David Miller

David Miller was elected mayor of Toronto in 2003, running an insurgent campaign built substantially around opposition to a proposed bridge to the Toronto Island Airport, which he successfully blocked shortly after taking office. His two terms, running through 2010, emphasized environmental initiatives, including a push for a citywide bike network and a ban on plastic bags, alongside efforts to expand transit under the Transit City light rail plan, most of which was later cancelled by his successor.

The 2009 garbage strike

Miller's tenure is also remembered for a bruising 2009 strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which shut down municipal garbage collection and other city services for roughly five weeks over the summer, forcing residents to store trash in makeshift dumps in city parks until temporary collection sites opened. The strike's length and visibility became a defining, unflattering image of his mayoralty even as he chose not to seek re-election in 2010, when Rob Ford succeeded him.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — David Miller
• Wikipedia — David Miller

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