As the snow and ice disappear from the streets, and the recent winter weather becomes a memory, staff at Burnaby city hall are already looking back and ahead in case another storm comes to town.
On Monday, staff briefed council on the snow that blanketed the region in December and the city’s response to the weather.
The report noted there were six storm events between Dec. 5 and 31, dumping 75 to 125 centimetres of snow. It was the most snow since 2008.
In response, crews from both the city engineering and parks departments worked 24/7 on snow removal. However, due to the recurring and heavy snowfalls following Dec. 5, staff were unable to undertake any snow clearing in local residential areas until after Dec. 31, according to the report.
By the end of 2016, the city had blown through its annual $1.04 million snow-removal budget, spending $2.7 million in December alone. Burnaby ended up spending $3.5 million on snow removal for the year.
While city crews were busy prioritizing snow clearing to arterial streets and bus routes, the responsibility for clearing sidewalks falls to residents and property owners.
But in some cases, people didn’t follow the rules.
City inspectors were re-directed to deliver warning letters and issue tickets to commercial and multi-family properties which had not cleared the sidewalks around their property. The report noted 559 warnings and 38 tickets were issued as of Jan. 13 to various commercial and multi-family properties for non-compliance to the bylaw. The fine is $80.
The snowfall also put a crimp on garbage collection, with the city cancelling collection on Dec. 12 and 19 due to hazardous conditions.
And just like after 2008, the city will review operational procedures and required resources to identify possible improvements and changes to enhance the current snow removal practices and response. Any improvements will be presented to council.
While Mayor Derek Corrigan praised the work by city staff and welcomed a post-mortem on the events, he suggested there is a limit to what can be expected from the city.
“The reality is, none of us prepare for an incident that happens once every eight years, and to expect staff to come out and be prepared as they are in Toronto, Calgary or Regina… is ridiculous,” he told council. “We’re in a situation where we have to do the best we can with the assets we’ve got.”
Corrigan added he doesn’t want to see more plows “rusting out” over eight years because they weren’t being used.
Other councillors were more welcoming of a review of the events.
Coun. Nick Volkow said he’s happy to see a post-mortem, suggesting he’d like first responders to takepart in the review, adding their input may add value. He also argued the region may be seeing these types of snow events more often in the future.
“I do know this, this will be a great learning opportunity for all of us,” he said, adding he would like to take part in the review.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said the review may come up with something new the city can do to make the response more accessible, particularly for people not at the top of the priority list for snow removal.
“I think there’s an opportunity for us to really take a look if some improvements can be made,” he said.
