Pilot to reduce residential plowing doomed after city snowed under by complaints By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 8:28 AM CST Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 Last Modified: 6:17 PM CST Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 Updates

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A pilot project to increase the amount of snow needed to trigger residential street clearing appears set to be dumped from the city’s budget, after public backlash piled up.

City council will be asked to delete the project from the 2025 financial blueprint, which was proposed to raise the threshold to plow residential streets to 15 cm from 10 cm, starting in October. That change would have affected snow clearing throughout next winter.

Council’s public works committee voted unanimously in favour of a motion to scrap the pilot project on Thursday.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he will support the motion, noting residents expressed concerned the threshold increase would compromise road safety and accessibility.

“We had more feedback concerned (with) the snow-clearing pilot idea than we did about the (proposed 5.95 per cent) property tax increase… We have a very high standard of snow clearing and the public has said very clearly that they want that maintained,” said Gillingham.

The mayor said some residents complained it currently takes too long to clear residential streets and the change would extend that wait, while others suggested it would make travel more difficult for people with mobility devices.

“Even though I tried to express there’s not a service cut, we’re just doing a pilot project, people, I think, really did see it as a service cut,” said Gillingham.

The city’s snow-clearing budget is slated to increase by $5.3 million to $45.7 million this year. Actual spending is tied to the work required to follow snow-clearing policies and varies widely depending on weather.

The mayor stressed the city must seek out other ways to keep snow-clearing costs under control as inflation boosts the price of snow removal contracts.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council’s public works committee, said mobility concerns led her to raise the motion to cancel the project.

“We could try this pilot project. But, honestly, I really wanted to cancel it right off the bat.”–Janice Lukes

“The feedback that really resonated with me was… the concern of the public (about) mobility issues on streets where there’s no sidewalks or pathways, because people have to use streets (for all modes of traffic). We will never be able to afford a sidewalk or a pathway on every street in the City of Winnipeg,” said Lukes (Waverley West).

The councillor said she supports the idea of “floating” cost-saving measures to gauging public feedback, though she did have concerns about this particular proposal from the start.

“We could try this pilot project. But, honestly, I really wanted to cancel it right off the bat,” said Lukes, noting Winnipeggers are passionate about snow clearing.

The city hoped the pilot project could avoid one citywide residential snow-clearing operation each year, which typically costs from $2.75 million to $5 million.

Potential savings weren’t factored into the 2025 budget, Lukes said.

She expects the project will be scrapped when council votes on it.

“I don’t think there’ll be a problem with the councillors supporting this motion,” said Lukes.

The call to strike the project triggered relief from some residents, including those who represent people with disabilities.

“As much as they were calling it a pilot, it felt very much like a budget cut disguised as a pilot… I am glad they are hearing people,” said Melissa Graham, executive director of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities.

If the pilot project were to go ahead, Graham feared recent changes to improve sidewalk snow clearing would become less effective.

“If you can’t cross the street to (reach) the next sidewalk, you effectively can’t use (the sidewalk) anyway. A lot of people in this community stay home, sometimes all winter, because they can’t get around on sidewalks,” she said.

“I see this (call to cancel the project) as very good news. I’m glad that they’re getting the message that sidewalk clearing and road clearing isn’t just a perk, it’s something that’s really important to people,” Graham said.

David Kron, executive director of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba, said he was concerned even a temporary policy change would have forced more people to stay home more often.

“It doesn’t take a lot of snow buildup to make a street or a sidewalk inaccessible for folks that use a manual or power chair or, like myself… a cane. It doesn’t take much of a barrier to make somebody have to stay at home during the winter,” said Kron. “If folks can’t get out of their homes, they can’t be part of the community.”

A cycling advocate also welcomed the proposed cancellation, since he feared the change would have allowed more snow and ruts to build up.

“The ruts at 15 cm are just really hard to navigate and it is a safety hazard,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. “(If) you’re in that rut and… try to get out of it, there’s a potential of (falling) down.”

Cohoe said the change threatened to hinder the city’s effort to get more people to walk and bike.

“We’re a winter city. Having that… ability to get out and to feel like we’re going to have that option of moving around, walking, busing and driving through the city, is really critical to life in Winnipeg. We can’t just shut down for four months (or more) of the year,” he said.

City council is expected to cast a final vote on the overall budget on Jan. 29.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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