The city has extended the deadline for bids on two contracts that have proven troublesome in the past: homeless services and animal control.
Costs for the animal control contract soared to $600,000 this year, compared to $423,000 in the previous contract, after the city added several new requirements, but received just one bid, Rainbow District Animal Control, which has held the contract for several years.
The city signed a two-year deal with Rainbow, with an eye on hiring a consultant to conduct an independent review of animal control services before that deal expires. The city extended the March 24 deadline to bid on that contract to April 28.
The winning bidder is now being asked to hold public consultations by mid-June to get input on what changes the public wants in the next contract. The consultants are to submit the completed study by July. Staff will then develop a draft strategy based on the study for city councillors to review by October.
However, a host of added services supported by the public and city council during input sessions last year proved to be costly.
While the public supported such items as requiring the use of a veterinarian when animals are euthanized, longer operating hours for the shelter, with a seven-day-a-week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. being the preferred schedule, and a longer animal redemption period, costs for existing services with a few enhancements had already soared.
So the city didn't receive estimates on how much adding the other enhancements would cost.
The deadline to bid on the contract for homeless services* was to expire March 31, but was extended until April 30. Only two organizations – the Salvation Army, which operates the Out of the Cold Shelter, and the current contract holder, Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury – downloaded tender packages before the deadline was extended.
The winning bidder will be asked "to administer and co-ordinate the prevention supports and Housing First System that will support citizens to move out of the cycle of
homelessness."
*Note: an earlier version of this story incorrectly linked the homeless services contract with the city's Out of the Cold program. In fact, the two are separate contracts. Northern Life apologizes for the error.
