There’s a big sign of a frustrated homeowner in west Edmonton’s Patricia Heights neighbourhood.
Kevin Love is not happy with how he says city officials have handled his case of a snow plow causing damage to his front lawn.
He says back in in early January, city snow plow destroyed $9,000 worth of decorative edging on his front lawn along Hillcrest Place, after crews cleared snow from the cul-de-sac.
“At some point in time, you just gotta say ‘enough is enough,'” Love said. “I’m just tired of people not taking responsibility for what they did.”
He submitted a claim to the City of Edmonton, which was denied.
“We weren’t asking for anything extravagant. If it needs to be replaced, you guys should be on the hook for replacing it — that’s all we asked,” Love said.
In an email to Love, the city’s claims adjuster said, “as there is no sidewalk in front of your lot, operators were likely plowing snow up to the edge of the curb and the resulting windrow may have caused damage to your property.”
The city councillor representing Love’s neighbourhood is one of the officials mentioned on the sign he spend $300 on — styled to look like an official City of Edmonton notice.
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“I never want it to get to this escalation of a homeowner paying to put a large sign up,” said Ward sipiwiyiniwak councillor Thu Parmar.
“I empathize with this homeowner greatly and after taking a look at the file itself, I have learned that there are no fences allowed on the road right-of-way,” she added.
Road right-of-way (ROW) means providing adequate space for city vehicles like snow plows to operate.
A Landscaping Licence of Occupation can be obtained for $75 a year, which allows a resident or business to use the road right-of-way space for enhanced landscaping or ambitious gardening projects.
Otherwise, homeowners have to leave three to five feet clear on driveways or front lawns.
Love said their front yard landscaping and the added the metal edging wasn’t an issue when they designed it.
“When we built the house, we asked the city if it was okay to put it there and they were fine with it — so it sat there for ten years.”
Parmar said she’s reached out to Love to discuss his situation.
“This has been a learning opportunity for me, and hopefully for all Edmontonians, to understand on what they can put on their three to five feet before their house.”
Love says at the end of the day, it’s not about the money — it’s about doing the right thing.
“Your parents teach you that if you’re breaking something, you should be responsible for fixing it.”
Damage or injury caused by a City of Edmonton vehicle can be reported via an online claim form. More information on making claims with the city can also be found on its insurance and claims management website.
With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
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