Toronto Business Owners Frustrated by Mandatory Waste Collection Adjustments During World Cup Final
Call it FIFA 1, garbage trucks 0.
Businesses in a west-end neighbourhood are fuming after being told their weekly garbage collection scheduled for July 2 is being shifted to Canada Day to have a “clean and welcoming city” for Toronto’s final World Cup game.
Michelle Genttner said she was flabbergasted last week when she saw a notice taped to the door of the Unboxed Market grocery store she runs on Dundas St. W., in Little Portugal with her partner Luis Martins.
Being rescheduled, she understands. Having it moved to a stat holiday when many businesses won’t be open? Not so much.
“I understand why they want it to look pretty for tourists, but the timing is ridiculous. They could have moved it to June 30 or July 3 when places would be open anyway,” said Genttner, who said the move will mean added staffing costs for small businesses.
“People will have to pay someone three hours of holiday time just to come in for a 15-minute task,” said Genttner. “It just feels like there was no forethought at all.”
Genttner and Martins live close to their store so they’ll be able to put out the garbage themselves, she added, but other business owners don’t have that option.
The City of Toronto said the July 1 date will minimize the buildup of waste compared to other alternative collection dates, and said businesses who can’t accommodate the change should call 311. The City also said it reached out to 10 local Business Improvement Areas about the change, but none objected.
“We understand collection schedule changes can be inconvenient, and we appreciate residents and businesses working with us during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament period,” said Anthony Butera, a senior manager in the city’s waste management division. “This one-time, one-day adjustment will help support safety and reduce congestion.”
According to Toronto, roughly 2,700 business and residential customers are affected by the change, which encompasses parts of Little Portugal, Liberty Village, King St. West and Queen St. West.
It’s not just an “inconvenience” to have a key service shifted to a day when many small businesses won’t be open, said Ryan Mallough, vice president of legislative affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
“To do it on a stat holiday, especially when pickup is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., is really not ideal,” said Mallough, adding that it’s just one more thing on the negative side of the ledger about hosting the World Cup.
“Look, it’s exciting, especially for business owners in the area,” said Mallough. “But you’ve got retailers who are worried about deliveries and traffic. There are a lot of businesses on the ground concerned about day-to-day operations, whether it’s staff coming in or logistics. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Even for some businesses who planned to be open July 1, the switch feels like more evidence they’re an afterthought to the City.
“There’s a major disconnect, just not understanding what we need, and not communicating,” said Nick Marian, owner of Dundas St. W., clothing store Expo Vintage. “The city decides to do things like this without consulting, without talking.”
A recent move by the city to not allow parking on either side of Dundas during rush hour was also frustrating, said Marian.
“Small businesses like ours make up the backbone of this area, and that hurt us,” Marian added.
Still, said CFIB’s Mallough, even if the choice of the alternative day for garbage collection was the city’s, there’s not much doubt as to what prompted the move in the first place.
“I’d be really surprised,” said Mallough, “if this wasn’t something required by FIFA.”
This article was first reported by The Star
