10 years later, Lastman defends calling in the army
Last Updated: Monday, January 12, 2009 | 8:37 AM ET
The Canadian Press
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It's been 10 years since the Canadian military was called in to help Toronto dig out from under a series of heavy snowfalls.
Former mayor Mel Lastman says he still takes pride in calling in the military to tackle clogged city streets.
The move raised eyebrows nationwide, and gave a country that loves to hate Toronto even more ammunition.
The first dumping of snow came Jan. 2, when 38 centimetres fell, crippling the downtown core, and the next several days brought more snow.
Lastman says he anticipated a "major disaster" if action wasn't taken.
He called then-defence minister and former Toronto mayor Art Eggleton to ask about what kind of help the military could provide.
By Jan. 14, more than 400 troops rolled into Toronto from CFB Petawawa, driving armoured personnel vehicles known as Bisons.
The troops cleared mountains of snow for the most part, but Lastman says the Bisons were also used to transport 35 people to hospital.
Lastman says he never cared what others said about his decision.
He says he did the right thing, and showed that "politicians should be safe rather than sorry."
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