On Monday October 25th, Toronto City Council voted 26-16 in favour of accepting the bid from Green For Life Environmental (GFL) to collect waste and recycling for all residents west of Yonge Street to the border of Etobicoke.

The decision came after a long day of debate. Councillors were given a report on the recommended bid last Wednesday October 19 - see the staff report here.

Nearly half of the Councillors voted for a one month deferral - a motion moved by Councillor Ana Bailao - in order to allow time for further information and further questioning of staff. Councillors also pointed out that answers provided by staff and by financial consultants hired to compare the staff numbers to the bid from GFL didn't match, and were incomplete.

Despite the many concerns, Council voted 22-20 against a deferral and to make the decision immediately. 

Prior to the final vote, a number of motions were made by Councillors to require additional reporting and monitoring from staff, and to ensure strict performance targets around diversion rates, spills, contamination of waste, labour practices and health and safety violations. Additionally, any financial amendments or extensions to the contract must be approved by Council.

Read the final decision document on the City website.

Next steps:

In the first quarter of 2012, staff will be outlining the structure used to oversee the contract, its associated costs, and performance targets. Any failure to meet these targets will be immediately reported to Public Works Committee. 

TEA will continue to follow the progress of this issue and keep you informed.