Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark says the City is too often in the habit of conducting “pilots” with vendors, declaring a product successful, and then making non-competitive purchases without looking at other vendor options.
“I have challenges with us selecting a company, piloting a company, and then using that company. We don’t know what the costs are with the other companies,” Clark stated.
“I continue to resist the single sourcing that is happening in the City.”
“We seem to be constantly going to Section 11 [the City’s non-competitive bid policy], and it’s a workaround from any, real competitive bidding. And I have challenges with that.”
“Had we done a competitive bid and nobody could provide the product, then you could say not only did we pilot this product, but we looked and there was no one else that could provide us what we wanted.”
“We didn’t do that. We heard about this company. We looked into this company. We did the pilot with this company, and now we’re coming in for sole source. I still have challenges with that.”
Following the meeting, Clark stated in an interview that he would oppose sole-source contracts when staff have not looked at numerous companies.
Solar Panels will Save Money, Increase Ambulance Reliability, and Cut Greenhouse Emissions
Ambulances need continuous power for temperature control (especially for medications) and equipment. Hamilton presently operates 20 more ambulances than it has indoor garage spaces for, meaning vehicles are idling 24/7.
During the pilot, one of the ambulances was sent to a garage for maintenance. During that time, the vehicle was disconnected from electricity. The solar panels kept the vehicle powered, preventing the draining of battery systems, enabling the vehicle to return to service immediately.
The cost of the solar panels will be $240,000 for 57 ambulances. In the first year, the resulting fuel, battery replacement, and battery maintenance savings will exceed this amount. The estimated savings are $247,000.
The City expects to emit 154,173.62 kilograms in annual CO2 emissions savings, with energy savings of 661,257 kWh per year.
Councillors on the Emergency and Community Services Committee voted 5 to 1 in favour.
The vote will be ratified at the May 7 Council ratification meeting.
In Favour: Kroetsch, Nann, Hwang, Jackson, Alex Wilson.
Opposed: Clark.
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Published: May 4, 2025
Last updated: May 4, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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