I’m not one of these guys who over-estimates his own driving abilities. I’m no race car driver.  In good conditions I’m pretty comfortable behind the wheel, but the few times I’ve been caught in spectacularly bad weather I’ve felt the hair on my neck stand on end. This evening, forced to fetch Natasha and commute home in 30cm of frictionless fresh powder, I muttered and cursed the transit driver’s union the entire way. I wonder if their ears are hot.

I’ve managed to bite my tongue somewhat on the issue of the transit strike here in Ottawa, but here it is: I basically think the union shutting down service should be considered a criminal act. They’re holding the transit system hostage, while hundreds of thousands of Ottawa’s transit-dependant taxpaying citizens are left in the lurch. The most affected are those in the lowest income brackets, who got literally left out in the cold at Christmas this year, are unable to make it to food banks, medical appointments,  schools and jobs. To top it off, they’ve been magnificent jerks by picketing and blocking access to university exams, international children’s hockey games and public institutions.

It’s a wonder there’s anyone in the city left defending them, but a few devil’s advocates are standing up for their right to $80,000+ a year salaries and hand-picked schedules, despite crippling the city’s transportation infrastructure and throwing local industry into chaos during an economic crisis. I’m all for the “Reagan approach” – fire every one of them and hire an entirely new workforce of enthusiastic replacements.

Calling a strike was totally irresponsible. This is an act of sabotage against our infrastructure.