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←Toronto City Council · 2022-07-19 · 2022.MM47.20

The filed record

Keeping Torontonians Plugged in when Rogers goes out - by Councillor Josh Matlow, seconded by Councillor Mike Colle

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The decision

2022-07-19 · Toronto City Council · amended

As filed

City Council on July 19, 20, 21 and 22, 2022, adopted the following: 1. City Council request the City Manager to report to the Executive Committee in the second quarter of 2023 on the Rogers outage of June 8, 2022, such report to include the following: a. the full cost to the Toronto economy; b. City services and functions that were disrupted; and c. utilizing ConnectTO infrastructure to provide a public alternative to private telecommunications, and all potential associated costs and staffing levels for the City of Toronto.

The vote

Adopt Item as Amended · Carried, 13-7

For (13)Ana Bailão, Anthony Perruzza, Brad Bradford, Frances Nunziata, Gord Perks, Joe Mihevc, Josh Matlow, Mark Grimes, Mike Colle, Mike Layton, Nick Mantas, Robin Buxton Potts, Shelley Carroll
Against (7)James Pasternak, Jaye Robinson, Jennifer McKelvie, John Filion, Michael Thompson, Paul Ainslie, Stephen Holyday
Absent (5)Cynthia Lai, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Gary Crawford, John Tory, Paula Fletcher
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On the agenda

As the city filed it

The Rogers outage on July 8, 2022 demonstrated the integral role that telecommunications access plays in the safety and functioning of our society. Friends and family were unable to contact each other at critical moments, email disruptions brought many companies to a standstill, small businesses were forced to close because of the outage, and many Torontonians were unable to purchase basic necessities. The outage also impacted City services in Toronto.

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Because of the cellular disruption, Rogers customers were unable to call 911 and wading pools were closed as the City has a policy that requires wading pool lifeguards to have a working phone. While the full cost to individuals and the economy as a whole will take some time to account, it is safe to say that the outage caused considerable personal inconvenience, or worse, and significant cost to businesses. It is clear that redundancies and alternatives are necessary to avoid a similar occurrence in the future. That's why this Motion requests the City Manager to report to Executive Committee in 2023 on the full cost of the outage to Toronto's economy, City services and functions that were disrupted, and utilizing ConnectTO infrastructure to provide a public alternative to private telecommunications.

Staff recommended

Councillor Josh Matlow, seconded by Councillor Mike Colle, recommends that: 1. City Council request the City Manager to report to the Executive Committee in the second quarter of 2023 on the Rogers outage of June 8, 2022, such report to include the following: a. the full cost to the Toronto economy; b. City services and functions that were disrupted; and c. utilizing ConnectTO infrastructure to provide a public alternative to private telecommunications.

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