Plows should have been out weeks ago: North Kildonan councillor

Winnipeg’s snow plows got the job done — but was it too little, too late?

North Kildonan City Coun. Jeff Browaty, who sits on the city’s Public Works Committee, told 680 CJOB he thinks snow plows should have been clearing streets weeks ago.

If you clear the streets early, Browaty said, it gives crews more time to focus on sidewalks, which are a frequent source of complaint from Winnipeggers who find them difficult to navigate after a snowfall.

“The sidewalk plows are not heavy enough to break up the frozen snow and ice at the bottom so if you get that wrong at the beginning of the season, it’s really hard unless you get certain melts,” Browaty said.

“Even then, you get snow from the sides of the sidewalk melting into the middle of the sidewalk. It’s like a little valley.

“It re-freezes and it’s just treacherous.”

Browaty said plowing back lanes is even more difficult because there is nowhere to store excess snow so they keep it to a snow-packed surface.

The North Kildonan City councillor says pretty soon, your car isn’t just getting towed around the corner if it’s parked where it shouldn’t be.

“One thing we’re going be doing, starting in December, is even if we can’t get there with a tow truck to move them, we’re going to be mailing people tickets … so that hopefully in the future they stay better tuned in to when there’s going to be a residential plow.”

“If there’s a major snowfall, even if we’ve blown our budget for the year, we go out there and we plow the streets, without exception.

“Is there another snowfall about to come? Is there a melting coming? Regardless, I think they blew it and they should’ve done a snow plowing operation a couple of weeks ago.”

Winnipeg’s annual snow route parking ban comes into effect at 2 a.m. on Wednesday and runs until March 1.

Vehicles can’t park on designated snow routes during that time between 2-7 a.m.

0:26 Residential parking ban starts Saturday in Winnipeg to make room for snowplows