The city has denied Toronto's fire service money for recruiting classes, a surreptitious cost-cutting measure that has reduced the department's already-depleted ranks to the point where public safety is at risk, according to the head of the city's firefighters' union.
"When cost-savings put citizens at risk, I think it's a big mistake," said Ed Kennedy, president of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association, who added that the cut, which essentially denies the department 50 new recruits, marks the first time since amalgamation that such classes have been cancelled.
The revelation emerged during Mr. Kennedy's presentation to the Community Development and Recreation Committee Wednesday night as it considered a host of cost-trimming proposals from KPMG, the consulting firm that has been reviewing core city services since the spring.
The committee heard from nearly 70 speakers over 11 hours, most of whom objected vehemently to the KPMG options, which include privatizing daycares, liquidating old-age homes, dropping 2,000 daycare spaces and merging EMS services with the fire department.
It was proposals touching on fire issues that Mr. Kennedy spoke to. He noted that the Toronto Fire is already 80 members below the city's recommended complement, a shortfall that has driven fire response times over minimum standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association. "It's going to get worse with the reduction in recruit classes," said Mr. Kennedy, acknowledging that the loss of recruit classes amounts to a service cut at Canada's largest fire department, which generally holds two classes a year to keep up with attrition.
The union has grieved the matter, citing a section of its collective agreement requiring recruitment classes as the number of Toronto Fire vacancies reaches 40.
As the meeting wrapped up around 9:30 p.m., the committee's left-leaning majority voted to defer the KPMG report until its Sept. 14 meeting. In the meantime, they have asked city staff to research the implications of the report and conduct a series of public consultations.
That move breaks ranks with two previous committees that voted to refer all KPMG proposals to Mayor Rob Ford's executive committee, a strategy that would pile dozens of provocative budget-cutting ideas at the mayor's door.
Giorgio Mammoliti, the sole Ford acolyte on the committee, voted against Councillor Joe Mihevc's motion to defer the report until September, indicating it was a largely symbolic gesture that will be undone as soon as the mayor's executive committee, of which Mr. Mammoliti is a member, meets on Sept. 19.
"I think that anything else but moving this forward to the executive committee really isn't doing the job of this committee," he said. "In fact, I'd venture to say that we become dysfunctional if we're not prepared to deal with the issue in front of us and delay it continually."
Mr. Mihevc said even if the Mr. Mammoliti nullifies his motion at executive, holding public consultations and asking staff for more information will add a layer of transparency to the core service review process.
"Having watched executive, they certainly have had a pattern of railroading their agenda through," he said. "But the principle of transparency and public accountability will be valued."
Patrick White