No changes to city's snow removal program for now
Last Updated: Monday, January 26, 2009 | 6:09 PM MT
CBC News
After being buried under countless complaints about snow-clogged streets this winter, Calgary city council has agreed to review its snow removal policy.
Ald. Andre Chabot and Ald. Brian Pincott want to see suggestions on how the city could better handle the kind of snow-heavy winter the city receives once every eight years.
"I'm just throwing out ideas here. I don't know what the end-all answer's going to be for this. I'm just saying I think we need further debate on this," Chabot said on Monday.
There will be no changes in how the city deals with snowy roads this winter, but the study into snow-clearing priorities and costs is expected to be finished in September.
Mayor Dave Bronconnier pointed out that the obvious solution to increase the budget for snow-clearing was rejected by council just two months ago.
"[They] didn't want to support additional money in budget time in November when it was plus 15 [Celsius] out and now of course [they] want to deal with it," he said Monday.
The mayor said if council had approved a higher snow removal budget, it would have cost the average property taxpayer another 25 cents.
"That's probably a heck of a lot cheaper than having to try to push themselves out of snowdrift or try to pull themselves out with a tow truck which is about $150 rather than the extra 25 cents."
Just two weeks ago, the city's 311 service line received about 1,500 calls about snow clearing in a 24-hour period, prompting officials to ask residents to stop calling.
