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Mr. Lakey: This may be more of an un-Fixer item, but ...

Toronto Hydro has already spent millions of dollars to replace ground-level metal "handwells" that were giving pets electrical shocks and may have even killed one person and a dog a few years ago.

About 11,700 plastic handwells costing about $6,000 each are being installed, with about half of that project already completed.

But there were just eight reports of pets of people getting shocks in 2011. No deaths.

The latest development is the replacement of concrete sidewalks around the handwells throughout the city to create a slightly smoother surface for pedestrians. (See photo.) Until now, asphalt had been used to surround the new handwells.

I wonder if you or other Star reporters could report on the rationale and total cost of this effort (including concrete replacement) , which smacks of blatant overreaction to an admitted public safety hazard.