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Newsstand: May 10, 2011
Illustration by Sasha Plotnikova/Torontoist.
‘Tis Tuesday today, thus this news: trash czar going to work for the private sector raises integrity concerns, more reservations about privatization, Mike Layton is building bridges to save the Fort York bridge, gas is super expensive, and Don Cherry probably didn’t crash into the Bixi stand.
Soon-to-be ex–City bureaucrat Geoff Rathbone is a swell guy and probably won’t have a chance to game the garbage system when he starts his new private sector job, according to the very end of this article. As the City’s general manager of solid waste management, Rathbone wrote the report on why trash pickup should be privatized. Now that he’s leaving the City to work for a big, private waste management firm, there’s some concern over the integrity of the privatization process. To ensure fairness, the City solicitor has been consulted, there will be a fairness commissioner overseeing the process, Rathbone’s new company might not be allowed to bid, he wouldn’t be involved in the bid even if they did, and the two main competitors for the contracts say they’re not at all concerned about an unfair advantage. Still, keep an eye on that Rathbone.
The news is full of garbage lately, with a new report from the Toronto Environmental Alliance asking for more research on the impacts of privatizing trash collection. TEA worries the City’s initial estimates have overestimated the potential savings by underestimating how much money needs to be spent on monitoring. The group is concerned that private garbage collection could result in less recycling and composting. But Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) says that’s not the case in Etobicoke, where privatization is already in place. Plus he thinks the TEA’s just a bunch of politically motivated bullies with ties to the labour community.
Concern over the fate of the Fort York bridge is bridging political divides. Or is it causing a valley of discontent? Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina) is leading the fight to build the bridge and getting support from some “surprising places” on council. Now Layton is going after friend-o-mayor/federal finance minister Jim Flaherty for help. Good luck, little Layton.
Sucks to drive things that need gasoline these days. The price of gas went up 6.5 cents last night to hover around the $1.40 mark. As has been tradition every time gas prices go up, filling stations located near TV stations are being bombarded by reporters sneaking up on angry people while they pump their gas to film insightful quotes to pass on to the folks at home.
One driver was so mad about the impending rate hike, he drove into a brand new Bixi bike station near City Hall. Or maybe the driver was part of a motorized defense force in the war on cars, striking down the bicycle’s advancing lines. Or maybe the driver was Don Cherry. Oh wait, no, the Star is reporting that it was probably not Don Cherry. Whatever the driver’s motivations, Bixi gets the last laugh because the placement of that station is being credited for saving lives by shielding pedestrians. Cue the sound of a bike laughing.