Keep snow removal plans local, says Metro Vancouver chair

While residents of some parts of Metro Vancouver might be fed-up with icy unplowed streets and uncollected recycling, the chair of Metro Vancouver's board says a regional snow plan is unnecessary.

Each municipality had a different response to the Lower Mainland's snowy winter, with some doing better than others, notes chair Greg Moore, who is also the mayor of Port Coquitlam.

Vancouver, for one, has been criticized for its inadequate response with one city councillor calling for an independent inquiry into the city's snow removal plans.

• READ MORE: Are Vancouver taxpayers getting their money's worth this winter?

But Moore notes Port Coquitlam had a "pretty good" snow response, and said crews have been able to keep collecting garbage and recycling throughout the month.

For that reason, there is not much support in his city for turning it into a regional responsibility.

"I think the response from local residents was almost 100 per cent keep it local," he said on Friday morning.

"If you took it regionally, I think there's a fear that for some of the communities that have a higher level of service that our service would decrease."

More communication could help

Having said that, Moore said the municipalities do coordinate and communicate on what they are doing and how they can learn from their mistakes.

"We already have our emergency preparedness coordinators meet on a regional basis," he said.

"Maybe we need to have a discussion [on snow] at a certain point when an event like this does become a major regional event. Up to this point, it hasn't triggered that. It's still a local situation."   

The Metro Vancouver region includes 21 municipalities, one electoral area and a treaty First Nation.

With files from The Early Edition

To listen to the interview, click on the link labelled Should Metro Vancouver have a regional snow plan?