Video of smoking garbage truck draws fire from Toronto councillor
A privately owned garbage truck caught on video belching black smoke has drawn condemnation from a Toronto councillor and sparked debate about the future of the city’s curbside collection contract.
Councillor James Pasternak says the two-minute video, which shows a truck with a GFL logo making the rounds at Wilson and Keele barely visible at times through its own exhaust, is unacceptable.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“You can’t have a vehicle out on the road smoking like that,” Pasternak told CTV News. “We expect all of our subcontractors, especially in solid waste, to have safe, well-maintained vehicles on the road.”
In the video, shot in mid-February by a concerned citizen who provided it to CTV News, the driver is confronted and asked, “Why don’t you fix your truck?” The driver appears to acknowledge there is an issue, but continues driving.
A privately owned garbage truck was caught on video with an abundance of black smoke coming from its exhaust on March 28, 2024, drawing the attention, and commotion, of a local Toronto councillor. (Jon Woodward / CTV News)
GFL told CTV News it typically would fix trucks in that situation quickly, and a city spokesperson confirmed that the province’s Ministry of Transportation contacted GFL and was presented with documentation that it was fixed.
“The contract with the City stipulates that all vehicles supplied by the contractor must comply with the provincial Motor Vehicle Safety Act,” a city spokesperson said.
The city’s outside workers union likened the smoking truck to a smoking gun, saying that it’s evidence the contract with GFL shouldn’t renewed when it expires in 2026.
“The video and images released today show that our environment will continue to be harmed by relying on profit focused private sector operators,” said Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416 in a statement.
Toronto is a city divided when it comes to trash pickup. Bins east of Yonge St. are typically picked up by city crews. West of Yonge St., trash is generally picked up by GFL.
Some councillors have pushed for that GFL contract to be assumed by city workers.
“In the long run, I think we should look at bringing it back in-house because our city workers basically can do the job just as well or better than the private sector, and you have more control,’ said Councillor Mike Colle on Wednesday.
Pasternak said it may be unfair to judge a whole company on one belching truck.
“I get very few complaints about our garbage pickup,” he said. “We’re in the area east of Yonge, with GFL. Performance seems to be good. We can’t keep jumping back and forth from insource to outsource,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Israel's war cabinet minister moves to dissolve parliament: statement
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party has proposed holding a vote to dissolve parliament in a bid to bring about an early election, his party said in a statement on Thursday.
BMO services restored following outage from data centre fire alarm, the bank says
Bank of Montreal clients saw services restored Thursday morning after an overnight, false fire alarm caused outages, the bank says.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.