Last fall the City of Toronto was thinking of getting into the food services business. They actually wanted to purchase 35 carts and lease them out to independent street vendors. Their plan was to diversify from hot dogs to ethnic fare, making the choices healthier and more in keeping with the diverse ethnicity of Toronto residents. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it. If I told you that it would have required the City of Toronto to take out a $700,000 would you still think so? No one else did either. Mayor Miller had no choice but to remove the $700,000 loan from the 2008 capital budget – a good move considering the amount of services that he cut citing lack of funds.

Not content to let this ill-fated plan die, Toronto has now resurrected it in a more modest form. It seems that no one really objected to the plan. It was the $700,000 loan that was highly objectionable. The current proposal involves a pilot project with 15 food service carts to be located in public parks or squares this summer. Under the new plan the City of Toronto will purchase the carts and then select where the carts can be located. They will be actively pursuing a private partner to help with the financing. Vendors would be selected according to the following criteria:
•    Financial viability
•    Compliance with city bylaws
•    Experience
•    What type of cuisine they are planning to sell
•    How healthy the food is
•    Reputation

This is bad news for existing hotdog vendors who would not be eligible unless they agree to give up their vending licenses. A full-scale program could begin in 2009. Do you think that the City of Toronto should be in the food service business?