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
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.