City snow clearing leaves much to be desired

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2017 (3203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As December’s record snowfall was being, er, redistributed by high winds Thursday, it was hard not to feel grumpy.

Not to be an “I pay taxes, dammit!” person, but, I pay taxes, dammit. You pay taxes. We all pay taxes. So it’s always galling whenever someone suggests snow clearing on residential sidewalks ought to become the official responsibility of Winnipeg homeowners.

You know, as opposed to the unofficial responsibility it currently is now.

It is not unreasonable to expect a winter city’s residential streets would be looked after by the city. It is not unreasonable to expect a winter city to plan for record-breaking snowfall. It is not unreasonable to expect that there be a good-sized budget for snow clearing — one that accounts for storms — on this, the ice planet of Hoth. 

Putting the onus of snow clearing onto residents seems like a prudent idea, especially since many of us already end up shovelling the city sidewalks in front of our houses anyway. Yes, shovelling your section of sidewalk — and perhaps your neighbour’s — is the decent-person thing to do. Yes, it will save the city money. Yes, other cities do it. Some cities, such as Saskatoon and Edmonton, have bylaws stating that sidewalks must be cleared by either homeowners or Snow Angels within a certain time frame, lest they be fined. Regina doesn’t have a bylaw; instead, it encourages voluntary co-operation.

People in favour of this idea tend to get quite Pollyanna about it. All it takes is a little elbow grease and a little neighbourly spirit!

Leaving residential snow clearing to homeowners would come with a different set of challenges. It’s difficult to implement and enforce an across-the-board snow-clearing standard, even if city workers are fining people. One person’s “good enough” might not, in fact, be good enough at all for people living with disabilities or mobility issues. I don’t care how fastidious a shoveller you are, a DIY job is not the same as a machine job. Unlike Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto, the snow that falls in Winnipeg stays on the ground until April. Sometimes May. 

Of course, some people can’t shovel snow. Other people won’t shovel snow. And what happens if your neighbours decide to peace out to, say, Costa Rica? Who shovels then? 

No one is debating the point that this winter has been especially challenging. But snow clearing in this city has often left a lot to be desired, particularly for pedestrians. Blocked sidewalks aren’t just an inconvenience. They are both an accessibility and safety issue. Forcing people to walk on the street is dangerous and sends yet another message that this city is built for cars, not pedestrians.

Since there’s no extra money kicking around for fancy snowblowers, some of us will undoubtedly have to shovel our sidewalks a few more times this winter as the season has barely started. We shouldn’t have to. But we will. Because it’s the decent-person thing to do.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti