Vancouver residents are bracing themselves for a possible strike by civic employees, with services like garbage collection and roadwork hanging in the balance.
The city's outdoor workers are escalating their plan for action Thursday, organizing so-called "study seminars" and banning overtime.
"In other words, we'll pull members off the job and we will have 'scrums,' as we like to call them, or 'information seminars' on the job," union spokesperson Mike Jackson told CTV British Columbia. "So work will slow down."
Meanwhile, Vancouver's indoor workers are expected to vote on a separate contract with the city Thursday that includes a 10 per cent raise over the next 39 months.
"It's unfortunate that we're in this situation, and I think tomorrow will be an eventful day," said city spokesperson Jerry Dobrovolny. "I hope that our employees take the time to understand what's offered in the city's final offer."
Vancouver resident Mumtaz Khan said he could be directly affected three times over if a strike is called, and has taken preventive action.
He arrived at Vancouver's city hall Wednesday to apply for a business license for his wife.
"We're a little concerned about the strike, so we thought we'd better get in today because we may not have an opportunity in the next four or five days," he told CTV British Columbia. "I don't know how long it will go on for."
He's also planning some renovations on his wife's new office. But for that he'll need building permits from city employees who may soon walk out.
"We have a scheduled date of August the first to start the business, and it's a matter of days," he said. "I'm very concerned that we won't be able to do that, and there will be a loss of business through the time we'll have to wait around for the strike to be over."
And if Khan finds himself waiting for the strike to end, he won't be able to pass the time playing his favourite sport -- park maintenance would also be affected.
"The parks won't be cut by the outside workers. The grass obviously needs to be cut for us to play cricket," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dave Lefebvre
