In the wake of Toronto’s unprecedented ice storm - which saw 300,000 residents loose power for as long as 12 days - Christopher Hume argues that cost-cutting contributed to the extent of havoc wreaked by the city’s under-maintained tree canopy.
“Given the city’s embarrassingly inept response to the ice storm, you’d think winter was the exception in Toronto, not the rule,” writes Christopher Hume. “Even before all the bills are in, civic officials are telling us the storm will cost…at least $106 million.”
“That’s a lot of money, though probably less than what we “saved” by investing as little as possible in the municipal and provincial infrastructure for the past 40 or 50 years.”
“…$106 million would have helped in some small way to pay for updating the system, installing mini-grids, burying cables and maintaining the tree canopy.”
FULL STORY: Ice storm reveals real cost of cutbacks: Hume
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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