Total Water Consumption by Ward
Average Consumption Per Person
According to data released by the City of Toronto, despite being the 26 th most populated ward of Toronto’s 44 wards, Etobicoke North-2 had the highest water consumption and most water consumed per person than any other ward in the city.
However, while Etobicoke North-2 registered one of the lowest residential usage rates, it still consumed 53.2 m3 more per person than the next highest ward
Per Cent of Total Consumption from Commercial Use
There’s no surprise that the ward with the highest percentage commercial use is Toronto Centre-Rosedale-28, after using 84.3 per cent of it’s water usage for commercial uses.
Per Cent of Consumption from Residential Use
On the other side of the coin, Davenport-17 had the highest percentage of water used for residential purposes after consuming 84.66 per cent of the their water in households despite being the sixth lowest populated ward.
In Davenport-17, 55.9 per cent of people live in houses compared to the 37.6 per cent average over the 44 wards. Further, only 5.7 per cent live in high-rise apartment buildings, compared to the 44 per cent average in the city.
Article Pitch
Toronto has been in the news headlines for years now with residents upset about ridiculously high water bills and calling the city to investigate several cases in which many residents complained about being given unexplainable bills.
Therefore, this article would highlight which wards are abusing the water system more than others and in which respect they are doing so (eg. Higher than normal residential use or water consumed per person).
Furthermore, the City of Toronto released an initiative report regarding the citys water conservation framework. In the report, the city states their goal is to reduce water use by 15% by 2015. This article would provide context into whether or not the city, as of 2011, is on pace to do so and which wards or areas of the city are contributing and not contributing to the effort.
This article would, at the very least, identify the wards that are consuming more water than the rest of the city in an attempt to hold them accountable and highlight their usage. In this case, those wards would be Etobicoke North-2 and Davenport-17. If nothing else, this article would call to attention the wards, and their representing councilors, and help clarify who exactly is not helping the issue of water usage in the Great Toronto Area.
Finally, Toronto has come under fire and has been catapulted into national spotlight for concern over their state of water and sewer infrastructure, as was brought to light during last year’s floods. As the GTA continues to expand and increase its population, the resources that they rely on continue to grow older and require more resources. If pursued, this article could perhaps offer insight into which areas and wards of the city should deserve the municipal capital investment and financing for infrastructure due to their use and reliance on water.
This article would be based on data from the City of Toronto:(http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=289bd103cd8b1310VgnVCM1000003dd60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=8517e03bb8d1e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD)
The data for the above presentation was created from the original data set (above link) and used for pivotal tables merging with the City Wards data found on the city’s website. It is important because it revolves around the precious use of water and speaks to the ever-lasting issue that Toronto faces when it comes to water use and their infrastructure.
Related articles:
1) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/reduced-water-use-drains-torontos-funds-for-infrastructure-upgrades/article13182053/
4)http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/04/water-billing-system-takes-a-bath
5)http://www.glslcities.org/documents/DiGironimoWCFINAL.pdf