Winnipeg homeowner frustrated after snowplow flattens fence
Erin Brohman | CBC News | Posted: June 13, 2016 9:30 AM | Last Updated: June 13, 2016
Jim Stephenson made dozens of calls to city-hired contractor to have someone pay for damage
A Winnipeg man would like to know why it took four months and dozens of emails and phone calls to a contractor hired by the city before someone agreed to pay for his flattened fence.
Jim Stephenson came home from work on Feb. 9 to see a snowplow clearing the streets in his River Heights neighbourhood.
He let his dog outside, walked across the street to 7-Eleven, and on his way home a neighbour yelled, "What happened to your fence?"
"I looked up and my dog was in the middle of Corydon Avenue and my fence was completely collapsed!" he said.
He retrieved his dog, who had dashed when the fence came down. Then,Stephenson said he yanked the chain link fence up and called 311 to file a claim with the city. He said at the time, the loader was still clearing snow at the bus stop a few meters away.
The damage to the fence was estimated at $801, Stephenson said.
"Looks like garbage! I live in a nice part of the city and I'm not going to take the money out of my pocket to fix my fence," he said.
Thirty days after his claim, Stephenson said he got a letter from the City of Winnipeg informing him that the construction company responsible for the work would be in touch.
Weeks without word
Weeks went by without a word from them, so Stephenson called Hugh Munro Construction Ltd. himself.
I'm not the only person this has happened to. I think most people put it to bed because they can't be bothered dealing with the bureaucracy. - Jim Stephenson
"After five or six phone calls of getting absolutely nowhere, somebody came out and looked at the fence and said it was a sidewalk cleaner that did it," Stephenson said, adding he disagreed with that assessment of what happened.
He demanded to speak with a supervisor, who then came to his home to survey the damage.
"At which time he said, 'Well, we'll pay for the fence.' And then a day later I got a letter from them saying 'We're not paying for the fence!'"
On Friday, CBC News contacted Hugh Munro Construction Ltd. and a spokesperson said the company would compensate Stephenson for his damaged fence. The spokesperson said that it was just that morning that Stephenson sent a photo that "clearly indicated" tracks leading up to his flattened fence were from a plow.
A spokesperson with the city added that the city has agreements with the contractors that require them to take responsibility for their work and respond to claims for any damage or injury they may have caused to the public.
If there's a disagreement, according to the spokesperson, the citizen can provide additional information or documentation that would cause the city to re-open the file. Complainants can also pursue the matter in small claims court.
'No confidence' in city
Stephenson isn't impressed by what he calls the city's lack of accountability and believes something should be done so others aren't left in similar situations.
"I'm not the only person this has happened to. I think most people put it to bed because they can't be bothered dealing with the bureaucracy, the red tape and the absolutely nonchalant approach to the whole thing by all parties other than myself," Stephenson said, adding he has lost all confidence in the city and its contractors.
Stephenson said he is relieved, at the very least, that his fence will be fixed, but added he would like to see the city's processes improved so citizens aren't pitted against the contractors.