City moves to amend Edmonton snow removal policy amid gaps in coverage

CBC

19 hours ago

The City of Edmonton wants to spend an extra $8 million a year to fund sidewalk repair and improve its active pathway snow removal program, a committee heard earlier this week.
The community and public services committee met Monday to receive a report from city administration outlining the current state of snow removal and sidewalk repair.
During the meeting, committee members lamented a widening gap in snow service as funding has not kept up with the growing inventory of sidewalks and pathways.
The city manages more than 5,700 kilometres of public sidewalks and the annual $5.9 million budget "has remained relatively unchanged over the past 10 years" even as inventory increased by about eight per cent, according to the report.
The total budget for snow and ice control for active pathways, including about 1,400 kilometres of sidewalks and about 70 kilometres of bike lanes, is $67 million a year.
When administration was asked by Coun. Anne Stevenson if the most expensive option presented in the report would get the city caught up, they told the committee it still wouldn't be optimal coverage.
The committee was concerned about how funding could match growing inventory.
"When do we get a conversation to match resources with inventory growth?" Coun. Ashley Salvador asked.
There is no current plan that ties the growing sidewalk inventory to budget increases for snow removal and sidewalk repair, but city planners told the committee about a project that would map the total cost of city operations.
The committee asked planners to provide a memo on that project ahead of the fall budget adjustment.
The extra annual $8 million would help snow clearing efforts target socially vulnerable areas and school zones with an increased service around bus stops, the report says.
The money would also be used to perform proactive repairs on about 16 kilometres of sidewalk deemed to be the most at risk and add extra staffing.
The bylaw enforcement program would also receive 15 new permanent officers.
The committee also voted for a one-time lump sum cost of $1.43 million to add 10 Bobcat Toolcats to its inventory.
The package will need council approval at the fall budget meeting.
Coun. Erin Rutherford had originally considered moving to vote for a less expensive option, but amended the drafted motion after considering the current state of the city's snow removal.
"I know it's not where we need to be, especially as we push past for more accessibility and inclusion as a city," Rutherford said.
In 2022, a high priority sidewalk index was created for each sidewalk block in Edmonton and looks at various factors.
These include pedestrian volume, proximity to places like schools, senior centres, high frequency bus stops, as well as the social vulnerability index, which looks at how various populations in Edmonton rely on sidewalk access.
City administration will now work to prioritize snow removal based on this criteria.
The new funding plan would also see 385 identified bus stops cleared within 72 hours, and would add about 15 seasonal staff.
For sidewalks, funding would help repair 1.6 per cent of the outstanding sidewalks not already on the docket for substantial repairs.
In the meantime city planners will focus on shuffling resources to match the new priorities for snow removal.