Trying to make our winter sidewalks safer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/04/2023 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As winter and the spring freeze-thaw cycle come to an end, I want to use this space to reflect on my efforts to look at ways that the city can improve service in sidewalk snow clearing.

When it comes down to it, having access to transportation on sidewalks is a basic human rights issue, and in Winnipeg we likely all know someone who has been affected by not being able to access sidewalks as much as everyone should be able to over the winter.

I have been fighting for better sidewalk-clearing conditions at council since January 2021, as I have relied more on walking as a method of transportation and noticed that many slips and falls could be avoided if we as a city found a way to improve service levels.

This winter I moved a motion at council four times to ask the public service to report back on the feasibility of a pilot project to clear some sidewalks down to the pavement, and while it is disappointing that my idea has only been taken as information, some hope came from the public works committee at its April 11 meeting. Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) moved to ask the public service to report back on the costs of treating all sidewalks in the city as being of equal priority and to clear them all within 72 hours of snowfall, and the committee unanimously supported themotion. Answers are now expected in June as part of a larger report on snow clearing.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Coun. Janice Luke (Waverley West), chair of the public works committee, and the other members of the committee, councillors Wyatt, Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River).

I appreciate the committee finding a way forward and looking at ways to improve levels of sidewalk snow-clearing service.

I also want to thank the members of the public who engaged on the issue, especially those who made presentations at City Hall and submitted letters of support for the pilot project.

The voice of the public is important, and ultimately council is held accountable by everyday citizens. I am hopeful that. in time for next winter, we can find ways to do better for Winnipeg residents who rely on access to our sidewalks for transportation.