The company, Pickering-based GFL, was awarded the job in October. Its seven-year contract is expected to save the city $11 million per year.
The outsourcing of garbage collection was one of Mayor Rob Ford's key campaign promises. Council's 32-13 vote to approve outsourcing for 165,000 households west of Yonge was one of his most significant victories.
Ford missed a 10 a.m. North York news conference with GFL chief executive Patrick Dovigi. His spokesperson said he has a stomach ailment.
GFL has collected Etobicoke's household waste without incident since it acquired Turtle Island Recycling late last year. City waste services general manager Jim Harnum said the city had received no complaints as of 9 a.m. about GFL’s service in its new territory.
“From all indications today, I can tell you that the first day is going exceedingly well,” Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, the public works committee chair, said at the news conference.
There was one early public complaint: at 8:56 a.m., NDP MP Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) wrote on Twitter, “My mother is in an extra bad mood today. The garbage hasn't been picked up yet — the wonder of privatization.”
City officials said GFL trucks — which are painted bright green — might come at different times than residents are used to and that delays are possible as the company’s employees get to know their new routes. Dovigi said he expects all garbage to be off the street by 5 p.m., as mandated by the contract.
Etobicoke outsourced garbage collection prior to amalgamation in 1995. Ford campaigned on a pledge to extend outsourcing throughout the city. But he said on his radio show in May that he would only make a push for outsourcing east of Yonge “when” he is re-elected, positioning himself to again use garbage as a campaign wedge issue.
The city's experience with GFL will be a test case of sorts. Minnan-Wong said the administration does not want to proceed with further outsourcing until it has convinced residents that service is the same or better when provided by a contractor.
“We've made the financial case. And now we have to prove to the residents of the city of Toronto that we can make this happen,” Minnan-Wong said.
“When you prove that customer service excellence, you'll be able to move forward, and I think it'll be much easier to move to the next level,” he said.
Residents can still call 311 with any complaints. Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 416, which represents city garbage workers and opposes the outsourcing, has also set up a complaints hotline.
Some councillors remain skeptical of GFL’s ability to deliver at the price it is charging. The company beat its nearest competitor by $2.5 million per year.
“They somehow came in at a price that nobody else could. So how is this possible?” said Councillor Mike Layton, Chow’s stepson. “And so we’ll wait and see to make sure that service levels are high and that the trucks are safe out on the roads and the workers are being treated fairly.”
Dovigi said GFL would prove skeptics wrong. “We know what our costs are,” he said. “We do the city of Hamilton, we do the city of Windsor that was privatized last year. We have existing infrastructure in the GTA.”
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Daniel Dale
No comments:
Post a Comment