Vancouver property owners could face $250 fine for not clearing snow from sidewalks
Often times immediately after a Vancouver snowfall, rain and rising temperatures will wash away any trace of the white stuff before residents have a chance to reach for a shovel.
But with daytime highs below zero, the snow that fell Tuesday is sticking around and that means property owners need to clear it away or face fines of $250 or more.
A city bylaw requires property owners to clear the entire width of the sidewalk – right down to the pavement – by 10:00 a.m. the day after a snowfall.
"We have seniors and people with mobility issues so we really want to make sure those people can get out and get where they need to go safely," said Amy Sidwell, the city's manager of street operations.
She says early in the season city staff generally take a more educational than punitive approach to enforcement.
Zero fines have been doled out so far this season.
Over the last five years, the city has issued 5,128 notices to property owners but only 527 bylaw violation fines.
"We are complaint based and inspection based. So, when we are out and receive complaints, we are also out looking at other properties in the neighbourhood to see if there's any compliance issues we need people to follow up on," Sidwell said.
The rules apply to residential and commercial properties, along with schools and parks.
On Thursday, more than 24 hours after the deadline for snow clearing, the sidewalk at Grandview Park on busy Commercial Drive remained quite icy.
And portions of the sidewalk around East Vancouver's Chief Maquinna Elementary School were nearly completely covered over.
But sidewalks around most other parks and schools appeared to have been well-maintained.
That was also the case for the vast majority of residential and business properties surveyed by CTV News on Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.