Mayor David Miller says the city will issue up to 500 building permits by month's end, despite the ongoing civic strike that has hit the 30-day mark.

"In response to the needs of residents and the development community, we are working to issue construction permits for applications submitted before June 22," Miller told a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

"Since yesterday, Toronto Building has identified several hundred permit applications that can be processed almost immediately."

Miller said attempting to provide as many regular services as possible is incredibly important.

"This is possible because we've been able to re-assign some of Toronto Building's management back to their normal duties as union staff return to work at other locations," he said.

About 600 strikers have applied to return to work.

However, the city won't be able to process any permit applications filed after the strike began. Nor will it be able to undertake any progress inspections.

The move comes as the city and its two unions continued to negotiate a new contract agreement.

CUPE Locals 416 and 79, which represent outside and inside workers respectively, have said that negotiations have been progressing slowly.

"I continue to be frustrated at the slow pace of the negotiations," Miller said.

Miller has said repeatedly that he will not seek back-to-work legislation to end the strike, but he continued to push a deal the unions have already rejected.

"I'd like this strike to be settled today," he said, adding the city has given the bargaining team some flexibility.

But the sticking points of wages and the sick day plan remain. The city wants to end the practice of allowing union members to bank sick days and get a payout of up to six month's wages upon retirement.

"We're not proposing taking away something from people, we're proposing buying them out. We're proposing replacing it with a sick-leave plan that is modern, that is the way most modern governments and corporations work in the 21st century," Miller said.

The disruption has halted services such as garbage collection, childcare and permit applications. It has also cancelled a number of summer activities including camp, swimming pools and ferry service to the Toronto islands.

A few picketers in Nathan Phillips square told CTV Toronto that while they would like to return to work, they weren't happy with how Miller was handling the dispute. So they were staying on the line, despite having missed two paycheques.

Community cleanups continue

The garbage issue has been the most pressing issue for Torontonians who have had to deal with temporary dump sites being set up in several neighbourhood parks.

On Tuesday, Toronto Liberal MPP George Smitherman organized several cleanups throughout the city with volunteers.

Smitherman started a website, OneToronto.ca, to recruit volunteers to help clean up the mess left over by the strike.

At 7 a.m., volunteers tidied up Carlton Street between Church and Sherbourne Streets. They then headed to the Yonge and Bloor Streets intersection before heading to Queen and Sherbourne Streets.

At 10:30 a.m., Smitherman was joined by the former head of Ontario's Progressive Conservative Party John Tory and other volunteers to help clean the area around Toronto East General Hospital.

The area around the hospital, located near Coxwell and Danforth Avenues, is littered with overflowing trash receptacles.

"Our hospital cares about the appearance of our neighbourhood and we are pleased to pull together to keep our community clean," said Rob Devitt, the hospital's president and CEO.

Tory, who ran against Miller in the 2003 municipal election, told reporters at the scene he is not interested in running for the city's top job but that he is certainly listening to people who are encouraging him to do so.

The wife of a striking worker also attended the cleanup to confront Smitherman about using the delicate situation as a "photo opportunity."

"You're always out here sweeping the streets are you? It's funny, I've never seen any of these cameras pick you up doing this before," she said, referring to reporters crowded around the MPP.

Smitherman, who has denied rumours that he is interested in running for mayor in the next election, defended his actions by saying he is doing one thing to help the people of Toronto.

"I'm a local representative who has the capacity to do one thing in these circumstances," he said.

With files from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney