The Toronto council member who assumed key powers that were taken away from Mayor Rob Ford says he is looking at the possibility of calling in the military to help with the cleanup after an ice storm struck nearly two weeks ago.

In an interview with CP24, Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly said he decided to explore the option when he learned that the cleanup of tree debris from streets, public parks and other areas would be widespread and it may take up to two months to complete.

Toronto is still the butt of jokes over Mayor Mel Lastman’s decision to call in soldiers to clear snow after a storm in 1999 nearly brought Canada's largest city to a complete halt.

Even though Kelly risks being ridiculed or criticized for even suggesting it, he asked his staff to make a few "exploratory" phone calls to the Canadian Forces on Thursday to learn more about whether or not the military could help to speed up the removal of debris.

“When I learned from staff that it’s going to take almost two months to clear the debris … I thought, well, what would be the next available source of manpower and I think that’s the army,” Kelly told CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles.

Through those phone calls, Kelly said he learned that the proper way for a municipality to request military help is to approach the province first. It's up to the province to make a pitch to the federal government on the municipality's behalf, he said.

Geneviève Breton, a spokeswoman for National Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the provincial emergency measures organization is responsible for appealing to the federal government for army assistance.

Pointing to a snowstorm that is wreaking havoc in northeastern U.S. states, Kelly said he plans to discuss the matter with provincial officials because he is worried another storm may hit Toronto.

“What if another storm hits? What if something hits us while we’re in the process of cleaning up?” Kelly said.

Idea gets frosty reception

Some council members are giving the idea a frosty reception.

Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong, who chairs the public works committee, doesn’t favour it because the city is in a cleanup phase and residents' health and safety are not at risk, he said.

“It remains to be seen what benefit calling the army will have,” Minnan-Wong told CP24. “There is certainly going to be a cost and that is going to be borne to the taxpayer in one way or another.”

Minnan-Wong said he doubts the military has wood chippers and other equipment needed for the job.

Why wasn't an emergency declared?

Kelly's idea has led some to question why military aid wasn't requested and why an emergency wasn't declared at the height of the ice storm.

In a written statement issued on behalf of Ford on Friday, his spokesman, Amin Massoudi, said the mayor was receiving regular updates during the storm and he was advised that there was no need to declare an emergency.

“The city manager and the president of Toronto Hydro, among others, advised Mayor Ford that everything possible was being done, and because every available resource was called for and made available by other municipalities and the province, there was no need to cause unnecessary panic by declaring a state of emergency," Massoudi said.

In an internal email obtained by media, deputy city manager John Livey wrote of plans to ask Ford to declare an emergency because it would help provincial officials to provide aid to the city. The email is dated Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.

City spokeswoman Deborah Brown confirmed Livey sent an email to Ford and Kelly in the early hours of the storm suggesting that the city should consider declaring an emergency.

Livey sent the email after preliminary discussions suggested the city would not receive financial aid from the province without declaring one, Brown said.

Later, Livey was able to clarify that the province would provide funding and assistance without a state of emergency, she said.

“The decision was that the city would monitor the situation and if things worsened that decision would be re-visited,” Brown told CP24 in an email.

Coun. David Shiner questioned why Premier Kathleen Wynne didn't declare a provincial emergency, regardless of the city's position.

Because council stripped the scandal-plagued mayor of key powers, the authority over emergencies would have fallen to Kelly if Ford declared one. Critics accused Ford of choosing not to declare an emergency because he didn't want to give control to Kelly.

As for military aid, Ford told CP24 on Dec. 23, a day after the storm struck, there was no need to call in the army because the city was not in a state of emergency.

On Friday, Kelly said the notion of military help was looked at "in a cursory way" early on but it was dismissed.

Cleanup to cost millions

At a news conference Thursday, Kelly, Minnan-Wong and Ford appeared together to explain the city’s plan to clear fallen trees, branches and other debris after the ice storm.

They said it will take six to eight weeks to clear the debris and the cleanup will come with a price tag of more than $75 million.

Minnan-Wong said $25 million is being spent on cleanup and an additional $50 million is being spent to repair and maintain Toronto’s tree canopy.

The cleanup began Friday and city officials say more than 600 city employees and private contractors will be working 12 hours a day to complete the work.

Click here to view a map of the progress.

With files from CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles.

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