CALGARY- Two weeks-worth of crashes on snow-covered roads have reignited the debate about who should be responsible for snow removal.
Since the blizzard hit, an estimated $15 million worth of damage has been reported. Some are calling for insurance companies to play a part in clearing the roads, but the Insurance Bureau of Canada says taxes should cover it.
“Property taxes pay for snow removal now, whereas cloud seeding is paid 100 per cent by the private insurance industry to reduce hail frequency,” explains Heather Mack.
She adds that insurance premiums are being driven up by an increase in personal injury lawsuits—not the number of crashes.
Ward 5 councillor Ray Jones says that after hearing from upset residents who weren’t able to leave their homes because of snow drifts, he has a lot of tough questions on his mind ahead of next week’s council meeting.
“I’ve got about 20 questions on Monday, but I’m only allowed to ask one. And that question is, what’s the plan?” Jones says. “I’m not taking away from the fact that our workers are putting in long hours, and I think they’re doing a great job for what’s been given to them.”
He adds that it’s up to council to change the snow removal policy—which could include hiring private contractors to help out.
However, the roads department says they’ve already enlisted the services of up to 10 different contractors during the storm.
“We’ve got virtually every contractor in town that has operators and equipment available,” explains Ryan Jestin, director of the City of Calgary roads department. “We call them early on in the snow storm. We had 50 graders right off the bat. We put them on the areas that need the most help.”
A motion will be made during Monday’s council meeting to address snow removal.
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