Southern Manitoba may be experiencing the summer heat, but that doesn’t mean municipalities in the province aren’t preparing for the inevitable winter.
With about four months left until the cold season kicks in, the City of Brandon has announced a new bylaw for snow clearing.
Homeowners are now required to clear the snow from sidewalks in front of their properties or risk a fine.
According to city manager Ron Bowles, the rules around snow on sidewalks aren’t exactly new to most Brandonites — unlike Winnipeg, where the city handles sidewalk snow removal, the requirement to shovel the sidewalk in front of a Brandon property has been on the books for years.
The change is that bylaw officers, armed with the ability to fine scofflaws, now have recourse to do something about repeat offenders if necessary.
“Every couple blocks there’s one of those people that don’t (shovel) their snow all year round,” Bowles told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg.
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“You can imagine, if you have mobility challenges, how are you going to get to school or to work or to the bus stop?
“Our bylaw officers with the city (previously couldn’t) do anything about that. Now we can.”
The bylaw isn’t intended to punish people with physical limitations, or who have other reasons they may be struggling to get their snow cleared, Bowles said.
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Brandon offers a Snow Angels program to help those with mobility issues clear their sidewalks, and the goal of the bylaw isn’t to go around handing out fines, but to encourage those who are able to shovel to do so.
“Really, the focus of the bylaw is on the people that are able-bodied that just choose not to shovel the snow in front of their house,” Bowles said.
“Our bylaw officers, the last thing they aim to do is to fine people. They’re trying to get compliance by so many other means.”
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