Wednesday, February 13, 2002

The telephone system that Toronto leased two years ago after selling off its predecessor has been fraught with problems, and may be more expensive than what it replaced, some city councillors say.

The city auditor has been asked to investigate what prompted the decision to sell the city-owned telephone system and replace it with a leased Centrex phone system from Bell Canada.

The change will come under a public microscope if council, as expected, agrees this week to set up a judicial inquiry into two multimillion-dollar computer-related contracts. Councillor Howard Moscoe said the scope of the inquiry is being expanded to include the telephone system.

He calls the telephone issue the latest boondoggle of the city's corporate services information and technology division.

The department is already under fire for entering into a four-year, 11-month computer-leasing deal with MFP Financial Services Ltd. and for the purchase of 10,000 licenses to use Oracle Database computer software as part of the city's $160-million Y2K preparedness plan. Both are to be subjects of the inquiry.

"There are more skeletons hidden in our closet than the individual cities ever developed [before amalgamation]. Everything seems to be popping up," said Mr. Moscoe, who added that he rues the day he ever supported the creation of a megacity.

Mr. Moscoe and other council members said they want to know how much the new phone system costs a year, and why the old one was replaced.

Although councillors are immersed in the budget process, none interviewed yesterday had any idea how much the city spends each year for the new system.

The city owned the old system free and clear. The phone switch system was in the city hall basement.

What especially irritates the councillors about the new system is that all phones in their offices also ring in their private offices. As well, they and their staff no longer have a way to talk to each other over the phone without dialling their full local number just like an outside caller. Most say they prefer to shout.

As a result, the councillors' offices are noisy.

Councillor Brian Ashton said he preferred the old system, but doesn't mind the new one, except that "I just yell to talk with my staff."

Councillor Bas Balkissoon said he first learned the phone system was being changed when a Bell employee showed up in his office to install the new package.

A major flaw of the new system, councillors say, is the delay in getting repairs to any problems with the phone lines. The city had staff on site to fix the old system.

Now, one city hall source said, the line could be down several days before it's fixed.

A case in point: Councillor Olivia Chow's fax machine was out of commission for three days while she waited for the telephone company to send someone over to repair the fax phone line. She had to direct faxes to the offices of other councillors.

"If the old system isn't broken, why replace it?" the source said.

Councillors ultimately have only themselves to blame for going to the new system -- they voted for it at council, although few remember doing so.

Mr. Moscoe said the information that bureaucrats provided for the vote was too subtle. He said that a consultant's report favoured the old system, but that bureaucrats changed it to imply that new system was a great deal.

Mr. Balkissoon attributed the council's decision on the phone system vote to having too many items and details to deal with after amalgamation.

The phone system was added to audits the city has ordered of six consultant contracts also approved by the information and technology division. Mr. Balkissoon said the contracts are being looked at because of some unusual receipts for work done for the city.

Globe Technology

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2002