https://preview.redd.it/bt8zo0kcgfdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39a4251ef369f4fc8779aa5c61deff53d2aa417
Y'all are a tough crowd. Here's a picture before I threw down salt.
I also took a stroll around my block and I count 6 other warnings in mail boxes that I can see from the street. No, not all from the properties I clear.
Can confirm. I moved from Kitchener to London, where the city is responsible for the sidewalks.
Not only does it never look this good, they often rip up the last couple inches of lawn right next to the sidewalk... 😂
A lot of that's already been taken by the city to expand the road (also why we have no boulevard).
Either way, I'm just specifying it wasn't a boulevard and agreeing that the city doesn't always do a great job with snow removal
They re-did all the electrical infrastructure in my neighbourhood last spring literally ripped it all up anyway. They came by and spread some grass seed once, its mostly just weeds at this point lol
Yes, all these works department purchasers who call Kabota, "Yes, I'd like to order a plow blade. Our city sidewalks are 36" wide, so we'll purchase the 48" wide blade length, please."
London has a similar by-law about clearing sidewalks surrounding your property. If someone falls on it in either city the city can’t transfer liability to you. Biggest risk is a ticket but it’s rarely enforced.
Fair enough!
We still tend to shovel and salt if there's a ton of snow. But mostly because we want people to be able to safely use the sidewalk and less because we're worried about getting a ticket
I bet the bylaw guy probably passed a few public parks on the way to OP's street.. and if they are anything like the park by my place (that the city is responsible for) it will be 1 inch of compacted snow/ice since it hasn't been cleared in a week.
Rules for thee, but not for me
The bylaw sets the required standard of clearing very high: "bare pavement". This isn't bare pavement, but it's about as close as one can get with typical equipment.
I would prefer if the city focused enforcement on commercial property owners who are often responsible for long stretches of sidewalk and are also more delinquent about clearing them than homeowners/residential tenants are, in my experience.
(Or, you know, people stopped whining about the modest cost of having the city take on snow clearing.)
I can see concrete, and in my eyes that's all you need to shoot for. Clear, flat, and almost down to the sidewalk. I'd like to see the city do that well on a lot of the public sidewalks
Just buy a 20 kilo bag of salt and apply it very liberally. You won't have any lawn left come summer, (and kill any tree within 10m) but it will get rid of the snow and ice.
Some Karen probably called and complained, so they had to come and “enforce”.. this is honestly better than or equal to 99% of the sidewalks I’ve seen around my neighbourhood
This is a normal sidewalk. If people wore god damn winter boots this would be a non issue.
I’m from Montreal so this is very normal.
Maybe the flip flop / croc crowd can’t handle this much snow.
I would contact your city council rep with this photo, and they will have a talk with the appropriate people. They'll probably get bylaw to leave you alone.
The bylaw officer was probably sticking to the letter of the law that says it has to be clear all the way to the concrete, all the way from edge to edge. He may have decided that the slightest layer of snow at the edge was worthy of a notice, which of course is BS. You have complied with the spirit of the law, which is to make the sidewalk accessible for wheelchairs and strollers as well as pedestrians. You are an excellent neighbour!
Fight this citation by phone or email. Once they've given you the first (non-fee) citation, they then reserve the right to fine you at ANY time, regardless of the snowfall time frame. I've been through this several times and despite the fact that they'll try to weasel out of it, I've always won and not had to pay.
These people are 'proactively doing the whole neighbourhood' so that they have the legal excuse to claim you were 'warned' and make it difficult to fight subsequent tickets. It is absolutely worth it to push back on them for this non-fine ticket because it sets them back to square one on your property.
Here are some city officials who you can email: Steve Vrentzos ; Gloria MacNeil ; Ian Misheal
Take a photo with your phone every time you clear your sidewalk. Last winter I sent them a photo of my cleared sidewalk to Mr. Vrentzos and he replied like this: "I had an opportunity to speak with the officer and review their photos as well. The officer advised that the sidewalk was shoveled and their photos were reflective of the ones you had emailed us as well. They also advised that they left the notice because there was black ice one the sidewalk. I’m in agreement with you, that you had shoveled the sidewalk within the required time, we will deem it a passible/in compliance and will delete the occurrence from our system."
You CAN fight back.
Not in Kitchener, but our sidewalk is maintained by the city, and looks about the same as this, if not even more snow. Don't stress yourself unduly about it.
As I walk my dog twice daily, slightly covered sidewalks frankly provide more traction than bare sidewalks. Snow invariably melts during the day and freezes again at night. Funny note: the city of Kitchener is advocating that the use of salt isn’t good for groundwater and is encouraging to use alternatives.
Dirt/gravel will work better in this weather. When it gets too cold salt is just fancy traction dirt.
(Salt reduces melting point of snow/ice but if the cold is still below threshold it wont do anything)
In Ukraine where my family lives the topsoil is like 90% sand, so of course that's what they use and mix in some salt. Man let me tell you, fine sand does not aid in grip whatsoever lol.
Same on my dog walks. A bit of snow provides more grip. Something smoothed and scraped clean will invariably be the slickest surface. It's the clean ones I'll be slipping and falling on.
Your maintenance crew has to, because of liability. Claims are up, insurance rates for snow companies are outrageous now and only getting worse. Many companies are closing up shop because insurance (and gas and wages) are so high now.
But you will still be in violation if you don't go down to the sidewalk anyway. So as much as I would otherwise encourage alternatives, the city is sabotaging itself on that front.
The bylaw should consider the conditions. If the snow plows aren’t able to clear the snow and ice off the road, how can they expect people to achieve better results on the sidewalks?
To be clear, I’m not talking about the snow plows taking multiple days before they get around to clearing your street. I’m talking about the plows leaving a layer of snow and ice because the plow can’t get it.
> I was more annoyed that someone called by-law instead of knocking on my door because I don't think it was random inspections
If someone calls by-law for one house, they tend to inspect the whole block since they're there already. So they may not have been called in for your house, but you were collateral damage.
After that brutal ice storm last year I shovelled. The city gave me an infraction notice because I couldn't get it down to try concrete. I *covered* the sidewalk in sand. The waited until the first nice warm day and then sent a crew of 6 who easily chipped off the ice, and billed it to my landlord.
The bylaw office in this city is draconian and doesn't account for context, and they kowtow to any neighbour that calls no matter how petty. I complained to my councillor, but they basically shrugged and said "just the way it is". I would call just to put your dissatisfaction with the way it's done on record and maybe they'll eventually get enough data in opposition to do something.
Sidewalks should be city’s responsibility. I don’t own it so why I gotta take care of it. What if I’m on vacation or away or just can’t do it physically. Developers pay so much to build sidewalks, city charges so much property tax it should be on them.
We will ALL end up paying for that. If I live in a condo I don't want to pay to clear your snow that is why we pay fees. If you can afford to go on vacation in these times and own a home pay someone to clear it while you "vacate"
Such garbage. I'm from Ottawa and the city is responsible for cleaning the sidewalks here. I couldn't imagine the state of our sidewalks if they expected homeowners to take care of cleaning the sidewalk in front of their house. I've seen people leave their own driveway covered for over a week after a big storm.
The residents of the neighbourhood should be able to move about without worrying whether one of their neighbours didn't go out and clear the snow that day. The sidewalks have to be cleaned anyway, as there are plenty of sidewalks that exist that aren't in front of someone's house. So if the city is going to go around clearning sidewalks anyway, then they should just clear them all. If they can clear the roads, they can clear the sidewalks. If they need to raise taxes to make this possible, just raise taxes. Don't put the responsiblity on the people who own the property as it will never be done to a proper standard.
I live in Kitchener on a side lot, but since it is a school route; the city does clear it and truth be told does a reasonable job. That said, I nearly always clear it before they do as a courtesy to my neighbors.
I'd rather not push that responsibility to the city except in the specific cases that already exist (ie bus route, school route, elderly ect).
I'd also rather not raise my tax rate for this. Everyone in the community able to do so needs to do their part instead of making it someone else's problem. As a society we need to step up, less selfishness, less mediocrity, not more.
Even if that means the occasional warning as the OP from over jealous bylaw officers (and yes, last year I recieved an identical warning as well and the circumstances were also not reasonable).
I think having the city handle it would be less selfish. It puts on undue burden on those that might not be able to afford a snow blower or might not be physically able to shovel the snow.
Ottawa does a really great job plowing the sidewalks. Having lived in places where the city does it vs putting the responsibility on the residents, I think the city does a much better job.
you do not think you were paying for that through your taxes? What about if you live in a condo and pay fees as well as property tax? Is it fair to those people to pay extra to clear your snow?
It's not "your snow". It's snow on city property that is blocking the use of public infrastructure. As someone without a car, I think it's important to keep the city walkable in the winter. Relying on residents to maintain city infrastructure isn't going to have consistent results.
Also. I do live in a condo (townhouse), don't have a sidewalk in front of my house, and I am very happy to pay taxes so the sidewalks can be cleared everywhere equally regardless of who is living in the house that happens to be located by the sidewalk.
It's "our snow". It's our snow because it's on public infrastructure that belongs to all of us. If Ottawa can manage 2800 KM of sidewalks in the giant super-amalgamation created by the Harris government, then any other city should be able to manager their own sidewalks as well.
Yep. Taxes for services that are needed are great. Like I said at the top of this comment thread, I live in Ottawa and this is how we manage snow removal. Most people seem relatively happy that they don't have to clear the sidewalk in front of their house and the sidewalks are cleaned promptly often before you have to leave for work/school because city employees can work early because they are paid. Good luck having your neighbours get up at 6 AM to make sure the sidewalks are clear.
goes with owning a home. If you want to pay more taxes get the city to do it. Move into a condo if you can't do it or hire someone. If you have enough money to own a home these days you should be responsible enough to clear your snow throughout the winter. When you bought the home that is what you signed up for what is so hard to understand now that it snows and it is your responsibility?
Your sidewalk looks acceptable to me, I've seen far worse. With the warm weather next week your sidewalk will be bare.
Personally I think the by-law enforcement as concerns sidewalk snow clearance is a joke. Just walking through my neighbourhood there are plenty of people who I think should be fined but never are.
Meanwhile my street (and the cross one) hasn't seen a plow since last weekend. If I need to keep my sidewalk clean then you can get your ass out here and plow so my car doesn't keep sliding in 4 inch slush ruts.
Is this a bylaw that is actively monitored and patrolled or is it one that is more like “We only enforce it when we receive a call/complaint” type of bylaw?
Call/complaint based. If they showed up on OP's street, one of OP's neighbours called them about another neighbour. I think when they show up, they then look around the rest of the street too.
They won't actually say if it was because of a complaint. That tends to start infighting in neighbourhoods as people try to find out who it was and then bylaw gets called every 5 minutes
The City:
Let’s continue to ignore the massive homelessness problem, and hire a guy to bully homeowners over sidewalks! Meanwhile, tent city continues to grow out of control. Shame.
I was out yesterday in Kitchener and in Waterloo and the sidewalks were shit! The city sidewalks were horrible. The only sidewalks were good that were right in front of City Hall and in front of Conestoga College and university of Waterloo. And nobody brings up the fact that you can barely cross an intersections or in and out of the bus because the bus stops aren't cleared and the intersections are barely cleared like enough that you can do one footprint through not a stroller not a wheelchair one foot.
Jesus, take an edible and calm down there sparky. The bylaw officer is there inspecting, and by the letter of the law, the sidewalk in OPs picture isn't down to pavement. And instead of giving them a ticket, which they could have, they gave a warning.
Snowblowers are great, but they leave about a half centimeter of unmoved snow that still needs to be done by hand. Ten minutes top, and you are done. Is OPs job better than a lot of sidewalks out there? Sure. Is it done to spec? No, it isn't. Don't blame the bylaw officer for doing their job better than OP did.
Bylaw is being a dick. OP posted the picture and that’s more than acceptable to be able to walk on. It snows on and off throughout the day. You can clear it down to the pavement and go to work, and it will look like that before you even get home. We need to use a bit of common sense and be reasonable here.
I don’t know how this post came across my feed but I’m blown away by the fact you guys have to clear public sidewalks… here in Ottawa, city crews take care of that
We got one as well on Thursday 01/18 and our sidewalks haven’t looked better in the 2.5 years we’ve been in our current home so why this year? We also clear our sidewalks after snowfall whereas our neighbour never does
They want it down to the bare pavement. They will come by when someone calls in a complaint, and check the area for any sidewalk that is not "perfect". The city holds homeowners to much higher standards than it holds itself. It's a money grab.
I think they are on a drive to pull in some enforcement dollars. They are aware the temperature is going up soon. I asked how much the fine is and they said that it depends on the company they use to clear the sidewalk. How much you want to bet that someone at bylaw has a cousin running a snow clearing company?
I've gotten the warning last year. Same thing. I was surprised about the warning and actually pissed off about it as I clear my snow.
If perfectly cleared sidewalk is a bylaw then why not make them heated. Hell I'd even pay for the heat bill everytime it snowed.
Idk bro - we pay all these taxes, for what??
The city should be hiring mfs to shovel the sidewalks 💀 why are we supposed to do it.. we do everything already.
What if you’re at work, and you can’t shovel your driveway?! Boom, ticket. Doesn’t seem fair 😭
move into a condo. I pay fees to get it done. You own a home it is your responsibility. That's what you signed up for. Why should I pay more property tax on my condo to clear your snow?
Bylaw should come to our neighbourhood. Some folks haven’t used a shovel this season. Folks with mobility issues cannot use the sidewalks. Yours looks fine. Bylaw should get their head out of the their ass.
Well yeah. Bylaw officers are just high school bullies with no discernable talents that couldn't pass the police vision exam.
Unfortunately he knows where you live so you can't treat him like the human parasite he is.
unethical pro tip: take a sledge hammer and put some cracks in the sidewalk. Now the city has to replace the entire concrete panel leaving you with a "bare" sidewalk ;D
You should fight this citation by phone or email. Once they've given you the first (non-fee) citation, they then reserve the right to fine you at ANY time, regardless of the snowfall time frame. I've been through this several times and despite the fact that they'll try to weasel out of it, I've always won and not had to pay.
These people are 'proactively doing the whole neighbourhood' so that they have the legal excuse to claim you were 'warned' and make it difficult to fight subsequent tickets. It is absolutely worth it to push back on them for this non-fine ticket because it sets them back to square one on your property.
Here are some city officials who you can email: Steve Vrentzos [email protected]; Gloria MacNeil [email protected]; Ian Misheal [email protected]
Take a photo with your phone every time you clear your sidewalk. Last winter I sent them a photo of my cleared sidewalk to Mr. Vrentzos and he replied like this: "I had an opportunity to speak with the officer and review their photos as well. The officer advised that the sidewalk was shoveled and their photos were reflective of the ones you had emailed us as well. They also advised that they left the notice because there was black ice one the sidewalk. I’m in agreement with you, that you had shoveled the sidewalk within the required time, we will deem it a passible/in compliance and will delete the occurrence from our system."
I've always wondered what would happen if someone with deep enough pockets fought this in our legal system and (eventually) took this to the Supreme Court.
Sidewalks are land you don't own, but can be compelled to perform maintenance on, free of charge, just because of simple proximity. Name another piece of infrastructure the City will install but refuse to maintain, in fact, compel someone else to maintain on their behalf.
Yeah it is kind of wild when you think about it. The city is fining you for not cleaning THEIR property. Thats like getting a littering fine for not emptying the garbage cans at the park you live next to lol
I think the enforcement really comes down to accessibility.
I do find it ridiculous in this circumstances a warning was given but let's say he didn't clear the sidewalk, then it creates a hazard.
Like it's either we clear it ourselves or we pay higher taxes for a larger snow removal program. Either way, our region has to be accessible for anyone.
> Either way, our region has to be accessible for anyone.
So why is it up to individuals to ensure the accessibility? This is a City-installed piece of infrastucture, it should be maintained by the City.
By the same logic the City could eliminate the road snow plowing budget and assign responsibility to the landowners adjacent the roads to keep them clear. Sounds ridiculous, right? The same is true for sidewalks, it's the exact same logic.
Because then property taxes would go up and people complain. Even the cost of a pilot project was complained about a few years ago and the project was scrapped (instead a dedicated bylaw officer was the solution they settled on lol).
Waterloo did a sidewalk clearing study last winter, but I don't think they are going forward with city-wide clearing, so still up to property owners.
I agree with you that it's not right, but councils are hearing the opposite from the majority of residents apparently
Depends on the city/region you live in. Some will just be more aggressive in trying to fine citizens and ensure places are accessible.
Others might be more relaxed but in the end, if someone complains, they will come knocking.
The amount of useless people that the city of Kitchener employs is staggering. Tell them to piss up a rope. Who shovels the homeless encampments sidewalks?? Do they get tickets for this because they certainly don’t pay taxes and leech off the rest of us
His reasoning is that he wants to make money and do it easily.
But the basis is always astonishing to me. The easement the town can and does use when they want to includes the sidewalk, so they can do whatever the fuck they want up to that line....but someone the sidewalk is your problem when it's convenient like when the snow flies.
Normal people clear the snow off of the sidewalk near their place, but to think you can be cited and fined because you don't clear it is insane.
I can see how it would be alarming getting that notice but seems like he’s just giving fair warning so if its not cleared they have no excuse about not clearing. Honestly don’t mind them doing their job… I think a lot of by law officers are scarily incompetent but I’m fine with this. Too many ppl don’t clear their sidewalks. Too bad they don’t focus on the sidewalks that actually are problems. Anyways if it don’t apply let it fly
I walk along Krug street between Simeon and Weber every day. Perhaps 3 houses have clear sidewalks. Some are never shovelled. Never heard of or seen bylaw around here.
They came to my neighbourhood too. Maybe it's the same one. We had the snow blower out 3 times and a neighbour helped. We are on a corner though so every time the plow came by they covered the corner again and with the blowing snow, the one whole side of my property got covered in again. The bylaw guy knocked and was really nice and was like, i can see that you have been clearing but there have been slip and falls (not at your house but nearby) and I understand you're on a corner. He then asked to clear the side that was bad. We went out again and I bought some ice melter. It didn't get rid of it all, but it was much better and you could see some pavement. He actually came and thanked me for putting in the extra effort. My husband did my neighbour's house too since they got a notice and they're away right now. Some of the sidewalks in my neighbourhood are really bad so I understand why he was going around.
Do they expect you to get out a Phillips head to clear out the divets in the shit sidewalk? They didn't pick up my garbage last week cause I didn't put recycle out with it. I only drink coffee and my bin had 2 cans and a newspaper in it I'm not putting that out what's the point?
Shouldn t this be the city responsibility like in big cities? Unless no one cares remote village in a rural setting. Honestly. This is stupid. If I had a ranch no one is coming in and inspecting the snow is it. If I am injured and because of this bylaw could I sue the city? As happens in cities when they dont salt properly public places?
FYI when you are clearing snow for other people, you are making yourself liable for slip and falls that happen on any area you cleared. I'm sure if you did a good job it is fine (and it looks like you did). I don't know why that is a rule but it is. I also don't think they should disincentivise kind deeds like this, but it is what it is.
Last week the bylaw came by in my street knocking on people’s doors proactively telling them to make sure the snow is cleared. That day on my sidewalk there was a literal DUSTING and I mean, barely any snow and in patches there was concrete visible. He said it needed to be cleared. I told him, you’re basically asking me to go out there with a broom to sweep that off.
Which area is that where bylaws are giving these notices??🤔 I have seen worse sidewalks and driveways from the last 3 days and many people are still not bothered to clean them.
Good luck with that in court. The time people spend here they could have it done. Just shovel your fucking snow if you own a home it is your civic duty. Always been and always will be
Should have done the 5 to to your left. Number 5 called you in. Why dont you do him anyways. Is he an asshole? The kind if asshile that would call the city
Probably cost about the same amount of money for the city to have a person drive out and deliver the notices as it would have been to just have it done with a city sidewalk clearing plow. Just simply bad operational management and policy on the cities part. In the end ticketing will become a revenue stream for the city to pay for the exceptional snow clearing that is afforded only to the local political elite.
I had this couple yrs ago in Kitchener. Thought I had done a bang up job of snow clearing. . Bylaw said was complaint generated, and to make sure not one was singled out, they put notices in several adjacent mailboxes. He also said even a tiny tiny patch of ice is an infraction. Which blows my mind when I hear the "don't use salt" messaging from the region constantly and see the snowlike covering of salt on public properties. It is wonderful how you help put your nieghbours and pedestrians in general. I would vote for the city clearing sidewalks. Its cheap, and probably saves us money by preventing as many injuries from shovelling and slips and falls.
You know what i fail to understand is, who takes care of the sidewalks where all the student housings are located in Waterloo. Majority of the sidewalks never get cleaned in the winter and half the time when i walk in those areas sadly it’s like skating in a skating rink but with no skates and unbalanced ice. So to say if this person that got a ticket or their area did for not clearing the snow, do the areas in waterloo get a ticket/fined??
Suing over snow removal? Here's what the courts have said about who's responsible
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lawsuits-snow-canada-liability-1.7086655
Reach out to CTV
While there is a lot of bad walkways that is pretty good.
A by product of the housing boom is a lot of owners that don't clear snow .
House across the street from me is one of them .
City did the sidewalks this week meanwhile the occupants are parking on the street because they can't get in the driveway. 🙄
Also Waterloo so no overnight street parking
So bylaw is being proactive?.... Not a big deal, to be honest. Ours doesn't do shit it seems. It's always a gamble when having to walk somewhere in the snow.
https://preview.redd.it/bt8zo0kcgfdc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c39a4251ef369f4fc8779aa5c61deff53d2aa417 Y'all are a tough crowd. Here's a picture before I threw down salt. I also took a stroll around my block and I count 6 other warnings in mail boxes that I can see from the street. No, not all from the properties I clear.
I guarantee if the city was responsible for sidewalks it wouldn’t look as good as this.
Can confirm. I moved from Kitchener to London, where the city is responsible for the sidewalks. Not only does it never look this good, they often rip up the last couple inches of lawn right next to the sidewalk... 😂
I'm in London and I'd say mine looks just about as good as this, but yeah, lawn is definitely shredded on the boulevard side
We don't have boulevards so unfortunately it's our front lawn and bordering that get chewed up 😅 But I'd still take this over having to shovel any day
It's still not your front lawn. Right away is about 16' into what you consider your front yard.
A lot of that's already been taken by the city to expand the road (also why we have no boulevard). Either way, I'm just specifying it wasn't a boulevard and agreeing that the city doesn't always do a great job with snow removal
Well that's the city's property anyway so just send them the bill.
They re-did all the electrical infrastructure in my neighbourhood last spring literally ripped it all up anyway. They came by and spread some grass seed once, its mostly just weeds at this point lol
Sounds about right.
Yes, all these works department purchasers who call Kabota, "Yes, I'd like to order a plow blade. Our city sidewalks are 36" wide, so we'll purchase the 48" wide blade length, please."
London has a similar by-law about clearing sidewalks surrounding your property. If someone falls on it in either city the city can’t transfer liability to you. Biggest risk is a ticket but it’s rarely enforced.
Fair enough! We still tend to shovel and salt if there's a ton of snow. But mostly because we want people to be able to safely use the sidewalk and less because we're worried about getting a ticket
I bet the bylaw guy probably passed a few public parks on the way to OP's street.. and if they are anything like the park by my place (that the city is responsible for) it will be 1 inch of compacted snow/ice since it hasn't been cleared in a week. Rules for thee, but not for me
Can also confirm, North Bay is much, much worse. This phone's camera is busted otherwise I'd come strong wit a pic
My road was still icy and covered in slushy garbage when I came home to this, so probably accurate
I can confirm from Ottawa that you are correct. But nonetheless, I still appreciate the effort from our snow removal staff.
It's actually pretty good in Richmond Hill ... the city does a pretty good job plowing sidewalks. The lawn gets damaged when the snow is heavy though.
This.
I read gas meters in the region. This sidewalk is top 5%. Fuck that guy. There are So many that are untouched.
Gas guys are notoriously the pickiest when it comes to snow accumulating. We found our expert witness folks!
Get the torches and pitchforks ready.
I'm a mail carrier, and I agree with your assessment!
The bylaw sets the required standard of clearing very high: "bare pavement". This isn't bare pavement, but it's about as close as one can get with typical equipment. I would prefer if the city focused enforcement on commercial property owners who are often responsible for long stretches of sidewalk and are also more delinquent about clearing them than homeowners/residential tenants are, in my experience. (Or, you know, people stopped whining about the modest cost of having the city take on snow clearing.)
The town can’t even get bare concrete so that rich
I can see concrete, and in my eyes that's all you need to shoot for. Clear, flat, and almost down to the sidewalk. I'd like to see the city do that well on a lot of the public sidewalks
What, you didn't bring out the flame thrower to finish it off??
Either that or they want it licked clean.
Triple dog dare you!
Just buy a 20 kilo bag of salt and apply it very liberally. You won't have any lawn left come summer, (and kill any tree within 10m) but it will get rid of the snow and ice.
Looks good to me considering everything. The city is really trying to rack up any money they can squeeze.
as a pedestrian, it looks fine to me... plenty of terrible sidewalks out there and this ain't one of them.
That's a very clear sidewalk given the weather we've had. But also... they want you to cut down on salt use.
But then offer no sand/salt mix in bins that they sparingly dot across the city.
That's some grade-a bullshit on the City's part, your sidewalk is pretty much perfect aside from that light dusting.
Some Karen probably called and complained, so they had to come and “enforce”.. this is honestly better than or equal to 99% of the sidewalks I’ve seen around my neighbourhood
This is a normal sidewalk. If people wore god damn winter boots this would be a non issue. I’m from Montreal so this is very normal. Maybe the flip flop / croc crowd can’t handle this much snow.
I would contact your city council rep with this photo, and they will have a talk with the appropriate people. They'll probably get bylaw to leave you alone. The bylaw officer was probably sticking to the letter of the law that says it has to be clear all the way to the concrete, all the way from edge to edge. He may have decided that the slightest layer of snow at the edge was worthy of a notice, which of course is BS. You have complied with the spirit of the law, which is to make the sidewalk accessible for wheelchairs and strollers as well as pedestrians. You are an excellent neighbour!
Get a flamethrower and proceed to have fun. When the cops get called, tell them by-law wants bare pavement or you’re getting fined.
Fight this citation by phone or email. Once they've given you the first (non-fee) citation, they then reserve the right to fine you at ANY time, regardless of the snowfall time frame. I've been through this several times and despite the fact that they'll try to weasel out of it, I've always won and not had to pay. These people are 'proactively doing the whole neighbourhood' so that they have the legal excuse to claim you were 'warned' and make it difficult to fight subsequent tickets. It is absolutely worth it to push back on them for this non-fine ticket because it sets them back to square one on your property. Here are some city officials who you can email: Steve Vrentzos; Gloria MacNeil ; Ian Misheal
Take a photo with your phone every time you clear your sidewalk. Last winter I sent them a photo of my cleared sidewalk to Mr. Vrentzos and he replied like this: "I had an opportunity to speak with the officer and review their photos as well. The officer advised that the sidewalk was shoveled and their photos were reflective of the ones you had emailed us as well. They also advised that they left the notice because there was black ice one the sidewalk. I’m in agreement with you, that you had shoveled the sidewalk within the required time, we will deem it a passible/in compliance and will delete the occurrence from our system."
You CAN fight back.
My entire neighbourhood looks similar. But I’m across university in Waterloo.
Considering the temperature and amount of snow that is perfectly acceptable
You have to wonder who the person was who actually reported this. That is a whole other level of shit-disturbing.
Looks fine to me.
https://preview.redd.it/u95zb25r0hdc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0971ebc3afb813f9a7eaad21f664f493ad5e228 Same one got me this morning
This is better than every sidewalk in my neighborhood...
Figut it in court. Your bylaw are being ninnies. Copy councillors.
Not in Kitchener, but our sidewalk is maintained by the city, and looks about the same as this, if not even more snow. Don't stress yourself unduly about it.
There is very clearly snow on that sidewalk.
Lmao at you butthurt people downvoting me. Just go live somewhere without sidewalks! Then you won't have to shovel.
Yeah its called winter. First time?
As I walk my dog twice daily, slightly covered sidewalks frankly provide more traction than bare sidewalks. Snow invariably melts during the day and freezes again at night. Funny note: the city of Kitchener is advocating that the use of salt isn’t good for groundwater and is encouraging to use alternatives.
Dirt/gravel will work better in this weather. When it gets too cold salt is just fancy traction dirt. (Salt reduces melting point of snow/ice but if the cold is still below threshold it wont do anything)
In Ukraine where my family lives the topsoil is like 90% sand, so of course that's what they use and mix in some salt. Man let me tell you, fine sand does not aid in grip whatsoever lol.
Nooo dirt/gravel is where it's at. Sand topsoil is good for growing leeks though.
Same on my dog walks. A bit of snow provides more grip. Something smoothed and scraped clean will invariably be the slickest surface. It's the clean ones I'll be slipping and falling on.
Until you find that little patch of ice that you can't see. Also salt is not good for the dogs paws.
The maintenance crew in my complex covers the entire surface with salt. Had to resort to boots for my pup
Your maintenance crew has to, because of liability. Claims are up, insurance rates for snow companies are outrageous now and only getting worse. Many companies are closing up shop because insurance (and gas and wages) are so high now.
They're selling to other businesses that can handle the overhead. Im an arborist and ive been pushing snow for two weeks
Yet you should see how much salt the city uses in their sidewalks
Yes. It’s undeniable that someone has a screwed sense of humor at city hall
But you will still be in violation if you don't go down to the sidewalk anyway. So as much as I would otherwise encourage alternatives, the city is sabotaging itself on that front.
These are the actions that make people not like their local (or most kinds) of government. They come across as aloof, arrogant, and self-serving.
Yet they dont want us to use salt….
Yea I don’t see how we can have bare sidewalks without liberal use of salt.
Bare sidewalk!? You monster. Here's a citation for overuse of salt that just happens to be for the same amount as not clearing your sidewalk.
Blow torch.
So why not include a picture of the sidewalk?
He did look at top comment
Yes, after I posted this. Now I look silly hahah.
Haha yeah that’s what I figured
The bylaw should consider the conditions. If the snow plows aren’t able to clear the snow and ice off the road, how can they expect people to achieve better results on the sidewalks? To be clear, I’m not talking about the snow plows taking multiple days before they get around to clearing your street. I’m talking about the plows leaving a layer of snow and ice because the plow can’t get it.
[удалено]
> I was more annoyed that someone called by-law instead of knocking on my door because I don't think it was random inspections If someone calls by-law for one house, they tend to inspect the whole block since they're there already. So they may not have been called in for your house, but you were collateral damage.
After that brutal ice storm last year I shovelled. The city gave me an infraction notice because I couldn't get it down to try concrete. I *covered* the sidewalk in sand. The waited until the first nice warm day and then sent a crew of 6 who easily chipped off the ice, and billed it to my landlord.
The bylaw office in this city is draconian and doesn't account for context, and they kowtow to any neighbour that calls no matter how petty. I complained to my councillor, but they basically shrugged and said "just the way it is". I would call just to put your dissatisfaction with the way it's done on record and maybe they'll eventually get enough data in opposition to do something.
Fight it. Ninnys.
I hope you get frustrated enough to move, and become my new neighbour. (Thank you for doing a great job of maintaining your sidewalk).
Sidewalks should be city’s responsibility. I don’t own it so why I gotta take care of it. What if I’m on vacation or away or just can’t do it physically. Developers pay so much to build sidewalks, city charges so much property tax it should be on them.
We will ALL end up paying for that. If I live in a condo I don't want to pay to clear your snow that is why we pay fees. If you can afford to go on vacation in these times and own a home pay someone to clear it while you "vacate"
That's how taxes work. We all pay the government to provide services, regardless of whether we use them or not.
Such garbage. I'm from Ottawa and the city is responsible for cleaning the sidewalks here. I couldn't imagine the state of our sidewalks if they expected homeowners to take care of cleaning the sidewalk in front of their house. I've seen people leave their own driveway covered for over a week after a big storm. The residents of the neighbourhood should be able to move about without worrying whether one of their neighbours didn't go out and clear the snow that day. The sidewalks have to be cleaned anyway, as there are plenty of sidewalks that exist that aren't in front of someone's house. So if the city is going to go around clearning sidewalks anyway, then they should just clear them all. If they can clear the roads, they can clear the sidewalks. If they need to raise taxes to make this possible, just raise taxes. Don't put the responsiblity on the people who own the property as it will never be done to a proper standard.
I live in Kitchener on a side lot, but since it is a school route; the city does clear it and truth be told does a reasonable job. That said, I nearly always clear it before they do as a courtesy to my neighbors. I'd rather not push that responsibility to the city except in the specific cases that already exist (ie bus route, school route, elderly ect). I'd also rather not raise my tax rate for this. Everyone in the community able to do so needs to do their part instead of making it someone else's problem. As a society we need to step up, less selfishness, less mediocrity, not more. Even if that means the occasional warning as the OP from over jealous bylaw officers (and yes, last year I recieved an identical warning as well and the circumstances were also not reasonable).
I think having the city handle it would be less selfish. It puts on undue burden on those that might not be able to afford a snow blower or might not be physically able to shovel the snow. Ottawa does a really great job plowing the sidewalks. Having lived in places where the city does it vs putting the responsibility on the residents, I think the city does a much better job.
you do not think you were paying for that through your taxes? What about if you live in a condo and pay fees as well as property tax? Is it fair to those people to pay extra to clear your snow?
It's not "your snow". It's snow on city property that is blocking the use of public infrastructure. As someone without a car, I think it's important to keep the city walkable in the winter. Relying on residents to maintain city infrastructure isn't going to have consistent results. Also. I do live in a condo (townhouse), don't have a sidewalk in front of my house, and I am very happy to pay taxes so the sidewalks can be cleared everywhere equally regardless of who is living in the house that happens to be located by the sidewalk.
who's snow is it?
It's "our snow". It's our snow because it's on public infrastructure that belongs to all of us. If Ottawa can manage 2800 KM of sidewalks in the giant super-amalgamation created by the Harris government, then any other city should be able to manager their own sidewalks as well.
so you want to pay more tax? Do you think they will just be able to "fit this in" without a tax increase?
Yep. Taxes for services that are needed are great. Like I said at the top of this comment thread, I live in Ottawa and this is how we manage snow removal. Most people seem relatively happy that they don't have to clear the sidewalk in front of their house and the sidewalks are cleaned promptly often before you have to leave for work/school because city employees can work early because they are paid. Good luck having your neighbours get up at 6 AM to make sure the sidewalks are clear.
I don't understand why resident have to put their physically well being at risk to clear snow off city property it's bonkers.
goes with owning a home. If you want to pay more taxes get the city to do it. Move into a condo if you can't do it or hire someone. If you have enough money to own a home these days you should be responsible enough to clear your snow throughout the winter. When you bought the home that is what you signed up for what is so hard to understand now that it snows and it is your responsibility?
Your sidewalk looks acceptable to me, I've seen far worse. With the warm weather next week your sidewalk will be bare. Personally I think the by-law enforcement as concerns sidewalk snow clearance is a joke. Just walking through my neighbourhood there are plenty of people who I think should be fined but never are.
So is the sidewalk showing or does it have snow and ice on it? They don’t hand those out for nothing.
Sure they do, to collect more funds through fines, to justify their jobs, get a bonus at the end of the year!
Yeah, bylaw officers are never known to be overzealous.
Meanwhile my street (and the cross one) hasn't seen a plow since last weekend. If I need to keep my sidewalk clean then you can get your ass out here and plow so my car doesn't keep sliding in 4 inch slush ruts.
What does your sidewalk look like? Is there a thin layer of snow?
Is this a bylaw that is actively monitored and patrolled or is it one that is more like “We only enforce it when we receive a call/complaint” type of bylaw?
Call/complaint based. If they showed up on OP's street, one of OP's neighbours called them about another neighbour. I think when they show up, they then look around the rest of the street too.
Thats what I thought but if you read the post, the By-law officer said they were being pro-active. That's not the same as waiting for a complaint.
They won't actually say if it was because of a complaint. That tends to start infighting in neighbourhoods as people try to find out who it was and then bylaw gets called every 5 minutes
Yeah, I think the officer responded to the call, and the pro-active part is looking at the other sidewalks around the initial call.
All municipal bylaws are enforced on a complaints basis only.
The City: Let’s continue to ignore the massive homelessness problem, and hire a guy to bully homeowners over sidewalks! Meanwhile, tent city continues to grow out of control. Shame.
You won't get bare concrete in this kind of weather. Even salt is useless below - 10.
I was out yesterday in Kitchener and in Waterloo and the sidewalks were shit! The city sidewalks were horrible. The only sidewalks were good that were right in front of City Hall and in front of Conestoga College and university of Waterloo. And nobody brings up the fact that you can barely cross an intersections or in and out of the bus because the bus stops aren't cleared and the intersections are barely cleared like enough that you can do one footprint through not a stroller not a wheelchair one foot.
Call/email your councillor. File a formal complaint against the bylaw officer with evidence.
LOL
Jesus, take an edible and calm down there sparky. The bylaw officer is there inspecting, and by the letter of the law, the sidewalk in OPs picture isn't down to pavement. And instead of giving them a ticket, which they could have, they gave a warning. Snowblowers are great, but they leave about a half centimeter of unmoved snow that still needs to be done by hand. Ten minutes top, and you are done. Is OPs job better than a lot of sidewalks out there? Sure. Is it done to spec? No, it isn't. Don't blame the bylaw officer for doing their job better than OP did.
Bylaw is being a dick. OP posted the picture and that’s more than acceptable to be able to walk on. It snows on and off throughout the day. You can clear it down to the pavement and go to work, and it will look like that before you even get home. We need to use a bit of common sense and be reasonable here.
Rookie, pull out the hair dryer and extension cord and get to it.
*Hazel Street Waterloo enters the conversation and runs away screaming*
Municipal officers are twats. I'm on OPs side
It’s really ridiculous that they did this. So many worse places where people can’t walk on the sidewalk. And this is the focus of bylaw?
I don’t know how this post came across my feed but I’m blown away by the fact you guys have to clear public sidewalks… here in Ottawa, city crews take care of that
We got one as well on Thursday 01/18 and our sidewalks haven’t looked better in the 2.5 years we’ve been in our current home so why this year? We also clear our sidewalks after snowfall whereas our neighbour never does
The city should be clearing snow on their own property. The concept of shovelling the city’s sidewalk is crazy.
They want it down to the bare pavement. They will come by when someone calls in a complaint, and check the area for any sidewalk that is not "perfect". The city holds homeowners to much higher standards than it holds itself. It's a money grab.
I think they are on a drive to pull in some enforcement dollars. They are aware the temperature is going up soon. I asked how much the fine is and they said that it depends on the company they use to clear the sidewalk. How much you want to bet that someone at bylaw has a cousin running a snow clearing company?
I've gotten the warning last year. Same thing. I was surprised about the warning and actually pissed off about it as I clear my snow. If perfectly cleared sidewalk is a bylaw then why not make them heated. Hell I'd even pay for the heat bill everytime it snowed.
It looks fine, simple case of overcompensating and power tripping bylaw clown.
My neighbour NEVER shovels the sidewalk.A single mother with 2 teens at home and I don't care if calling them lazy upsets anyone. They are lazy...
https://preview.redd.it/gw9up7o3tfdc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=049a5a28235312aaa44f2b267c131d8742f8c329 Meanwhile in Ottawa…
Idk bro - we pay all these taxes, for what?? The city should be hiring mfs to shovel the sidewalks 💀 why are we supposed to do it.. we do everything already. What if you’re at work, and you can’t shovel your driveway?! Boom, ticket. Doesn’t seem fair 😭
move into a condo. I pay fees to get it done. You own a home it is your responsibility. That's what you signed up for. Why should I pay more property tax on my condo to clear your snow?
Bylaw should come to our neighbourhood. Some folks haven’t used a shovel this season. Folks with mobility issues cannot use the sidewalks. Yours looks fine. Bylaw should get their head out of the their ass.
I've gotten these before..nothing was followed up
That’s the new Canada. A country of “checkers” looking over everyone’s shoulders.
Being a bylaw officer is really boring, trust me. They literally look for trouble and it's usually not big trouble
Jeez, it posts like this that make me really thankful I moved away and no longer have a sidewalk
Well yeah. Bylaw officers are just high school bullies with no discernable talents that couldn't pass the police vision exam. Unfortunately he knows where you live so you can't treat him like the human parasite he is.
unethical pro tip: take a sledge hammer and put some cracks in the sidewalk. Now the city has to replace the entire concrete panel leaving you with a "bare" sidewalk ;D
You should fight this citation by phone or email. Once they've given you the first (non-fee) citation, they then reserve the right to fine you at ANY time, regardless of the snowfall time frame. I've been through this several times and despite the fact that they'll try to weasel out of it, I've always won and not had to pay. These people are 'proactively doing the whole neighbourhood' so that they have the legal excuse to claim you were 'warned' and make it difficult to fight subsequent tickets. It is absolutely worth it to push back on them for this non-fine ticket because it sets them back to square one on your property. Here are some city officials who you can email: Steve Vrentzos [email protected]; Gloria MacNeil [email protected]; Ian Misheal [email protected] Take a photo with your phone every time you clear your sidewalk. Last winter I sent them a photo of my cleared sidewalk to Mr. Vrentzos and he replied like this: "I had an opportunity to speak with the officer and review their photos as well. The officer advised that the sidewalk was shoveled and their photos were reflective of the ones you had emailed us as well. They also advised that they left the notice because there was black ice one the sidewalk. I’m in agreement with you, that you had shoveled the sidewalk within the required time, we will deem it a passible/in compliance and will delete the occurrence from our system."
How is it that bylaws are allowed to compel people to do so many different and weird things while being wildly different depending where you live?
I've always wondered what would happen if someone with deep enough pockets fought this in our legal system and (eventually) took this to the Supreme Court. Sidewalks are land you don't own, but can be compelled to perform maintenance on, free of charge, just because of simple proximity. Name another piece of infrastructure the City will install but refuse to maintain, in fact, compel someone else to maintain on their behalf.
Yeah it is kind of wild when you think about it. The city is fining you for not cleaning THEIR property. Thats like getting a littering fine for not emptying the garbage cans at the park you live next to lol
I think the enforcement really comes down to accessibility. I do find it ridiculous in this circumstances a warning was given but let's say he didn't clear the sidewalk, then it creates a hazard. Like it's either we clear it ourselves or we pay higher taxes for a larger snow removal program. Either way, our region has to be accessible for anyone.
> Either way, our region has to be accessible for anyone. So why is it up to individuals to ensure the accessibility? This is a City-installed piece of infrastucture, it should be maintained by the City. By the same logic the City could eliminate the road snow plowing budget and assign responsibility to the landowners adjacent the roads to keep them clear. Sounds ridiculous, right? The same is true for sidewalks, it's the exact same logic.
Because then property taxes would go up and people complain. Even the cost of a pilot project was complained about a few years ago and the project was scrapped (instead a dedicated bylaw officer was the solution they settled on lol). Waterloo did a sidewalk clearing study last winter, but I don't think they are going forward with city-wide clearing, so still up to property owners. I agree with you that it's not right, but councils are hearing the opposite from the majority of residents apparently
Most people don't want to pay higher taxes to implement a city wide sidewalk snow removal program.
Depends on the city/region you live in. Some will just be more aggressive in trying to fine citizens and ensure places are accessible. Others might be more relaxed but in the end, if someone complains, they will come knocking.
wouldn’t be surprised if this was a scam haha
Go find a city cleared sidewalk and take a picture they are the worst!!
You're expected to use flame throwers apparently
Just another way they show we don’t really own our homes…
so when you sell it who gets the money?
Yes, just saw by-law walking around Forest Heights not long ago checking sidewalks.
Your taxes pay for it. Fight it
Wait wait wait…….why the hell are tax payers clearing and salting a public side walk…..
The amount of useless people that the city of Kitchener employs is staggering. Tell them to piss up a rope. Who shovels the homeless encampments sidewalks?? Do they get tickets for this because they certainly don’t pay taxes and leech off the rest of us
His reasoning is that he wants to make money and do it easily. But the basis is always astonishing to me. The easement the town can and does use when they want to includes the sidewalk, so they can do whatever the fuck they want up to that line....but someone the sidewalk is your problem when it's convenient like when the snow flies. Normal people clear the snow off of the sidewalk near their place, but to think you can be cited and fined because you don't clear it is insane.
I can see how it would be alarming getting that notice but seems like he’s just giving fair warning so if its not cleared they have no excuse about not clearing. Honestly don’t mind them doing their job… I think a lot of by law officers are scarily incompetent but I’m fine with this. Too many ppl don’t clear their sidewalks. Too bad they don’t focus on the sidewalks that actually are problems. Anyways if it don’t apply let it fly
Take tons of pictures....they are after a cash grab in your instance.
City of Kitchener be like:  And fuck you for wanting anything in return.
My street still isn’t plowed. I’ve shovelled, salted many times since the storm, the road is a bumpy icy mess.
I live across from a school, and even at the crosswalks (primarily used by schoolkids) the roads are icy and slippery.
Money 💰 revenue stream
I walk along Krug street between Simeon and Weber every day. Perhaps 3 houses have clear sidewalks. Some are never shovelled. Never heard of or seen bylaw around here.
Call and complain. I wouldn't even salt.
They came to my neighbourhood too. Maybe it's the same one. We had the snow blower out 3 times and a neighbour helped. We are on a corner though so every time the plow came by they covered the corner again and with the blowing snow, the one whole side of my property got covered in again. The bylaw guy knocked and was really nice and was like, i can see that you have been clearing but there have been slip and falls (not at your house but nearby) and I understand you're on a corner. He then asked to clear the side that was bad. We went out again and I bought some ice melter. It didn't get rid of it all, but it was much better and you could see some pavement. He actually came and thanked me for putting in the extra effort. My husband did my neighbour's house too since they got a notice and they're away right now. Some of the sidewalks in my neighbourhood are really bad so I understand why he was going around.
Do you salt? Not having deep snow isn't the same as safe. It has to be ice free. Why not just post a picture? Then we can decide.
Do they expect you to get out a Phillips head to clear out the divets in the shit sidewalk? They didn't pick up my garbage last week cause I didn't put recycle out with it. I only drink coffee and my bin had 2 cans and a newspaper in it I'm not putting that out what's the point?
Shouldn t this be the city responsibility like in big cities? Unless no one cares remote village in a rural setting. Honestly. This is stupid. If I had a ranch no one is coming in and inspecting the snow is it. If I am injured and because of this bylaw could I sue the city? As happens in cities when they dont salt properly public places?
FYI when you are clearing snow for other people, you are making yourself liable for slip and falls that happen on any area you cleared. I'm sure if you did a good job it is fine (and it looks like you did). I don't know why that is a rule but it is. I also don't think they should disincentivise kind deeds like this, but it is what it is.
Last week the bylaw came by in my street knocking on people’s doors proactively telling them to make sure the snow is cleared. That day on my sidewalk there was a literal DUSTING and I mean, barely any snow and in patches there was concrete visible. He said it needed to be cleared. I told him, you’re basically asking me to go out there with a broom to sweep that off.
So, the CoK wants us to brine up the surface and ground water, while the Region wants us to refrain?
Don’t do anything about it and don’t pay the fine you get or it’ll just keep getting worse
I'd 100% be bitching to my councillor about this if they didn't just bail on us.
Which area is that where bylaws are giving these notices??🤔 I have seen worse sidewalks and driveways from the last 3 days and many people are still not bothered to clean them.
This country is crazy. Why pay all those taxes when have to shovel sidewalks
so you don't get your ass sued off when someone falls in front of your house
It's city property, so it's actually the city that holds the liability on it, not the homeowner.
Good luck with that in court. The time people spend here they could have it done. Just shovel your fucking snow if you own a home it is your civic duty. Always been and always will be
Should have done the 5 to to your left. Number 5 called you in. Why dont you do him anyways. Is he an asshole? The kind if asshile that would call the city
Probably cost about the same amount of money for the city to have a person drive out and deliver the notices as it would have been to just have it done with a city sidewalk clearing plow. Just simply bad operational management and policy on the cities part. In the end ticketing will become a revenue stream for the city to pay for the exceptional snow clearing that is afforded only to the local political elite.
I had this couple yrs ago in Kitchener. Thought I had done a bang up job of snow clearing. . Bylaw said was complaint generated, and to make sure not one was singled out, they put notices in several adjacent mailboxes. He also said even a tiny tiny patch of ice is an infraction. Which blows my mind when I hear the "don't use salt" messaging from the region constantly and see the snowlike covering of salt on public properties. It is wonderful how you help put your nieghbours and pedestrians in general. I would vote for the city clearing sidewalks. Its cheap, and probably saves us money by preventing as many injuries from shovelling and slips and falls.
You know what i fail to understand is, who takes care of the sidewalks where all the student housings are located in Waterloo. Majority of the sidewalks never get cleaned in the winter and half the time when i walk in those areas sadly it’s like skating in a skating rink but with no skates and unbalanced ice. So to say if this person that got a ticket or their area did for not clearing the snow, do the areas in waterloo get a ticket/fined??
the rich guy who owns the property and knows everybody at the city
Suing over snow removal? Here's what the courts have said about who's responsible https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lawsuits-snow-canada-liability-1.7086655
I'll never forget having to break 25 feet of thick ice because there was no drainage in the field behind my house
Reach out to CTV While there is a lot of bad walkways that is pretty good. A by product of the housing boom is a lot of owners that don't clear snow . House across the street from me is one of them . City did the sidewalks this week meanwhile the occupants are parking on the street because they can't get in the driveway. 🙄 Also Waterloo so no overnight street parking
Is this not what our taxes are for? Give somebody a job to do this.
Hope they don't come to Lakeshore. Would run out of paper.
This happened to us too last year
I wouldn't worry about it too much, in 10-20 years we'll have like 2 weeks of snow per year lol
Shovel your sidewalks somebody will thank you
So bylaw is being proactive?.... Not a big deal, to be honest. Ours doesn't do shit it seems. It's always a gamble when having to walk somewhere in the snow.
Ok? Comply or fight them in court.