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Kamloops  

City of Kamloops to bolster snow, ice removal at transit stops

Snow clearing boost passed

Kamloops city council has authorized city staff to move forward with plans to enhance snow and ice clearing at transit stops and adjacent sidewalks starting this year.

The move will see city staff ensure snow clearing from 250 transit stops will receive the same priority as roadways. It will cost the city $60,000 in 2021, and $120,000 in subsequent years for the additional service.

Council debated the decision at their meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Coun. Dale Bass voiced her support of the recommendation.

“I have fallen on the sidewalks in the snow, several times, and at one point broke my pelvis, so I am not objective on this. However I am also not alone on this,” Bass said.

“It seems to me we get a fair number of lawsuits as well when people fall on our sidewalks. So I think this is an essential service that we should be doing.”

The staff proposal was first brought forward in a September civic operations committee meeting.

According to a report prepared for the committee, two sidewalk clearing units — instead of the usual single unit — will be dispatched immediately at the beginning of a snow event, with a pool of on-call employees available to help with snow removal.

Jeff Putnam, parks and civic facilities manager for the city, told the committee in September if council approves, the plan is to complete the internal transition by Nov. 1.

“When it starts snowing in 2021, we’ll have the personnel and resources ready and available,” Putnam said.

In Tuesday’s council meeting, Coun. Mike O’Reilly said he would prefer to see the proposal be added as a supplemental request during next year’s budget deliberations.

“We have thousands of safety issues that we have to prioritize as a council,” O’Reilly said.

“I would much prefer to see this as a holistic approach when we have a list in front of us of what supplemental items there are, and we as a council — which we do all the time — we prioritize what needs to be done.”

Mayor Ken Christian agreed with the sentiment.

“Just like Coun. O’Reilly, I believe there are a number of other safety issues that we have within the city. And what I would like is the opportunity to stack them all up, and so we can make an informed decision comparing risk to risk,” Christian said.

Coun. Kathy Sinclair said she would be supporting the enhanced snow clearing service levels, not just for safety reasons, but to make it easier for people to take alternative modes of transportation.

“I believe our service levels have been lower than they should be. Not only for safety, but also for being serious about our climate action plan,” Sinclair said.

“If we want people to be taking the bus and and to be getting out of their cars and walking to work and that sort of thing, then we need to make that more possible year-round so I will be supporting this motion.”

Council voted 6-2 in favour of the recommendation, with Christian and O’Reilly opposed. Coun. Sadie Hunter was absent from Tuesday’s council meeting.



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