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The ‘city in one street’

Toronto Star - November 29 2009

The condominium has not yet emerged from the ground, its cement and iron footings being formed to hold 17 storeys of polished glass and aluminum with suites selling for less than $300,000. In 18 months, “The Modern” promises to be a landscaped playpen for young downtowners.

 


A deadly mess on 400

Toronto Sun - November 23 2007

A trucker is dead and a second motorist was severely injured in two separate crashes that shut down Hwy. 400 during yesterday’s evening rush. The OPP were busy cleaning up another fatal crash north of the city last night.

 


When the Dust Settles

Tow Canada Magazine - January/February 2007

Bob Chabot established Centennial Sweeping in March 1967. Begining as a street-sweeping contractor for municipalities and road builders, the comany was soon designing and building sweepers for use on the 401. Eventually the comapany became involved in cleaning up spills after highway crashes. Now Bob has a staff of 25 drivers, 15 mechanics, and office staff. In September 2006, Bob was honoured at the PTAO Tow Show with the Towman of Special Recognition Award. In this first of two articles, we spoke with him to learn more about his work, his philosophy, and what it takes to achieve success.

 


This guy can pick up anything

Globe and Mail - October 14, 2006

North York’s Centennial Sweeping, now has a truck fitted with a 1,000-kilogram electromagnet to pick up and remove pieces of metal, mails, and other potentially tire-popping detritus that can hit the road and close roads for hours after an accident. they built the behemoth themselves.

 


STINK CITY Cleanup on aisle 401

The Globe and Mail - May 14, 2005

When 2,184 cases of beer spill onto the highway, who you gonna call? Centennial Sweeping, that’s who. With about 100 specialized vehicles at the ready, the North York company is “the only game in town” when a truck loses its load, says Sergeant Cam Wooley of the OPP. Whether it’s lager, milk, fuel, clay, manure or frozen foods, Centennial mops up the spill, he says the company gets 200 such calls a year.

 


Sweeper gets the brush-off

The Toronto Star - December 21, 2004

The accident was cleared up by the afternoon because of Bob Chabot and the crew at Centennial Sweeping. “As soon as the police investigation was over, we attacked,” said Chabot, owner of the company. “We brought a lot of machinery, eight or nine people. Each man on a machine. We had dump trucks, sweepers, water trucks, loaders.”

 


Body trapped in unstable cold storage facility

Toronto Star - August 25 2003

For the second day in a row, workers using heavy machinery continued to remove tonnes of debris from the collapsed section of a Brampton arehouse so that firefighters of an employee who was killed early Saturday. The 57-year-old inventory specialist, whose name police won’t release until his body has been recovered, died when he was pinned under five rows of frozen foodstuffs piled on heavy skids 15 metres high at the VersaCold plant on Walker Rd. at Airport Rd.

 


The day from the ground and air

The Globe and Mail - July 31 2003

The set-up for yesterday’s concert at Downsview Park was massive. The main stage, in the foreground, os dwarfed by the mass of humanity crowding before it. To the left, behind the crowd is the largest of the barbecue stations that served about 500,000 hamburgers and hot dogs. To the right of it, a row of service trucks cuts a swash through the middle of the crowd, pointing directly toward centre stage. Stage right is the tent that provided handicapped concert-goers with a superior view of the day’s acts.

 


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