Sidewalk clearing seeing improvements, advocates still calling for more from the city

CTV’s Daniel Halmarson has more on how the city clears sidewalks and what disability advocates want to see in the winter.

Snow clearing on Winnipeg sidewalks has been a problem raised in previous years, but so far this winter, that hasn’t been a concern.

However, accessibility advocates are campaigning to ensure it keeps up.

Kirby Cote relies on Winnipeg’s network of sidewalks to get around town.

“I was born with my vision impairment and so I’ve been using public transportation or just been a pedestrian my entire life,” said Cote, who is the executive director of Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba.

But the buildup of ice and snow in winter makes walking or catching the bus a little more treacherous.

That’s why organizations like Cote’s and others are campaigning to ensure more efficient sidewalk plowing throughout Winnipeg.

“Disability affects every single person in our city in some way, either as an individual or through friends and family,” she said.

Organizations are encouraging people to share their experiences with poorly plowed walkways, inaccessible crosswalks and toppled-over snowbanks.

“A lack of accessibility on public sidewalks is going to affect people differently in different neighbourhoods at different points this season.”

Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the public works committee, said she is all ears on any issues.

“I welcome it because we can always do better. We can always learn like that,” said Lukes.

Lukes said the city added 15 more sidewalk plowing machines to its fleet last year, introduced enhanced training for contractors, and increased the operating budget.

“So those were, I would say, three key significant factors in improving the removal of snow and ice on the active transportation network.”

The city has also started plowing residential sidewalks more frequently by lowering the threshold for accumulated snow by three centimetres.

“Changed from eight to five,” said Michael Cantor, the streets maintenance manager for Winnipeg. “(It) aligned all the sidewalks and pathways to be in the same priority, which works really well. When we start plowing the sidewalks, we plow the whole network every time.”

Cote feels the city has made strides in recent years, but said there is still work to do.

“Most winter cities clear sidewalks and they clear public transportation stops first before we are moving individual vehicles through the city. So I think that’s a place where we can start,” said Cote.

The second annual S(NO)W Plow Campaign launched on Wednesday and the coalition is made up of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba, the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba, the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities, the Independent Living Resource Centre, the Transportation Options Network for Seniors and the Vision Impaired Resource Network.