Mayor John Tory says he wants to tackle Toronto’s increasingly cluttered streets and parks, promising everything from a cleanup charge to calling for an end to the city’s contracts with companies that maintain trash cans. .
Torrey, who was elected to a third term as mayor last Monday, said he had heard many complaints over the course of his campaign about how dirty the city had become and vowed to take immediate action.
“I started working on this issue today and wanted to let people know … that we as a city government are collectively working on this,” he said last Thursday.
Tory says he is seeking legal advice on whether the city can terminate its contract with Astral Out-of-Home, a private media company that manages 10,000 trash cans citywide. . The deal, which he signed under former mayor David Miller in 2007, is valid for four years. We often see images of trash bins being destroyed, doors hanging from their hinges, and trash overflowing.
“We are certainly not happy with the current situation when it comes to trash on our streets,” Tory said.
In a written statement to CBC Toronto on Monday, Astral did not directly respond to Mr. Tory’s comments regarding the termination of the contract, but pledged to continue to work closely with the city and will continue to work to address the matter. states that it is the solid waste management sector.
“[We] We will continue to comply with the terms of the Toronto Street Furniture Agreement, cleaning and inspecting all street furniture elements once a week throughout the city and twice a week in BIA and high density areas,” the company said.
Emily Alfred, senior campaigner for the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), said she fears the termination of the Astral partnership will lead to yet another private company contract. If so, she doesn’t believe it’s a real investment in the city’s public facilities.
“We have to ask ourselves: Is this public infrastructure worth investing in?” she said.
“If so, rather than looking for fancy blitzkrieg or low-cost ways to solve problems quickly, you should invest in it and do it right.”
Trash is not the only problem. This summer, his 40% of the city’s public fountains are out of service. There have been complaints of construction debris littering the roads and sidewalks. Potholes damage cars, injured cyclist.
So, in addition to considering early termination of the trash deal, Tory has promised a list of cleanup blitzes, including:
- Graffiti on public and private property.
- construction zone.
- clothing drop box.
- problem hole.
- Audit of the arena’s good state of repair.
‘We need to ask for more,’ says critics
But Alfred says Tory’s approach alone won’t solve the problem.
“This is not a one-shot thing,” she said. “Blitzkrieg may sound pretty flashy and exciting…but frankly, more needs to be requested.”
Toronto faces massive problems $857 million budget gap In 2023, the city was forced to temporarily set aside approximately $300 million in infrastructure projects, largely due to costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Torrey said in Thursday’s announcement that the plan would only be carried out within existing budgets. And during his election campaign, he again pledged to keep property tax increases below inflation.
Alfred says it doesn’t lead to a clean street.
“As long as we keep our property taxes too low, what we’re going to see is we’re going to have to start trimming and make savings somewhere. What we have is a reduction in service,” she said.
“We’re sending the message that these public places don’t matter,” Albert added.
In a statement to CBC News, the city of Toronto said it was “committed to the priorities outlined in the mayor’s announcement.”
“We are focused on maintaining and improving our city’s streets and public spaces, including city parks and recreational facilities, as well as neighborhoods throughout Toronto,” the statement read.
