As officials across Metro Vancouver face criticism for failing to keep icy municipal sidewalks safe for pedestrians, Peter Bigby is taking the situation into his own hands.
The Port Moody resident has been picking up an axe and clearing any icy sidewalk he finds, all the while calling out the people who haven't done their own part.
Bigby calls himself "The Phantom Shovel." His enemy, in his words: "A fairly thick layer of ice that's resulted from a few weeks of negligence."
He's also taken to social media to shine the spotlight on the slippery situation in his city. In one post, he started clearing ice from the sidewalk outside a police station.
"I wonder how long I can hang out outside the police station swinging an axe, shoveling their snow before they come out and help me," Bigby says in the video. "We'll find out."
Though Port Moody has come under fire for its snow removal efforts, Mayor Mike Clay said officials and staff are doing everything they can.
Clay said they've been working hard since Dec. 5, but there's an overwhelming amount of ice.
"That's a month of clearing the sidewalks and clearing the streets," he said. "I wish there were 1,200 Phantom Shovels out there."
No bylaw tickets have yet been issued to residents for failing to keep sidewalks clear, but some people have received warnings, according to the city.
Bigby said he'll continue spending hours of his time doing more than his share, and encouraged others to consider doing a little extra as well.
"Just a little bit of chipping in from everyone would really make a huge difference," he said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Julie Nolin
