Minister: Torontonians a 'bunch of babies'

Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello has apologized for calling Torontonians a "bunch of babies" in their response to the garbage strike.

At a news conference promoting a cabinet shuffle yesterday morning, Pupatello, who hails from Windsor, was asked what she thinks about the reaction of Toronto resident to the city's strike.

When leaving the room, she said to one reporter, "bunch of babies."

The comment appeared to be a joke, but Pupatello later issued an apology for her "off-the-cuff remark" comparing the 11-week Windsor strike to the three-day-old Toronto strike. "I apologize for my comment," Pupatello said. "In both communities, people and businesses are being inconvenienced. I urge both sides, in Windsor and Toronto, to keep working at the negotiating table to resolve their issues quickly."

Windsor workers, including their garbage collectors, walked off the job back in April to protect post-retirement benefits for new hires.

In Toronto, 24,000 inside and outside workers went on strike Monday morning, shutting down city-run pools and daycares, and cancelling island ferry service and garbage collection.