Here it is. KPMG has released a report. Rob Ford's gravy train has been found. We all knew it was there. The city has been blowing money on fluoridating water, clearing snow, making it too easy to get rid of toxic waste, and there is more. Time to end all this and save the taxpayer money. I'm sure that if we implement ALL those suggestions we can save almost as much money as was paid to KPMG to produce the report. And those provincial standards that the report talks about. What it doesn't mention is that those should be lowered too. More money could be saved. Really, why should our air-quality, for example, be better than Beijing's? I'm sure Hudak can get us there. All power to Ford nation and the coming Hudak government.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article...eaning-and-recycling-consultant-suggests?bn=1
From The Star
A city-hired consultant’s suggestions for cutting the costs of public works includes reduced snow plowing and street sweeping, eliminating the flouridization of Toronto’s drinking water and sending more trash to landfill.
The KPMG report released Monday looks at services provided by Toronto and ranks each as being “core” or less than vital, by comparing it with provincial requirements and service levels in other cities.
“The vast majority, 96 per cent, of services that report through the public works committee are core municipal services ...,” the report states.
KPMG ranked half the services as “at standard” — generally the level required by the province and other municipalities.
Some 30 per cent were slightly above the norm, “offering some opportunities for cost reduction by lowering the service level provided.”
Another 17 per cent of services “are delivered slightly below or below standard.”
Suggestions for cuts include:
• Eliminate the plowing of “windrows” — the piles of snow left at the bottom of driveways after a plow has gone by. Councillors have long bickered over the special service offered in North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough that costs about $3.7 million annually, or 4.3 per cent of the $87 million snow clearing budget. KPMG also suggests: “Snow plowing standards could be reduced marginally on residential streets.”
• The report notes that Toronto conducts street sweeping on all roads all summer. “Residential and collector streets could be left alone after the spring cleanup is completed.”
• Backing off Toronto’s “very aggressive” target of directing 70 per cent of household waste away from landfill through recycling could yield savings. It’s cheaper to send trash to a dump, that gap will only grow as Toronto recycles more and other municipalities have lower targets, KPMG states.
• Toronto Water service level “reflects high water quality produced at lower than target cost, but costs could be further reduced by eliminating fluoridation.”
• Eliminate community “environment days” hosted by councillors in each of their wards.
• End collection of toxic goods at environment days and cancel the “Toxic Taxi” that does household pickup for residents with large quantities of hazardous waste. Residents would have to take such recyclables to permanent city depots. KPMG notes, however, that: “The risk is that more toxic goods may be improperly disposed.”
• Eliminate “small commercial waste collection” and force the businesses to pay for private contractors, as large businesses now do.
• Scrap the four free tags each household gets per year for overflow garbage bags.
• Consider dramatically hiking the cost of permits for all street events” to recoup the city’s full cost.
• Consider reducing the scale of bike infrastructure.
• Outsource facility security services and grass cutting.
City Manager Joe Pennachetti’s covering report says the public consultation on service review confirmed that the citizens value and rely on city services.
The consultants’ reviews, being done across all city departments, are part of an effort by Mayor Rob Ford’s administration to cut or eliminate Toronto’s annual gap between what it collects in revenue and what it pays in city services.
Public consultations were held across the city, with residents split into groups and asked to debate the relative worth and cost of services, including public works services covered by KPMG in the first of the reports to be released.
The services the public considers important also rank as core and essential by KPMG: public transit; emergency response; water treatment and distribution; public health services; garbage; organics and recycling; roads and traffic; and public libraries.
Torontonians are, however, split on how to pay for the services. Some want higher property taxes and user fees, some would rather see service reductions and others want a combination
http://www.thestar.com/news/article...eaning-and-recycling-consultant-suggests?bn=1
From The Star
A city-hired consultant’s suggestions for cutting the costs of public works includes reduced snow plowing and street sweeping, eliminating the flouridization of Toronto’s drinking water and sending more trash to landfill.
The KPMG report released Monday looks at services provided by Toronto and ranks each as being “core” or less than vital, by comparing it with provincial requirements and service levels in other cities.
“The vast majority, 96 per cent, of services that report through the public works committee are core municipal services ...,” the report states.
KPMG ranked half the services as “at standard” — generally the level required by the province and other municipalities.
Some 30 per cent were slightly above the norm, “offering some opportunities for cost reduction by lowering the service level provided.”
Another 17 per cent of services “are delivered slightly below or below standard.”
Suggestions for cuts include:
• Eliminate the plowing of “windrows” — the piles of snow left at the bottom of driveways after a plow has gone by. Councillors have long bickered over the special service offered in North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough that costs about $3.7 million annually, or 4.3 per cent of the $87 million snow clearing budget. KPMG also suggests: “Snow plowing standards could be reduced marginally on residential streets.”
• The report notes that Toronto conducts street sweeping on all roads all summer. “Residential and collector streets could be left alone after the spring cleanup is completed.”
• Backing off Toronto’s “very aggressive” target of directing 70 per cent of household waste away from landfill through recycling could yield savings. It’s cheaper to send trash to a dump, that gap will only grow as Toronto recycles more and other municipalities have lower targets, KPMG states.
• Toronto Water service level “reflects high water quality produced at lower than target cost, but costs could be further reduced by eliminating fluoridation.”
• Eliminate community “environment days” hosted by councillors in each of their wards.
• End collection of toxic goods at environment days and cancel the “Toxic Taxi” that does household pickup for residents with large quantities of hazardous waste. Residents would have to take such recyclables to permanent city depots. KPMG notes, however, that: “The risk is that more toxic goods may be improperly disposed.”
• Eliminate “small commercial waste collection” and force the businesses to pay for private contractors, as large businesses now do.
• Scrap the four free tags each household gets per year for overflow garbage bags.
• Consider dramatically hiking the cost of permits for all street events” to recoup the city’s full cost.
• Consider reducing the scale of bike infrastructure.
• Outsource facility security services and grass cutting.
City Manager Joe Pennachetti’s covering report says the public consultation on service review confirmed that the citizens value and rely on city services.
The consultants’ reviews, being done across all city departments, are part of an effort by Mayor Rob Ford’s administration to cut or eliminate Toronto’s annual gap between what it collects in revenue and what it pays in city services.
Public consultations were held across the city, with residents split into groups and asked to debate the relative worth and cost of services, including public works services covered by KPMG in the first of the reports to be released.
The services the public considers important also rank as core and essential by KPMG: public transit; emergency response; water treatment and distribution; public health services; garbage; organics and recycling; roads and traffic; and public libraries.
Torontonians are, however, split on how to pay for the services. Some want higher property taxes and user fees, some would rather see service reductions and others want a combination
