Icy walks raise bylaw questions

Concerns about safety on icy walks have some people questioning whether or not cities should have laws on the matter.

While many homeowners keep their sidewalks clear of ice and snow, there are many slippery spots.

"It's a worry," Jill Thornton, a Regina mail carrier, told CBC News. "On Friday we had six carriers that were injured."

Thornton says she has suffered back injuries and a broken collar bone, from falling on ice.

The city of Regina does not have a specific bylaw forcing homeowners to clear sidewalks.

The city's bylaw enforcement manager, Dwayne Flaman, says officials have studied the situation and found that more than two-thirds of homeowners are tending to ice and snow.

He says that level of attention is the same as in cities where there are bylaws, such as Edmonton and Calgary.

"So it is felt that voluntary compliance by Regina property owners is equal to that of regulated in other areas," Flaman said.

The compliance rate in Edmonton and Calgary is estimated at about 70 per cent.

Mail carrier Thornton says the hazard is a concern.

"This is my workplace. It's dangerous," she said, adding a carrier can choose to avoid a slippery area. "Our recourse is to just cut them off. Cut the mail off. Don't deliver it if ... there's a possibility of hurting ourselves."

Regina does require sidewalks to be cleared, or tended to with sand, in front of apartment blocks and businesses.

Flaman says there's no plan to make it mandatory for homeowners.