Toronto Will Wait to Buy New Garbage Trucks

TORONTO - Mayor John Tory’s executive committee waded into transit, housing and garbage trucks on Thursday.
Here’s a rundown of what was approved:

• GARBAGE TRUCKS

Councillor David Shiner happily got the committee to vote to put off buying new garbage trucks until city council figures out whether or not it wants to contract out more of Toronto’s trash collection.
Shiner questioned why the city approved two contracts worth almost $40 million to buy up to 114 trucks and wants staff to review the city’s procurement policy.
“I want the city manager to look into it and to make sure in the future, council is made fully aware of any actions on contracts that are this large that may also have impacts on other policy decisions that we’re considering,” he said.

• SCARBOROUGH SUBWAY

The committee gave city staff the green light to explore a revised Scarborough transit plan that includes a one-stop subway extension and expanding the Eglinton Crosstown LRT into eastern Scarborough.
Before the meeting, Mayor John Tory made it clear he wants to move the transit file forward.
“If we were waiting to get any transit report that had unanimity on what should be done in Scarborough, we would be waiting for another decade and doing nothing,” Tory said.
Staff are expected to report back to the committee in March. City council would consider the plan in June.

• HOUSING TASK FORCE

Councillors voted to have city officials review the recommendations from the Toronto Community Housing Task Force.
With 95,000 families on a waiting list for community housing, Councillor Joe Cressy said it’s about time.
“At the end of the day it comes down to money. Unless we have the funds to repair the housing we have, and build new housing, we can’t do anything,” he said.

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