strike," Salvatore said.
The extra car traffic is bound to exacerbate what was already billed as one of Toronto's first days with high smog levels this summer. Temperatures were forecast to rise to around 30C and were expected to stay high for the next couple of days.
The Toronto Transit Commission operates a network of subway, streetcar and bus lines across the city of more than 2.5 million people, serving some 700,000 passengers a day. GO Transit, which is a commuter train and bus services from the suburbs to downtown, was working as normal.
The TTC last went on strike in 1999 for two days. It narrowly averted a strike last year.
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