Preville on Politics
Is the city throwing vacuum waste into the trash?
Posted on April 14, 2008 by Philip Preville
If you read the stories last week about the Toronto city staff report on vacuum waste, you might have gotten the impression that the idea had been given the green light in the West Don Lands, where Waterfront Toronto would like to proceed with it. Here’s how Geoff Rathbone, the city’s general manager of solid waste, put it to the National Post: “Should they wish to proceed with that, it’s really their decision, not ours…. If something like that was built, we could pick up the material at the end of the pipe. So the decision would be Waterfront Toronto’s or the developer’s.”
Dunno about that. The report to the executive committee tells a different story, stating, among other things, that the vacuum system’s “piped infrastructure must be installed in City right-of-ways. City approval of the design and location of the piped infrastructure as well as the central collection terminal will be required.”
The report concludes thusly: “Waterfront Toronto has not presented an implementation model the City can support, one where the City is not the owner/operator after the pilot project is completed.” In other words, the decision is theirs, but we retain veto power, and given the current proposal we would exercise it.
Where does council stand on the issue? Who knows? The staff report was for information purposes only. Vacuum waste is not slated to be the subject of a council vote. Perhaps it ought to be.
Philip Preville
Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Life’s politics column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he can hear it when he steps outside his house—but just far enough away that it doesn’t keep him awake at night. On his office wall hangs a 1938–39 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias Gannon, who wrote for the Montreal Star.
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Gossip April 14, 2008 at 9:48 p.m.
Vacuum waste sounds silly. Waste of money when there are far more important things that the city needs. So what happen to the machines that their using now driving around Toronto sucking up the waste. Why they need to have to install this system, sounds like an enviromental hazzard just waiting to happen. There's no need for that system why don't they start planting the trees back downtown and across the city that they torn up years ago. The reason for the bad air is there's not enough trees in Toronto anymore. Look at pictures of Toronto 20 years ago, 30 years ago the city had beautiful trees and the air was sufferocating as it is today, To install a vacuum system what is that going to improve for our city pollution.
Dave April 15, 2008 at 11:34 p.m.
Geoff Rathbone has one job: tell council (i.e. Miller) what they want to hear. Reading staff reports is entirely secondary....if he had, he would have known all the problems that were (and are) coming with the green/blue bin system. But, Mr. Miller doesn't like to hear about problems - witness his removal of most of senior management in the last 5 years. So Rathbone gives an aye aye sir to anything Miller wants, and ignores anything he doesn't - just try asking about incineration.
But there is a good chance it will all collapse soon....and with it the Mayor's balanced budget. You hear the cries of annoyance about the new blue bins? Wait until the garbage levy ones start rolling out. People are going to go crazy when they get them and see the pain in the ass they are. Then council will do what it always does - scream for exceptions to be made or for the program to be scaled back. This screws Rathbone because they can't introduce the fees until the whole city is on the program.....which is doubtful for 2008 if there are any problems at all.
Without those fees, the waste management budget is shot to pieces.....and with it, the whole city's.
Hope the weather is nice in China though. Maybe Miller can get them to design a functioning waste diversion plan for us.