Snow clearing crews cause 10K in damage to property, says St. James Village Biz

WINNIPEG — Snow clearing crews caused more than $10,000 in damage along Portage Avenue, according to the St. James Village Biz.

The damage was done between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday, when crews came to remove snow that had been piled on the side of north side of Portage Avenue. west of Route 90, according to St. James Village Biz director, Jennifer Mathieson.

“It was aggressive and careless. The people who put this stuff out on the streets passionately care about their communities and they disrespected them,” she said.

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Benches, bike racks, signs and tree wells were some of the infrastructure that was damaged.

“They just didn’t seem to care, they just kept driving along, knocking over our street elements,” said local business owner Grant Forzley.

READ MORE: Winnipeg woman says snow plow ‘butchered’ her driveway

Much of it was installed just last year, the final piece of a revitalization plan worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that took several years..

The designs were drawn up with city staff involvement, so Mathieson argues plow operators should have been told what items were there.

The St. James Village Biz also installed tall markers with reflector strips to signal where the new items had been installed.

“It’s disappointing to know the amount of damage that did happen,” said Scott Gillingham, city councillor for the St. James area.

A map is being created to show where the new elements are so that info can be easily shared with plow operators.

“We’re going to do all we can to avoid a repeat of this in the future but this year it’s frustrating,” said Gillingham.

The St. James Village Biz is planning to file a claim with the city to receive compensation for the damages.