Halifax winter was badly handled by city, report says

Halifax is looking to change the way it handles winter after storms stopped the city dead several times during March 2015. 

An internal review by transportation and public works staff says Halifax failed to meet service standards during six of 62 storms last winter. 

The report, released Friday, recommends:

• Upgrading the phone technology at the 311 centre in Dartmouth. Council has already approved installing a new call centre management system. It should speed calls up, let more people call at once, and give staff better information. 
• Letting 311 staff work from home, something the existing system can't do. The staff report says the storms that prompted so many calls last winter also delayed or prevented 311 agents from getting to work to answer those calls. The new system will let them work remotely during impassable conditions.
• Cross-train other HRM staff at the 311 centre so they can switch to that post during unexpectedly busy times like storms. 
• Encourage residents to only call 311 about storms if there's a risk to public safety, or if crews have missed the service standard deadlines for clearance. 
• Snow-removal vehicles could get tracking technology so Halifax knows exactly where the plows are, and when they cleared what roads. 
• Crack down on violators of the overnight parking during snow bans to keep the streets clear for plows. 

Even with the recommendations, District 9 Coun. Linda Mosher says the report falls short. She said it should have been done months ago, before the budget was passed for the upcoming year. 

"I was most disappointed in the fact that HRM staff are not recommending changing service standards for priority two roads ... bus routes, and won't be looking at enhancing sidewalk snow clearing for one year until all the contracts expire," she said. 

She wants more roads cleared within 12 hours of a snowfall, rather than 24 hours. 

Bad winter, worse services

Paul Vienneau, an outspoken critic of how the city handled winter, found some good news in the report.  

"One of the first things they talk about was horrible this winter was — when for me this wasn't about how bad the winter was, this was about poorly delivered service," he said. 

"It's really cool that [311 workers are] going to be able to work remotely, because if even they can't get in and the whole system suffers because of that. That's obviously a drag."

Vienneau braved several storms in his wheelchair to chip away at the ice. Hundreds of people thanked him by buying him a new wheelchair. 

Councillors will review the report and discuss recommendations on Tuesday.