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

[my72jeep]

We had Torontonians coming out and giving us hot snacks, cookies, chocolates and LCBO gift cards as we cleared lines and sidewalks, we were working a night shift in Toronto and a day shift in Markham

 

[Danjanou]

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.

Not sure re that I thought is was more of a case of the then Mayor, Mel, calling the former Mayor then Minister of Defence Art on the old boys network and circumnavigating the process.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I can see calling the army out to rescue people and bring them to shelter, the rest well.....

 

[my72jeep]

As a person that has spent the last week there doing Clean up the Army is not required. Any way how many chain saws and wood chippers are in the army Supply chain?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Not sure re that I thought is was more of a case of the then Mayor, Mel, calling the former Mayor then Minister of Defence Art on the old boys network and circumnavigating the process.

That wasn't it.

 

[dapaterson]

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.

NDA: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-5/FullText.html

Emergencies Act: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-4.5/FullText.html

Federal Emergency Response Plan: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/mrgnc-rspns-pln/index-eng.aspx


Relevant portion of the NDA:


Public Service

Marginal noteublic service

273.6 (1) Subject to subsection (2), the Governor in Council or the Minister may authorize the Canadian Forces to perform any duty involving public service.

Marginal note:Law enforcement assistance

(2) The Governor in Council, or the Minister on the request of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness or any other Minister, may issue directions authorizing the Canadian Forces to provide assistance in respect of any law enforcement matter if the Governor in Council or the Minister, as the case may be, considers that
(a) the assistance is in the national interest; and
(b) the matter cannot be effectively dealt with except with the assistance of the Canadian Forces.

Marginal note:Exception

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply in respect of assistance that is of a minor nature and limited to logistical, technical or administrative support.

Marginal note:Restriction

(4) The authority of the Minister under this section is subject to any directions issued by the Governor in Council.
1998, c. 35, s. 87; 2005, c. 10, s. 34.

 

[pbi]

Calling in the Army would have had about as much value as it did last time: probably less.

Now, calling in the Province: that is a different story, and much more likely to provide access to the tools and skill sets that were needed to get power flowing again, clear trees and poles, and get traffic moving safely.

Defaulting to "calling in the Army" is a knee jerk. Although I am not known for my high opinion of His Worship, I have to say that he made the right call.

Or didn't make the wrong call. Or something.

 

[Robert0288]

I guarantee there will not be an RFA (request for assistance) going to DND as of time of this post.  Everything that is left to do can easily be handled by the city (eventually).  At it's worst period during the blackout no one was considering making the request to call the army in, and even EMO Ontario wasn't fully activated from my understanding.  If anyone really got smacked hard from this storm it was NB.  It's just that the people who live in Toronto aren't prepared, and generally lack common sense in a situation where they don't have power.

Any way how many chain saws and wood chippers are in the army Supply chain

I don't know about supply side.  But how many people are actually chain saw qualified :

 

[Kat Stevens]

Every QL3 Sapper in the army.

 

[Journeyman]

Every QL3 Sapper in the army.

....plus all the Infantry Pioneers.......oh, nevermind    :not-again:

 

[BorisK]

CP24 Bulletin item on the televisions playing at the TTC subway station this morning :

'Deputy mayor says Military likely needed for cleanup of fallen tree's.'

Twisted his words fast eh?

 

[OldSolduer]

....plus all the Infantry Pioneers.......oh, nevermind    :not-again:

You had to say it.....  :-[

 

[Zoomie]

but the Army is not cheap labour for street cleaning.

The precedence has already been set quite a few times already. 

Quebec/Ontario Ice Storm - picking up tree branches.

Toronto Snow Storm - shoveling sidewalks and porches.

Still waiting for my medal...

 

[Franko]

I don't know what other units were doing during the ice storm in 98, but I know we were doing a lot more than clearing branches.

From evacuating people, to having crews go from house to house with generators so people could have heat at least once a day to saving people's houses due to the ice buildup and it almost collapsing their roofs.

Then there were the carbon monoxide victims that we found.

Then of course, clearing roads that looked more like abatees so hydro crews could get through to do repairs. Of course no one was qualified chain saw, but courses were run on the fly as soon as we hit the ground and then it was all OJT.

Sorry, but I don't think Toronto comes close to the ice storm of 98. People were in the cold for at least two weeks to well over a month in the Montreal area. Toronto was out for a little over a week. Hell, New Brunswick was hit harder and only had total power restoration a couple days ago. A week and a half and guess what....no food issues. Guess people could figure out that it's cold outside they can use it to act as a fridge.

 

[Navy_Pete]

From the story I read on CBC, the deputy mayor was looking at this Dec 22nd, which was when it may have possibly maybe made some kind of sense, if they could justify the state of emergency to call in outside help (CAF, province, etc).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-deputy-at-odds-over-seeking-army-help-for-storm-cleanup-1.2483018

(except from link)
...
"We are getting ready to ask the mayor to declare this an emergency largely because it will assist the staff at the province to make resources available to us, crews, generators, facilities for warming centres," he wrote in a letter dated Dec. 22, at 5:02 p.m. That was less than 24 hours after the storm caused a loss of electricity to a substantial number of Toronto Hydro customers.

That part made sense in that context.  The rest seems like the media making a story.

 

[my72jeep]

I don't know what other units were doing during the ice storm in 98, but I know we were doing a lot more than clearing branches.

From evacuating people, to having crews go from house to house with generators so people could have heat at least once a day to saving people's houses due to the ice buildup and it almost collapsing their roofs.

Then there were the carbon monoxide victims that we found.

Then of course, clearing roads that looked more like abatees so hydro crews could get through to do repairs. Of course no one was qualified chain saw, but courses were run on the fly as soon as we hit the ground and then it was all OJT.

Sorry, but I don't think Toronto comes close to the ice storm of 98. People were in the cold for at least two weeks to well over a month in the Montreal area. Toronto was out for a little over a week. Hell, New Brunswick was hit harder and only had total power restoration a couple days ago. A week and a half and guess what....no food issues. Guess people could figure out that it's cold outside they can use it to act as a fridge.

Like I said a page back I've been there since the 26th Dec 2013 The Army is not needed. What is needed is Bucket trucks and guys trained to work trees.
Nuf said.

 

[s2184]

I don't want to see another power outage for a week. Power was restored for us just before New Year & I cannot image if we get another outage within 10 days. 

Even, with the best abilities of the army & its presence how soon the situation could be back to normal once the nature just goes crazy?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Send Mayor Ford 3 days worth of clam chowder IMPs. He'll think twice about asking for our help  ;D

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

Mayor Ford, cannot ask for anything or any help, because he was stripped of his powers as mayor. It is the Deputy Mayor is thinking that the army is the answer

 

[PuckChaser]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-deputy-at-odds-over-seeking-army-help-for-storm-cleanup-1.2483018

Seems that the only common sense guy is the one they voted all the powers away from.