A woman who tired of waiting for city workers to clear snow from her street in Laval, Que., forked out $4,000 to buy her family a snowplow.

'If it wasn't for them, we'd be stuck many times, and late for work. Thanks to them, we're actually moving around.' —Neighbour Christina Sfetsios

Dimitra Provias and her family now clear snow from their quiet crescent after every snowfall, to their neighbours' delight.

Quebec has seen near record snowfall this past winter, and Provias said snow clearing and removal was a big problem on Gibbon Street early on in the season. 

"After the first snowfall, in December, it was a couple of days before anyone came in to even move the snow — not remove it — just move it," she told the CBC.

"When they don't clean the snow and we have people parking on either sides of the street, we really can't get through with a car, or an ambulance. It's impossible to get through."

Everyone on the short, narrow street was out after the first snowfall, in December, trying to clear a path but it was a tough job, Provias remembered: "I was with my snowblower, and it broke!"

That's when her husband, Peter Spindler, said, "Enough is enough" and the family decided to buy a snowplow.

They found a deal on an attachable plow in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and spent $4,000 to get the yellow steel blade back to Laval.

Dimitra Provias bought her family this snowplow, left, to clear their suburban street. Next to her is a City of Laval snowplow.
(Martin C. Barry/Laval News)

It attaches on the front of their Avalanche SUV and works like a dream, Provias said.

"My husband is a pro at doing [the plowing] now," she said. "He just sort of zings in and out and has this place done in about 10 minutes flat."

Their neighbour, Christina Sfetsios, said she's so relieved the Provias-Spindler family took the lead on solving Gibbon Street's snow problem.

"We've been very disappointed with our city and the snow removal," she said.

"So we're very happy that they're actually taking the initiative to help our neighbourhood. If it wasn't for them, we'd be stuck many times, and late for work.

"Thanks to them, we're actually moving around."

Need smaller equipment, city says

Provias has also joined her neighbours to campaign Laval city council about improving snow clearing on Gibbon Street. A spokesman for the city, Marc Laforge, said the main problem is the street itself.

"The street is very narrow and it's in a crescent, and the pieces of equipment are big," he said.

"We did have some problems. So we're going to make sure that next year with the contract, they're going to have smaller pieces of equipment to ensure that they can go all the way through the street, around the crescent, and be sure to plow the snow away."

But that isn't enough to convince the Provias-Spindler family to part with their snowplow. They say they don't trust the City of Laval and will hold on to their new tool until next winter season.