Toronto's Electric Ferries: Radiation Fears & Costs

0:00It's April 23rd. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. Toronto's pushing hard for electric fairies to swap out those creaky 90-year-old diesel boats on the islands. Back in 2023, the city announced Canada's first custom electric ones set to hit the water from late fall 2025 through. Spring 2027, at a recent committee meeting, staff pitched millions in contracts for safety checks, repairs, and fancy electrical setups. Instead of opening bids to everyone, they're going straight to a handful of specialized suppliers, saying regular competition just won't cut it for. This tech, things got weird when radiation fears popped up, with claims these fairies might beam out harmful waves. Turns out, it's just standard low-frequency stuff from batteries and motors, well under safety limits, and experts say no real health worries. Like, those old cell phone cancer scares that fizzled out? No solid proof backs the radiation talk, so it's likely just a mix-up fueling the noise.

1:03Meanwhile, counselors are digging into the costs, and why suppliers are so scarce for electric systems. The green-fairy plan still fools team ahead, but is hitting those real-world bumps of pricey tech and tight logistics, showing clean energy ain't always a smooth ride.