The Decision Document is for preliminary reference purposes only.  Please refer to the Committee’s Report to City Council or to the Minutes for the official record.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1.         City Council authorize the General Manager, Toronto Water, to exempt the municipal property located at 410 Rosemary Road from the requirements of Municipal Code Chapter 851 – Water Supply, §851-4.H – Water Service Connections,  as it pertains to the disconnection of the existing water service.

2.         City Council authorize the General Manager, Toronto Water, to exempt the municipal property located at 410 Rosemary Road from the requirements in Municipal Code Chapter 681 – Sewers, §681-11.D – Sewer Connections, provided the General Manager, Toronto Water, is satisfied that the existing sewer service line is in good condition and is otherwise in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 681.

3.         City Council direct the General Manager, Toronto Water, to report back to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on the necessary by-law amendments, including inspection fees, required to delegate authority to the General Manager to exempt properties from Municipal Code Chapter 851 – Water Supply, §851-4.D. or Municipal Code Chapter 681 – Sewers, §681-11.D., or both, where the General Manager is satisfied that the existing water and/or sewer connections are in good condition and are otherwise in compliance with the requirements of Chapters 851 and 681 of the Municipal Code.

The purpose of this report is to obtain Council authority for the General Manager, Toronto Water to be able to exempt from the requirements of Municipal Code, Chapter 851 - Water Supply and Chapter 681 – Sewers, the property at 410 Rosemary Road as it pertains to the requirement to disconnect existing water and sewer service connections and install new water and sewer connections for a reconstructed building or structure.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee deferred consideration of Item PW29.2 until its next meeting to be held on February, 2, 2010.

This report outlines the staff training plan for the new automated meter reading system being installed under the Water Meter Replacement and Automated Meter Reading System project and provides an update on the status of the project.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.         In accordance with Section 71-11.1.C. of the City of Toronto Municipal Code (Financial Control By-law), amended Purchase Order 47013175 for the supply of non-metallic chain and accessories with C&M Environmental Tech Inc. by an additional amount of $1,217,600.00 net of GST and HST Recoveries, revising the current contract value from $3,949,026.88 to $5,166,629.88 net of GST and HST Recoveries and expand the itemized list of required assembly parts and accessories to include those listed in Attachment A.

The purpose of this report is to request authority to amend Purchase Order 47013175 for the supply and delivery of non-metallic chain and accessories needed for sludge collector mechanisms at the various wastewater treatment plants.  The total amendment request is $1,217,000 net of GST and HST Recoveries, revising the current contract value from $3,949,026.88 to $5,166,629.88 net of GST and HST Recoveries for the period ending December 31, 2011.  Failure to expand the current itemized list to include these additional requirements will result in significant delays to the schedule of planned repairs, cancellation of the tendered installation project and potential non-compliance of the regulated effluent criteria for the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.         In accordance with Section 71-11.1.C. of the City of Toronto Municipal Code (Financial Control By-law), amended Purchase Order 47011777 for the supply of electrical parts and services with Ainsworth Inc. by an additional amount of $1,500,000 net of GST, revising the current contract value from $2,979,628.11 to $4,479,628.11 net of GST and extend the expiry date to March 31, 2010.

2.         In accordance with Section 71-11.1.C. of the City of Toronto Municipal Code (Financial Control By-law), amended Purchase Order 47011778 for the supply of electrical parts and services with Trademark Industrial Inc. by an additional amount of $800,000 net of GST, revising the current contract value from $2,979,628.11 to $3,779,628.11 net of GST and extend the expiry date to March 31, 2010.

The purpose of this report is to request authority to amend Purchase Orders 47011777 and 47011778 for the supply of electrical parts and services and to extend the expiration date of both to March 31, 2010.  The total amount requested for 47011777 is $1,500,000 net of GST, revising the current contract value from $2,979,628.11 to $4,479,628.11 net of GST.  The total amount requested for 47011778 is $800,000 net of GST, revising the current contract value from $2,979,628.11 to $3,779,628.11 net of GST.

The required quantities of various parts and services have increased due to revisions to the Electrical Safety Code.   The revisions have increased the cost of meeting minimum mandatory safety requirements as well as the need for more frequent and extensive repairs to the aging electrical systems.

The extensions will enable Toronto Water to continue to perform critical repairs until March 31, 2010, at which time it is anticipated that new contracts will have been awarded through a Request for Quotation (RFQ) process currently underway.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee referred Item PW29.6 to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, for consideration and appropriate action with respect to communication.

The City of Toronto has implemented aggressive diversion programs to reduce waste from our landfills including the Green Bin, Blue Bins and user-pay Garbage bin program.

The success of these programs relies on the ability of the homeowner to effectively participate in the City’s diversion efforts. If recycling, or any other program, was to become an inconvenience, there could be a risk of homeowners choosing not to participate but instead throw their excess recycling or compost into the garbage.

On some occasions, households may find that they have an excess amount of recycling. The easiest solution is to place the recycling in a clear or clear-blue plastic bag beside the recycling container to indicate to the Solid Waste driver that it is recycling. However, according to a recent interview in the Toronto Star, the Solid Waste Division has indicated that there is a rule that does not allow the flexibility of the driver to pick up any excess recycling for fear of achieving maximum efficiency.

There should not be a limit placed on the amount of recycling that a homeowner can dispose of at their curbside. There should be a convenient, simple and encouraging program that allows for excess recycling to homeowners when the need does occur.

(Submitted to City Council on October 26 and 27, 2009 as MM41.11)

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee referred Item PW29.7 to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, for a report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in April 2010. 

The City's switch to a three stream waste system has been successful in low rise residential neighbourhoods.  The system is now being rolled out to include residential units above commercial businesses.

Under the new waste system the cost of waste handling is removed from the tax bill and added to the water bill.  In single family homes this is not a problem because it is simply a transfer from one homeowner's pocket to the other.  With residential units above commercial the owner of the property receives the tax reduction and the tenant who was previously getting service from the landlord now has to pay for collection over and above the payment he makes for his rent.

This represents a fundamental shift in the cost of waste collection from the property owner to the tenant leaving the tenant to seek redress through the rent review process.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee referred Item PW29.8 to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, for consideration and report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee by April 2010.

The City of Toronto has committed to the goal of diverting 70% of waste from landfill by 2010. The City's diversion rate refers to the amount of waste collected by the City that is prevented from going into landfill, compared to the amount that does. In 2008, the City's diversion rate was 44%; a total of 388,188 metric tonnes of residential waste was diverted from landfill during 2008 through such programs as the Blue Bin (formerly known as Blue Box Program), Green Bin, leaf/yardwaste and Christmas trees, backyard composting, Community Environment Days, household hazardous waste depots, grasscycling and large appliance/scrap metal pick-up.

In 2008, residents living in single family homes had a diversion rate of 59% and those living in multi-family buildings achieved a rate of 15%. The City's current diversion rate of 44% is a long way from the 2010 goal of 70% - it does not appear that the City will meet its target on time.

The City does not collect all the waste in Toronto. The City does not collect information on how much garbage is collected privately. The City does not know how much privately collected garbage is diverted from landfill, if any.

One small way to increase the City's diversion rate is to increase the number of participants within the City's diversion initiative, such as increasing the number of commercial establishments that recycle. The city's gas stations and auto service stations are not required to recycle. Why not require them to?

The City's gas stations and auto service stations create a large amount of waste, and most of it recyclable. The many plastic bottles from windshield wiper fluid, antifreeze, oil, water and pop, as well as plastic bags, paper and cans, all go into the garbage at the gas station. The bottles and bags are made from oil, just like the fuels and engine lubricants they once held; the bottles and bags are recyclable and can be accommodated by the City’s recycling program, if the City were to collect these used, empty vessels.

Gas stations are municipally licensed; the City can require proper recycling as a condition of license approval or renewal.

Gas stations and the oil companies who own them are still very profitable, even in the midst of today’s economic recession. Oil companies such as Petro-Canada, Suncor, Imperial Oil, and Shell are not holding tag days to raise funds – the price of fuel in Toronto is routinely more expensive than anywhere else in the province. It would not be unreasonable to require oil companies to recycle at their stations, especially considering their profit levels.

Now, City Council can start helping the gas stations and vehicle service stations to be good stewards of the Earth. The main items these stations sell originate in the Earth and so, we need to direct their energy to give back to the Earth by requiring them to recycle.

(Submitted to City Council on November 30, December 1, 2, 4 and 7, 2009 as MM42.2)

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee requested the General Manager, Toronto Water, to report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on March 2, 2010, with the following options for the Biosolids Master Plan as it relates to the Highland Creek Treatment Plant:

1.          the existing staff recommendations with the inclusion of  best available technology/pollution controls in order to further reduce air emissions to the greatest extent possible;

2.         Option 1 above with an accelerated implementation date as outlined in the December 2009 Council motion;

3.        a Beneficial Use Option with:

a.         emergency road access provided as per the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Waterfront Plan; and

b.         rail haulage of biosolids via the CN Line;

and further that all options include the necessary budget allocations/adjustments in order to ensure implementation of the biosolids management plan adopted by Council.

City Council on November 30, December 1, 2, 4 and 7, 2009, adopted Item PW28.5 entitled “Biosolids Master Plan Update”, as amended, and in so doing, requested that when the recommendations contained in the report (October 19, 2009) from the General Manager, Toronto Water, regarding the Highland Creek Treatment Plant are before the January 5, 2010, meeting of the Public Works and Infrastucture Committee, the Committee again defer the matter until its February 2, 2010 meeting.

City Council also requested the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee to consider the following recommendation at such time as it considers the above-noted report (October 19, 2009) from the General Manager, Toronto Water:

“That the General Manager, Toronto Water, be directed to accelerate the implementation of the biosolids management strategies for the Highland Creek as detailed in the Biosolids Master Plan in order to realize capital and operating cost savings of approximately $15 million over the ten year period (2009 - 2019), and report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on February 2, 2010.”