No doubt you will all be surprised to hear that I have now received a response to my FOI Request about the trumpet colours.
Further to our letter of February 2, 2022, I am replying to your access request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. You have requested access to the following information: “Any emails, meeting minutes, or written records concerning the decision to change the colour of the 'ventilation trumpets' on the new north St. Lawrence Market from red to grey, including: 1) who made the decision to change the colour and design feature under what authority, and 2) what was the cost or cost savings from this change.
Records search from January 1, 2021, to February 29, 2024.”
Staff of the Corporate Real Estate Management Division has conducted a search for records responsive to your request. This decision reflects the results of their search.
Responsive Records
Staff of the Corporate Real Estate Management has advised that the requested information is not readily available in either paper or electronic formats. More specifically, they indicated that the decision to change the colour of the "trumpets” was made during the development of construction drawings which spread over 12 months of time, and there is no way to determine when the decision was made. Therefore, staff have to manually search all records, all minutes, all drawings and design specifications - hard copies included - in order to pinpoint when the decision was made. Furthermore, it has been estimated that it will take an average of 30 seconds to review each record (email) to determine if it is responsive to the request. However, the abovementioned program area provided the following information in response to your inquiries.
1. When did this change occur?• The decision to change the colour of the air intake trumpets happened during the development of the contract documents. This spanned a 12-month period whereby many discussions between the City and the Design Architect, RSHP, took place. The decision to change the colour of the trumpets was ultimately made by RSHP.
2. Why was the colour changed?• The decision to change the colour of the air intake trumpets from red to grey occurred during RHSP’s review of external and internal finish colours. They concluded that the colour of the air intake trumpets should be more neutral to align with the more vibrant colours for key architectural components around the trumpets.
3. Were there any costs associated with the change?• No
They also told me that if I wish to proceed and obtain copies of any minutes or emails, the estimated cost will be $1350. Oddly enough I will not proceed further - though I still think the change was a poor idea!!
