Alert, Warning order to follow Toronto deputy mayor thinking of asking for troop

[FormerHorseGuard]

Cannot believe anyone in the mayors office or in the city government would want to go on the record and even think this out loud and not remember the jokes last time the troops were called out to Toronto.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/deputy-mayor-mulls-calling-in-army-to-help-with-toronto-storm-cleanup-1.1616344
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Friday, January 3, 2014 9:52AM EST
Last Updated Friday, January 3, 2014 10:39AM EST
Toronto’s deputy mayor is considering calling in the army to help with the ice storm cleanup.
Norm Kelly, who has extra powers after city council stripped Mayor Rob Ford of some of his authority, said he decided to explore the option after learning that clearing the thousands of fallen tree limbs would take as long as 6 to 8 weeks.
Kelly made a few phone calls on Thursday to find out more about the possibility of calling in members of the military, despite the risk of being criticized or mocked, he told Newstalk 1010 on Friday morning.
“Everything is exploratory right now,” Kelly told the radio station. Any request for military help would have to go through the province.
At a news conference on Thursday, city officials confirmed the cleanup will take 6-8 weeks and will cost the city more than $75 million.
Ford has faced questions about his decision not to call a state of emergency after the ice storm left thousands without power. A declaration of a state of emergency would have transferred the responsibility for overseeing the ice storm response to the deputy mayor.
Some 15 years after winter storms covered the city under more than a metre of snow, former mayor Mel Lastman’s decision to call in the army in 1999 to battle a snowstorm continues to be recounted with ridicule and laughter.
At its height, the December, 2013 ice storm knocked out power to some 300,000 customers across Toronto, affecting approximately 750,000 people.


Read more: http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/deputy-mayor-mulls-calling-in-army-to-help-with-toronto-storm-cleanup-1.1616344#ixzz2pLtH9gyB


http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/deputy-mayor-mulls-calling-in-army-to-help-with-toronto-storm-cleanup-1.1616344#ixzz2pLs9urj6

 

[Bluebulldog]

A bit more of a process than just "calling in the troops"

Toronto would have to declare a State of Emergency, thus allowing EMO ( Emergency Management Ontario) to effectively take control. EMO would then need to determine viability of using Federal Agencies ( DND) and the costs associated with bringing in CF personnel and materiel.

Since most folks have heat and hydro now, and aside from lots of wood lying around, things are relatively back to normal....I'm guessing this wont happen.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Don't they have a "homeless" problem??  Maybe they could pay some of them??

Oops, forgot, most of those folks only exist on paper,.......and taxes.

 

[Edward Campbell]

Don't they have a "homeless" problem??  Maybe they could pay some of them??

Oops, forgot, most of those folks only exist on paper,.......and taxes.

Like this, Bruce?  :nod:

 

[OldTanker]

Has there really been an alert and Warning Order issued? The heading seems to indicate this.

 

[Journeyman]

Has there really been an alert and Warning Order issued? The heading seems to indicate this.

What I took from the headline is that someone in the Mayoral office was thinking; apparently that was deemed newsworthy  :dunno:

 

[PMedMoe]

Has there really been an alert and Warning Order issued? The heading seems to indicate this.

What I took from the headline is that someone in the Mayoral office was thinking; apparently that was deemed newsworthy  :dunno:

What I took from the headlines was that the deputy mayor was merely mulling over the idea.  The thread title is not the headline. 

A better news story would be the abysmal administration (or the lack of admin) that went into the distribution of food gift cards for people affected by the power outage. 

 

[Journeyman]

Well I could point out that thinking and mulling are synonyms, but now that you're a Toronto person, the number of syllables would just be baffling  :nana:

 

[PMedMoe]

Well I could point out that thinking and mulling are synonyms, but now that you're a Toronto person, the number of syllables would just be baffling  :nana:

:blotto:

 

[Danjanou]

The Deputy Mayor is back from Florida? Crisis must be over then  8)

 

[my72jeep]

I spent from Dec 26th till Jan 2nd on a line crew and a side walk crew clearing trees and brush. The big work is done now. Its the blocked side walks and hangers that can fall and take out a line or a person that we are still working on 6 days a week.

 

[Bluebulldog]

A better news story would be the abysmal administration (or the lack of admin) that went into the distribution of food gift cards for people affected by the power outage.

Am I the only one who saw the Provincial Govt scrambling to make that particular piece a postitive, and thought.....gee...powers out, fridge isn't working........how about we just put the food on the porch / balcony.....

 

[PMedMoe]

Am I the only one who saw the Provincial Govt scrambling to make that particular piece a postitive, and thought.....gee...powers out, fridge isn't working........how about we just put the food on the porch / balcony.....

That and most insurance policies will cover it. 

People only had to show proof of residence and somehow prove how many people they had in their family ($50 for singles, $100 for families). 

Maybe it's the cynic in me, but I'll bet there were lots of people getting cards who didn't really need them or hadn't lost food at all.    :dunno:

 

[Armymedic]

What I find disturbing is the prevalence of the thought that Canada sends it military overseas to help clean up after disasters, why can they not do that here at home.

That and the food card boondoggle....

Edit to add- there has been discussion about "calling in the army" since the 27th.

 

[Bluebulldog]

Maybe it's the cynic in me, but I'll bet there were lots of people getting cards who didn't really need them or hadn't lost food at all.    :dunno:

.....or like the guy on CBC radio who said he lost $240 in groceries. I manage social housing in my neck of the woods......I have yet to see anyone on assistance have that amount of food in their fridge.....unless they include the beer and the carton of smokes.....but I'm pretty sure those don't spoil.

 

[PMedMoe]

.....or like the guy on CBC radio who said he lost $240 in groceries.

Well, it did happen just before Christmas.

 

[Bluebulldog]

Well, it did happen just before Christmas.

Fair enough...might be legit.

 

[cupper]

What I took from the headline is that someone in the Mayoral office was thinking; apparently that was deemed newsworthy  :dunno:

The fact that he was thinking was newsworthy.

Any politician showing signs of brain activity is newsworthy, regardless of the actual value of said activity. ;D

 

[Fishbone Jones]

A bit more of a process than just "calling in the troops"

Toronto would have to declare a State of Emergency, thus allowing EMO ( Emergency Management Ontario) to effectively take control. EMO would then need to determine viability of using Federal Agencies ( DND) and the costs associated with bringing in CF personnel and materiel.

Since most folks have heat and hydro now, and aside from lots of wood lying around, things are relatively back to normal....I'm guessing this wont happen.

Not sure where I read it, but it was recently and because of this storm.

IIRC, Toronto, because of it's size or whatever, has a special clause that allows them to bypass the province and deal direct with the feds.

Pretty sure that's what I read anyway.

 

[Infanteer]

Sorry Deputy Mayor, but the Army is not cheap labour for street cleaning.  I'd have to dig around a I forget the legislation related with deploying soldiers on Canadian soil, but I don't think this would pass muster; the DND rightfully told St Jean "no" when they asked soldiers to stay and pick up a mess.