Landlord wants downtown Saskatoon sidewalk snow cleared by one contractor

A Saskatoon landlord wants one private contractor to clear all the snow on sidewalks in the downtown core.

On Monday afternoon, the councillors on the standing policy committee on transportation heard Ken Achs explain his idea of a large private contractor doing all the sidewalk snow removal in downtown.

Achs said it would cost less in the long run, as property owners already have the cost to remove snow. He added that the work will be done quicker and the core would look better.

“Saskatoon is one of the most beautiful cities in the country: July and August,” said Achs, the president of Mid-West Development. “You come downtown Second Avenue on Dec. 30, it’s not so pretty.”

Council unanimously voted for city administration to consult Downtown Saskatoon on the concept.

“We end up with a hodge podge of clear and not clear sidewalks through the city downtown core. The downtown business is struggling against urban malls and so on, so I just thought there would be some synergy to coordinate the core,” Achs said.

Under the current sidewalk clearing bylaw, downtown property owners are given 24 hours to remove snow.