At the City Council meeting of September 30, 2020, Council approved report CR20-85 to consider enhancements to the Winter Maintenance Policy through the 2021 budget process as well as to direct Administration to bring options to amend the Clean Property Bylaw (Bylaw) with respect to sidewalk snow clearing in Q3 2021.
Administration is recommending that an amended Clean Property Bylaw include provisions related to the responsibility of all property owners in the city to clear the sidewalks adjoining their properties and, in failing to do so, the City would initiate an enforcement process against the property owner. If approved by City Council, the Bylaw amendments and enforcement will take effect January 1, 2022.
Administration is consulting with the Accessibility Advisory Committee to receive feedback on the options considered in a sidewalk clearing bylaw.
DISCUSSION
Accessibility Impact:
The proposed amendments to the Bylaw will ensure enhanced snow clearing on sidewalks across the community, making them more accessible for all users. Administration aims to further strengthen existing community programs like the Snow Angels Program to provide snow clearing support to property owners that may have difficulties and physical challenges.
Policy/Strategy Impact:
A more consistent approach to snow clearing from sidewalks around the city would support the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and the Design Regina: The Official Community Plan (OCP), specifically:
Section D3, Transportation:
· Goal 1 – Sustainable Transportation Choices; Offer a range of year-round sustainable transportation choices for all, including a complete street framework.
· Goal 2 – Public Transit; Elevate the role of public transit.
· Goal 3 – Integrated Transportation and Land Use Planning; Integrate transportation and land-use planning in order to better facilitate walking, cycling, and transit trips.
· Goal 4 – Road network Capacity; Optimize road network capacity.
· Goal 5 – Active Transportation; Promote active transportation for healthier communities.
The recommendations continue to support City Council’s resolution to continue providing winter maintenance that effectively supports the health, attractiveness, and economic viability of our community.
Existing Sidewalk Clearing Approach:
Currently, the City of Regina (City) encourages residents to be a good neighbour and clear their sidewalks. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and it creates inconsistent snow clearing by property owners, thereby causing accessibility challenges for all pedestrians and users of our transit system. Current provisions in the Clean Property Bylaw only require a small per cent of the property owners to clear snow from sidewalks adjacent to their properties, primarily including sidewalks adjacent to businesses and apartment buildings.
Amendments to the Clean Property Bylaw:
In March 2020, a residential survey was conducted as part of the Winter Maintenance Policy review. Many respondents to the survey had indicated the need of an enforcement approach to achieve higher levels of consistent sidewalk snow clearing across the community, in line with other municipalities in Western Canada.
Administration is proposing that amendments to the Bylaw should include provisions requiring all property owners in the city to clear the sidewalks adjoining their properties within specified timelines, as well as enforcement activities should the property owner fail to clear the sidewalk.
If a violation is found, the intention is that a notice would be given to the property owner to remedy the violation within a certain period. The City would have the authority to issue a violation ticket if there is no compliance and could take action to have the sidewalks cleared.
Other Jurisdictions: Sidewalk Snow Clearing Bylaw and Community Programs:
Research of other jurisdictions in Western and Eastern Canada indicated that cities like Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Windsor, and Hamilton have established sidewalk snow clearing bylaws requiring residents and businesses to clear snow and ice from adjoining sidewalks in a stipulated timeframe, failing which fines are charged. Many of these jurisdictions have community-based programs like the Snow Angels Program for people with physical challenges. Although many of these jurisdictions do not charge the program users, some of the programs do include a low cost of service. Further details on the jurisdictional review can be found in Appendix A.
Strengthening Community Programs, like Snow Angels Program:
Currently a $50,000 grant is provided by the City for the Snow Angels Program. The Snow Angels Program was piloted in the winters of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 by the Al Ritchie Community Association, Cathedral Area Community Association, and Eden Care Communities. These groups submitted proposals in the fall of 2019 and went through an adjudication process to distribute funding. Both Al Ritchie Community Association and Cathedral Area Community Association targeted residents within their community, and Eden Care Communities targeted Para-Transit users.
To further strengthen and expand such community-led programs across the City will require an additional annual contribution and new pilot. Additional funding for enhancing this pilot may be considered out of the winter maintenance annual operating budget if required.
Communications:
Administration will develop a comprehensive communications strategy to create awareness about several updates in the Winter Maintenance Policy, as well as changes in the Clean Property Bylaw, relating to sidewalk snow clearing. The cost of the enhanced communication plan would be funded by the winter maintenance annual operations budget and was approved by City Council as per report CR20-85.
Administration will collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners to help share the messaging about the changes to the Winter Maintenance Policy and the Clean Property Bylaw.
An annual expenditure of $35,000 has been approved by City Council to enhance communication efforts towards educating residents and businesses on various updates in the policy, including the changes related to sidewalk snow clearing.
COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT
Administration would like to engage with the Accessibility Advisory Committee to receive feedback on options to consider in a sidewalk clearing bylaw and how we might strengthen the current Snow Angel program.
1. What do you think is an appropriate timeline for property owners to clear their sidewalk?
2. What do you think are reasonable end conditions for sidewalk snow clearing?
3. What criteria should be considered for someone to be eligible for programs that support sidewalk snow clearing such as the Snow Angels program?
4. What barriers do you anticipate Regina residents will encounter with clearing their sidewalks?
5. Are there any suggestions for additional supports the City can offer in conjunction with Snow Angels?
6. Do you know of any other community led initiatives that assist people with maintenance tasks such as snow removal?
Respectfully submitted,
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