Back to Basics: Reinstating Service Standard Performance for Toronto Animal Services and Wildlife Cadaver Removal - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie

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The decision

2024-10-09 · Toronto City Council · adopted

As filed

City Council on October 9 and 10, 2024, adopted the following: 1. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report as part of the 2025 Budget process on recommendations that update the service standard for wildlife cadaver removal, including the feasibility of returning to the previous standard of 48 hours. 2. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and

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Standards, to create a strategy for Toronto Animal Services to tackle the seasonal spike in animal cadaver removal service requests, including by considering this trend in preparation of the 2025 Operational Budget for Toronto Animal Services.

On the agenda

As the city filed it

In 2023, Toronto Animal Services received 13,900 calls for wildlife cadaver removals. While the target was to respond to 90 percent of requests within 48 hours, that standard was met for just 62 percent of calls. Despite being the third most submitted 3-1-1 service request, wildlife cadaver removal has the lowest Municipal Licensing and Standards service standard performance, with targets being met only 62 percent of the time - 10 percent below the average service standard of 72 percent .

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In response to long wait times, the target service standard for wildlife cadaver removal more than doubled from 48 hours to 5 business days in March 2024. According to the presentation by Municipal Licencing and Standards to the Service Excellence Committee on September 6 2024, the standard was lowered to set more realistic expectations for cadaver removal requests. Anecdotally, constituents attest that the current wait for the service is even longer than 5 business days. According to the September 2024 presentation, Municipal Licencing and Standards is experiencing a year-over-year increase in the number of animal-related service requests, which has affected Toronto Animal Services' service standard performance. Our constituents deserve better. Residents should not be expected to witness a cadaver decompose for more than a week, resort to hiring a private company, or - worst of all - attempt to handle the situation themselves. It's more than unpleasant and a nuisance. This is a public health and safety issue. When the City is not meeting service standards, the answer is to fix the service, not move the goalposts. It's time to reevaluate our priorities to ensure we meet the most basic service obligations to residents. This motion asks staff to propose a plan to reinstate the previous service standard of 48 hours for wildlife cadaver removal service requests, as part of the 2025 Budget process.

Staff recommended

Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, recommends that: 1. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report as part of the 2025 Budget process on recommendations that update the service standard for wildlife cadaver removal, including the feasibility of returning to the previous standard of 48 hours. 2. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal

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Licensing and Standards, to create a strategy for Toronto Animal Services to tackle the seasonal spike in animal cadaver removal service requests, including by considering this trend in preparation of the 2025 Operational Budget for Toronto Animal Services.

On the record

The item as the City filed it

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