Advertisement

Failure to shovel off Saskatoon sidewalks could result in fine

City administration wants to move away from notices and start handing out fines to Saskatoon homeowners who don't shovel their sidewalks. File / Global News

SASKATOON – City administration believes a Saskatoon homeowner with an unshoveled sidewalk should be reprimanded with a fine. Currently fines are $100 for a first offence, $200 for a second offence, up to $1,000 for a third offence for homeowners and up to $2,000 for a third offence for businesses.

Bylaw inspection officers hand out notices rather than tickets but now administration is advocating for tickets. The city’s transportation committee agreed to move to ticketing but the change still needs council approval.

READ MORE: Snowfall causes mobility issues for people with disabilities

Ward 6 Coun. Charlie Clark said it is a problem and hopes the fines will be an effective motivator.

“In some cases, those are commercial properties in the downtown that have hundreds of people walking on them a day and that’s where it starts to affect people’s ability to get around,” said Clark.

Story continues below advertisement

Residential neighbourhoods have 48 hours to shovel while commercial areas have 24 hours.

Also, a merging of departments means there will be more bylaw inspection officers monitoring unkempt sidewalks.

Sponsored content

AdChoices