TORONTO – Bringing in the army to help the city cleanup after a Dec. 21 storm that knocked out power to 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers is “ridiculous,” Mayor Rob Ford said Monday.
He laughed at the suggestion Canada’s military should be enlisted to help the almost 600 city staff recruited to clean up after the storm.
“No, we don’t need the army,” he said. “That’s ridiculous.”
But Ford isn’t above going cap-in-hand to the province asking for financial assistance with cleanup. He’s called a special council meeting Friday to discuss asking Queen’s Park for money.
In depth: Mayor Rob Ford
The storm swept through southern Ontario a few days before Christmas and coated trees in a thick layer of ice, causing many to fall and knock out power lines. At the peak of the ensuing power outages, 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers were in the dark and another 350,000 Hydro One customers were without power.
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly floated the idea of calling in the army last week.
“If we can use the army, in one fashion or another, to shorten that time. … Why not take a look at the option?” Kelly told reporters at city hall on Friday.
The city would have to request help from the province, which would then request troops from the federal government.
Toronto called in the army in 1999 when then-mayor Mel Lastman asked soldiers to clear the city’s streets after a blizzard dumped 118 centimetres of snow on the ground.
Initial estimates peg cleanup from the December storm at approximately $75 million.
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