Toronto Mayor: City open for tourists

TORONTO, ONT. - Toronto Mayor David Miller is urging American tourists to visit despite a garbage strike that has resulted in mounds of festering trash around the city.

In an interview with CNN today, Miller said Toronto is "buzzing" and a great place to visit despite the challenges caused by the garbage strike.

Miller's chat with CNN follows a San Francisco Chronicle blurb on Sunday that made Toronto seem like a hazardous vacation destination.

In the newspaper's World Travel Watch section, Canada heads a list of notable countries, ahead of troubled regions like Honduras, Mexico, North Africa and Thailand.

The Chronicle reporter has said he was not trying to dissuade tourists from visiting Toronto, but merely providing them with vital information.

The strike by about 24,000 inside and outside workers has halted garbage pickup and a host of other city services.