WINNIPEG – Mayor Sam Katz says he was surprised to hear Winnipeg homeowners who park on the street are being ticketed for running extension cords across sidewalks to plug in their block heaters.
“Some people will say (plugging in the car) is a necessity — otherwise I don’t get my kids to school, I don’t get to work, etc. — so maybe we can find something else that works, but no, this came as surprise to me,” Katz said Wednesday.
The Winnipeg Parking Authority has handed out 150 tickets this winter for violating the no-cords-on-sidewalks rule. North Ender Paul Peters already has two. The fine is $50 if paid right away.
“I pulled (the ticket) out — I didn’t even want to look at it, I was so perturbed — and my neighbour said, ‘Oh you got one too. It’s for an electrical cord.’ You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s ironic; this is Winterpeg,” Peters said in front of his College Avenue home Wednesday.
But his city councillor has no sympathy, saying there are safety reasons for keeping the cords off sidewalks.
“That’s probably why it was first identified to the parking authority — they were probably trying to plow the sidewalk and they encountered several electrical cables,” Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie said.
Eadie, a frequent political foe of Katz, also had little time for the mayor’s surprise on the issue.
“Maybe the mayor has always had a four-parking-space home to live in and he never knew about the law,” Eadie said.
Peters is seeking other alternatives.
“Maybe we’ll get some dog sleds here. I don’t know,” Peters said with a laugh.
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