The Region of York said it would not get involved in the ongoing transit strike, calling for York Region Transit and the unions resume negotiations six weeks after workers walked off the job.
York Region chairman and CEO Bill Fisch told a news conference on Friday that striking employees should return to work as the two sides negotiated a new contract.
"It is time for them to talk. Quite frankly it is the only way they can negotiate and get this thing done," Fisch said. "Go back to the table, get the drivers back working and get our residents back where they should be. Negotiate a fair deal for all parties."
He added that he would not call on the province to force an end to the strike and would not fund union demands.
About 560 drivers and mechanics from York Region Transit and Viva walked off the job on Oct. 24 over wages, halting service on a good portion of the routes in the region directly north of Toronto.
The members of Amalgamated Transit Union locals 1587 and 113 have been forming picket lines and occasionally delaying the region's remaining buses in recent weeks.
An estimated 60 per cent of the transit system in York Region is affected, mainly in Markham, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, and Aurora. Some 44,000 passengers are affected by the dispute.
York Regional Transit was warning commuters on Friday to expect delays due to picketing outside maintenance facilities and GO Transit properties.
