Auditor raises alarm as arborists caught speeding, running lights

City forestry trucks have been observed speeding, driving the wrong way down one-way streets and running red lights, the city’s auditor general said Tuesday.

“This is a big truck, with a chipper on the back,” said auditor general Beverly Romeo-Beehler, relaying what she and her staff saw over 500 hours spent following the crews charged with caring for the city’s vast tree canopy.

One truck was caught doing 70 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.

The details emerged during Romeo-Beehler’s presentation of the results of the surveillance to the city’s audit committee, and follow up on a scathing 2019 audit, which found that slacking city arborists were costing the city $2.6 million a year in lost productivity.

Some crews observed this year were also operating unsafely, Romeo-Beehler said —some working without helmets or protective eyewear, and some using the wood chippers improperly, putting themselves at risk of serious injury.

“It’s deeply concerning,” Romeo-Beehler said.

The surveillance was conducted from July 31 to Sept. 25 last year. Crews were randomly followed as they left the city yard where they receive their assignments and followed for a full day. About 25 of the estimated 107 crews were observed, some more than once.

Ward 12 Coun. Josh Matlow (Toronto St. Paul’s), asked Janie Romoff, general manager, Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, how problems identified in April 2019 came to be repeated in the summer of 2020.

“Is there just a dearth of potential contractors,” Matlow asked.

“Why on earth would we be contracting any company that has conned and scammed us and the residents of Toronto? Why wouldn’t we be telling them, too bad, you don’t get a contract here, we don’t want to work with you anymore?”

Romoff explained that the division took steps to fix the problems in 2019, installing GPS units in 99 per cent of city forestry operations vehicles, to better track where they go in a day and improved the structure, terms and obligations for new contracts.

“The findings presented in the 2021 audit, through the first-time use of physical surveillance, makes it clear that additional work needs to be done,” said Romoff.

She promised more crew oversight, including physical surveillance of all tree maintenance crews for an indefinite period of time, and a tougher stance with the companies providing tree maintenance services to ensure targets are met and work is being accurately conducted and reported.

Romoff said a new pricing structure is being developed, which will make bidding more accessible to more vendors and vendors will be made more accountable for the performance of their crews.

The audit committee ended the day with recommendations that chair Coun. Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) said will sharpen the way the city engages arborists and other contractors.

Among other things, the committee asked for an update of the current procurement process and a report from the city manager on how to improve future arborist services contracts through stronger performance management.