Paul Moist sent this letter to national and Toronto newspapers in response to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s move to privatize waste collection.
Dear Editor,
There can be no mistake; the privatization of Toronto’s waste collection is an ideological decision, plain and simple.
The C.D. Howe study claiming savings through contracting-out is flawed and biased. Often cited by the news media without any critique or analysis, data used in the study has been engineered - stretched, massaged, and bent through the complexities of econometrics - to reach preconceived results which neatly fit the anti-union point-of-view.
A clear and unbiased look at the numbers shows Toronto’s waste collection service is one of the most effective in Ontario. Ontario Municipal CAO’s Benchmark Initiative (OMBI) shows the City of Toronto cost per tonne has consistently been below the provincial average, and below many cities which have already contracted-out their garbage collection.
There is no solid proof contracting out will lead to any long-term savings. In fact the privatization ideology will allow a private company to low-ball their way in only to hike their fees once entrenched.
The City of Toronto is embarking on a reckless course of action, one that ought to be reconsidered.
Yours Truly,
Paul Moist
National President
Canadian Union of Public Employees