Latest news with #systemicfailure
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Chow says city staff ‘failed' in handling of record Toronto snowstorm
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow addresses a report on 'systemic failure' in city's snow-clearing operation, and ignoring of residents' needs. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says city staff 'failed in their job' during this year's record-breaking snowstorm, pointing to broken plows, ignored 311 calls, and misleading public updates as neighbourhoods remained buried in snow for weeks. Chow's made the comment to reporters ahead of an executive committee meeting where an Auditor General review of the city's response to back-to-back-to-back February storms as well as another conducted by city staff was scheduled to be discussed. The reviews found that while the city's snow clearing works during routine weather, its procedures 'face systemic gaps' during major storms — issues Chow says have been 'ignored' and reflect a 'failed culture.' 'The sole response to the snowstorm… failed my expectations,' Chow said. 'The city staff in charge with managing the snow clearance failed in their job. They had no idea what was happening out in the field.' 'They ignored 99.83 per cent' of calls In the first half of February, Toronto saw more than 94 centimetres of snow, which marked about 30 per cent more snow than the city would normally get during that time. The series of storms, which alone dumped more than 50 centimetres of snow on the city over the span of just days, prompted a council-ordered review after widespread complaints about unplowed sidewalks and inaccessible roads. cars, Toronto, snow Cars are buried in Toronto's east end after two snowstorms last week. (Brian Weather/ CTV News) The review found staff had claimed to fully implement 19 recommendations around snow clearing ahead of February's snowfall — when in reality, only eight were completed. In addition, the auditor general's findings also revealed public updates during the storm didn't reflect real-time conditions, while 311 and PlowTO communications proved unreliable. On Wednesday, Chow said that of the 29,000 snow-related 311 calls logged during the storm, staff responded to just 51. 'Worst of all, the staff team received 29,000 calls for help… and they ignored 99.83 per cent of them,' Chow said. Equipment issues also plagued operations, with city contractors using incorrect machinery that broke down mid-storm, Chow said. 'The snow plows broke down when we needed them most because the staff allowed privately contracted companies to use the wrong machines, despite the contract specifying which machines to use,' Chow said. 'We must fix this failed culture' A second independent review, ordered by City Manager Paul Johnson and released last week, found Toronto's winter maintenance program generally works but faces 'systemic gaps' that limit efforts during major snow events. Toronto snowstorm People walk through a snow-covered street following a heavy snowfall in Toronto, on Thursday, February 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) Chow said both reports exposed 'errors that were not fixed over the years, despite four previous investigations into the city's snow removal processes.' She described inspection logs as incomplete, missing signatures, or skipped entirely, and criticized Toronto for failing to adopt more reliable equipment like Montreal and Calgary's more specialized plows. 'I will accept (the city manager's) recommendations as the first step to address this systemic failure,' she said. 'We must fix this failed culture of ignoring residents' basic needs.'
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Mother of man who died in prison custody awarded RM560,000 in damages
Lawyer M Visvanathan explains the Ipoh High Court's decision to R Muniamah and her nephew. They are flanked by counsel V Sanjay Nathan (left) and Pushan Qin Nathan. PETALING JAYA : The Ipoh High Court today awarded RM560,000 in damages to the mother of a man who died in prison custody on the day of his release in 2017, ruling that there was a systemic failure by the authorities to safeguard the health and wellbeing of R Siva. Judicial commissioner Moses Susayan found that Siva had been healthy and fit before his incarceration at Tapah prison. 'However, on the day of his release, a brother of the deceased was instead instructed to go to Tapah Hospital to collect his body,' he said in allowing the civil suit filed by Siva's mother, R Muniamah. He said the Tapah prison authorities had failed to inform the family of Siva's condition. 'There was suppression of information by the authorities, despite being in possession of the family's contact details,' Susayan said. The judge ruled that prison and police officers had deprived Siva of his liberty and failed in their duty to protect his wellbeing, including his right to life with dignity, and access to basic needs such as adequate healthcare, a proper diet, and timely medical attention. 'In this case, there was systemic failure and medical neglect. The defendants' own witnesses admitted to a dereliction of duty,' he said. A prison medical officer, under cross-examination, admitted that the facility was at its 'lowest ebb' at the time and failed to meet the standards required under the Prison Regulations and the Prison Act. Susayan awarded the following damages: RM200,000 in general damages for misfeasance in public office; RM300,000 in aggravated damages; RM10,000 for bereavement; RM38,400 for dependency claims; and RM15,500 in special damages. He also ordered the government to pay RM70,000 in legal costs. Siva, 30, died on March 20, 2017, the day he was supposed to be released after serving an eight-month jail sentence for theft. An inquest conducted by the coroner's court concluded that he died of natural causes due to disease. Muniamah named 13 defendants in her suit, including Tapah prison officers, police officers, and the federal government, citing negligence, breach of statutory duties, and misfeasance in public office. She was represented by lawyers M Visvanathan, V Sanjay Nathan and Pushan Qin Nathan, while senior federal counsel Siti Aishah Ramlan and federal counsel Siti Norashikin Hassanor appeared for the government.
