CAA Saskatchewan reported more than 80 calls each for service in both Regina and Saskatoon in the 24 hours leading up to the noon hour Friday, as residents deal with icy conditions.
“I would caution anyone if they’re not feeling comfortable driving in these conditions then don’t,” said CAA director of communications, Christine Niemczyk.
The recent rising and falling temperatures leading to melting and freezing have made roads and sidewalks tough to manage.
“I’m calling it a teeter-totter kind of winter. You know it’s up and down. So we go from plus two, next day it’s -12,” said Niemczyk.
“With the freeze and thaw cycles, unfortunately a lot of the snow that is piled either on properties beside the sidewalk or on the street beside the sidewalk, when that melts, unfortunately it does get on the city sidewalk or even the city road. There’s unfortunately ice everywhere when this happens,” said Regina’s roadway seasonal operations manager, Tyler Bien.
The City of Regina has used over 19,000 tonnes of ice control material on city roads this winter. However, Regina residents can get some of that sand and salt mix for their own sidewalks for free at any of the 19 locations that make up Regina’s sandbox program.
“There’s sandboxes all over the city. All you need to do is bring a little shovel and a pail and we provide sand for residents to use,” said Bien.
With ice and snow blanketing the city, Regina’s Snow Angel program allows volunteers to help clean sidewalks for seniors and those with mobility issues.
“Snow removal and probably a whole host of other things are just beyond their reach. I see a lot of them with medical conditions and I see a lot of them who are just trying to hang on their residence still,” said Dan Riess, who does community outreach for the Rosemont Mount Royal Community Association.
The program is a help both mentally and physically for home owners.
“Those people with the bylaw coming into effect are worried about how would they pay that fine let alone how would they shovel the snow. So we’ve received a lot of really nice feedback from them just thanking us, not knowing what they would’ve done without it,” said Riess.
In the RMRCA, 12 volunteers handle 20 properties for those needing assistance, including recently widowed seniors.
Riess says the volunteers do what they do out of the goodness of their hearts.
“They’re amazing people. They are volunteering their time and they’re thoughtful and they’re showing compassion for these people and looking to help as often as they can.”