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Over the weekend, Toronto’s budget chief, Shelley Carroll, hosted a mock budget session with Newstalk1010 Toronto listeners and I applaud her for it.

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However, his response on a single question should be informative for any taxpayer in any city or territory in Canada.

He was asked why Toronto still adheres to a policy that only allows contracts — on an estimated $1.65 billion in construction — to companies whose workers belong to a preferred group of unions.

A Cardus report, Better Choices for Toronto: Finding Money in Open Tendering for Safety and Mental Health, describes the experience of the City of Hamilton, which ended its cozy agreement with favored unions in 2019. City officials have Estimated savings in construction costs were 21% because of this move alone.

Using this information, Cardus estimated that Toronto could save $347 million by reducing its infrastructure construction costs, while maintaining its current construction pace.

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It was two years ago.

Carroll spoke of City Hall’s obsession with pay scale, fair wages and high standards.
It is the responsibility of the entrepreneur to take wages into account in the offer he proposes.

The Council’s job is to get value for money and negotiate a price that saves taxpayers’ money while still getting the job done.

Carroll said we could save $200 million, not a billion.

No one said a billion, first of all.

She disagrees with Cardus’s figure of $347 million in savings, but isn’t it mind-boggling to have her say that $200 million just isn’t worth it?

How much taxpayer money do we have to throw out the window for her to worry?

What reason is there for the council to stick to its cozy contractor agreement, other than some kind of quid pro quo to councilors?

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Do any of these companies contribute to advisor campaigns? Do they do it financially or do workers volunteer to participate in campaigns and go door to door?

Anonymous insiders have told me this is the case, but I have no real proof of this reason.

Can you name another one?

If they’re not doing what has been shown in other cities to save money — in this one issue — what other issues are they mishandling?

It is no wonder, as has been repeatedly reported, that municipal employees feel comfortable not going to work, yet lie on their employment reports to claim they worked when they did. they were doing mischief at the mall.

Nobody takes care of the store.

When a municipal council does not demonstrate rigorous financial management, it takes the easy route and simply increases taxes.

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Carroll demonstrated Saturday that she is not interested in saving money.

Carroll ended his response to the listener’s question about contracts by saying the city may revisit the issue in the future.

For what reason, if it hasn’t mattered for years?

A sudden budgetary awakening?

Are you sitting up in bed after a dream in which a unicorn told councilors that citizens matter?

Miracles happen. The Leafs could one day win the Stanley Cup.

When Carroll admits that $200 million would be saved through a fair bidding process that would allow all construction companies to compete for contracts, but dismisses it so casually, citizens do not are of no importance to the town hall.

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