After weeks of hosting a popular Edmonton holiday tradition, some homeowners on Candy Cane Lane are now dealing with warnings from the city.
“I’m a little bit fed up,” resident Sandra Strangman said. “I can see why people are starting to drop off.”
Strangman received a notice from the city Thursday night telling her to clear the sidewalk in front of her house or she would be fined $100 on Monday.
“We keep them clear. We even pay somebody when we’re not here … to clear our sidewalks,” Strangman said.
However, because Candy Cane Lane attracts so much traffic and pedestrians, snow and ice are dragged onto the sidewalks and then packed down, Strangman said. It becomes hard-packed and icy, she added, making it cumbersome to chip away.
“We get thousands of people, we’ve got tour busses, sleigh rides, all of that coming through here … People pack this down and every day and we come and try to scrape it down. But every night people walk on it and it turns into an iceberg. You do the best you can.
“But at the end of Candy Cane Lane, the city sends us — instead of maybe somebody out here to help us clean up — they send us a warning, saying on Monday they’ll be reviewing and you’ll get a $100 ticket.
“It’s the principle.”
The event runs Dec. 9 to Jan. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly on 148 Street from 99 to 92 avenues.
The city responded in a statement saying Edmontonians are lucky to have Candy Cane Lane to enjoy because of the homeowners and volunteers.
City spokesperson Chrystal Coleman said in general, “the city maintains all sidewalks in Candy Cane Lane from Dec. 10 to Jan. 1. Afterwards, it becomes the responsibility of the property owners.”
She said enforcement officers are reasonable in their approach and typically lean on education over enforcement.
“Approximately 65 door-hanger warnings were issued on Jan. 12. No fines have been issued and no follow-up will be initiated.
“We will reach out to the 65 property owners directly to provide clarity.
“To help remove the snowpack on the sidewalks that may have accumulated during the beginning of January, city crews are removing sidewalk snow today (Friday).”
The city says property owners should remove snow and ice from sidewalks “as soon as possible,” but in the event they can’t be cleared — during freeze-thaw cycles, for example — sidewalks should be made as safe as possible by using sand or gravel.
Strangman said another neighbour called her, upset about the fine notice. They feel like it’s a bit inconsiderate after all the effort and work that goes into producing Candy Cane Lane.
“It takes us two-and-a-half days to set up, days to take it down, clean up, money to keep renewing lights, people come and they vandalize.
“It seems to get worse every year and the city seems to demand (a lot) of a voluntary event. We volunteer to do this. We don’t get a break on our utilities. We don’t get a break on our taxes.”
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
- ‘Love at first sight’: Snow leopard at Toronto Zoo pregnant for 1st time
- Carbon rebate labelling in bank deposits fuelling confusion, minister says
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
“It’s Christmas and we love it,” Strangman said. “We are all over this Candy Cane Lane thing.
“I don’t mind participating. It’s for the food bank, it’s a great cause.”
“I’m really getting tired of the city dictating what we’re going to do and then giving me an ultimatum about clearing our walks when really they should come out here and they should clear them at least that one time. The rest of the year, it’s up to me. But you invite people to our neighbourhood? You keep it clean.”
Strangman said she’s sent several messages to the city in this vein.
“People really take the time to make this a nice event for people. I want to keep the tradition going,” she said. “But you can’t make it difficult for the people who live here because (we’ll) stop participating.”
Comments