‘Safety crisis’: Community league uses last of ice rink budget to plow school-zone windrow

An Edmonton community league says it had to pay a contractor to remove a dangerous windrow outside an elementary school. CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny reports.

A community league in central Edmonton says it used up the last of its ice rink budget to address a windrow outside an elementary school it considered dangerous that the city would not clear.

The Central McDougall Community League paid a private contractor to remove a windrow left by city plows in front of John A. McDougall over the weekend. A front-loader was clearing the snow pile by Wednesday at 4 a.m.

The league’s director, Michael Brown, said pick-up and drop-off, especially for students on buses, was a safety hazard before the windrow was removed.

“Parents, teachers and the principal were at wit’s end,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s shards of ice. It’s sharp and slippery … Grandparents helping their kids get over it seemed like an unacceptable situation.”

He said the principal called the school after continued mobility reports and safety complaints but was told the city wouldn’t be removing the windrow as there was no sign in the area specifying it. The Edmonton Public School Board was also called, but Brown said they didn’t have the materials or equipment to help.

“It seemed ridiculous … We thought this was a worthwhile cause to spend some money on. (It was) something that made things urgent and made us all recognize it was a safety crisis,” he added.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, the city said it was still actively working to address windrow concerns in school zones throughout Edmonton. There are 317 school zones, the clearing of which started on Jan. 16 and is scheduled to end Feb. 2.

“While we appreciate the community’s efforts to address local issues, the city must also advise that residents or community leagues who hire third-party contractors to clear snow on public streets may be held liable for any resulting damage to city property,” wrote snow removal supervisor Val Dacyk.

Construction or maintenance work on city roads done by a contractor or third party requires an On Street Construction and Maintenance permit, she added.

Residents can report windrows blocking sidewalks or creating safety concerns through 311, which Dacyk said will be addressed once the Phase 2 residential parking ban has ended.

The parking ban is set to end Friday at 7 p.m.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune