Winnipeg snow removal requests jump 57% over last December

Barney Charach can't conquer waist-high Winnipeg snow piles like he used to.

He and his wife Ruth, both 82, suffer from spinal stenosis, which means shovelling a driveway after a big snow storm, like the one that hit Winnipeg Christmas Day and Boxing Day, is best avoided.

"At our age, with our problems, we can't do it," Barney Charach said. "We're paying our taxes; give us the damn services that we require. That's all we're asking, and that's not much to ask."

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The city's policy states that residents are responsible for clearing windrows left in back lanes by snow clearing crews. Windrows greater than 20 centimetres in height are supposed to be removed from driveways at the front of homes. Meanwhile homes with no front-street access may have windrows cleared in back lane driveways as part of the city's "enhanced level snow clearing."

While the main streets, classified as Priority 1 or 2 roads, have been cleared, city snow plows, graders and sanders are still working away clearing sidewalks and residential streets two days after the latest dump.

About 35 per cent of back lanes had been cleared as of Wednesday morning, the city's public works spokesman Ken Allen said.

The latest winter storm drove snow removal service calls way up this month compared to clearing requests made in December 2015.

As of Wednesday morning, there have been 2,348 such requests called into city 311 operators, compared to the 1,500 made this time last year. That represents a 57 per cent jump over 2015's numbers, or a 339 per cent leap over the 342 calls made citywide in December 2014.

And that spike in service calls coincides with snowfall amounts. About 44 cm fell in Winnipeg in December 2015 versus the nearly 70 cm so far this December, CBC meteorologist John Sauder said. The average snowfall for December in Winnipeg is about 19.8 cm.

Windrows leave seniors snowed in

The Charachs, who both rely on walkers to get around, have lived on McAdam Avenue in the North End for 57 years. Barney Charach says windrows left by city snow clearing crews are unsafe and leave seniors and people living with disabilities vulnerable.

By Monday afternoon, Winnipeg had been hit with thigh-high snow, or between 18 and 33 cm depending on the neighbourhood, according to Environment Canada.

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In the winter storm that hit southern Manitoba on Dec. 6, Charach admits he overdid it and spent three days off his feet in bed recovering from shovelling windrows.

"I'm not supposed to do stuff like that, but I had no choice. I was snowed in because of one of these humps, and like a fool I tried to get out of it," Charach said, adding he called 311 three times for help to no avail.

"I said, 'Look I'm 82, my wife is 82, we're both on walkers. When the snow drifts are there, we can't get out."

He and his wife hire a private contractor to clear snow from pathways in their yards and shovel the driveway — including the wall of snow left by city tractors and plows. But the company was unable to make it to the home Tuesday, Charach said.

'Neighbours are fantastic'

He also has neighbours who are happy to dig him out of snowy binds from time to time, sometimes at their own peril. But not everyone has that same network of friends and family to help out, Charach said.

I've never complained, I pay my taxes, but boy I am not going to pay them next time without a real fight with the city.- Barney Charach

On Tuesday when Charach ventured outside, he found that his neighbour had cleared the snow from in front of the garage door and removed the windrows.

"[He] shouldn't have done it. The guy has had a couple heart attacks already. But hey, that's the kind of neighbourhood I live in: the neighbours are fantastic."

The city says crews will clear private crosswalks between sidewalks and curbs for homeowners who provide medical documentation stating they are unable to do so on their own, or otherwise can't afford to pay for private snow removal.

"We appreciate that seniors and those with limited mobility may have difficulty clearing back lane windrows. We suggest that those who may have trouble removing their own windrows connect with a private snow clearing service or make arrangements with friends and family for assistance," a city spokesperson said. 

"At the same time, we encourage all Winnipeggers to be a good neighbour and help out those with limited mobility if they are able."

'I'm pissed off'

Charach said he understands the demands city crews face after a big snow storm, but he still thinks it's reasonable to expect them to "at least" not leave obstructive windrows in his back lane.

"I understand what the city's dilemma is, but they have to understand what ours is. We're stuck in the house. When the back lane is cleared and the front is cleared and those drifts are there, we can't get out.

"It's time that the city woke up — we're elderly," Charach said.

"I've never complained, I pay my taxes, but boy I am not going to pay them next time without a real fight with the city ... I'm pissed off."