Whitehorse city council is receiving information on possible solutions to snow and ice impeding accessibility for residents with mobility challenges.
The work goes on amid consistent appeals for better snow clearance from city residents and the threat of a class-action lawsuit.
At its next meeting, council will discuss a motion that would amend the city’s policy on the clearance of snow and ice. The amendment would direct the city to clear accessible parking spaces and corresponding para ramps alongside roads designated priority 1 and 2 in the policy to the same standard of service as the roads. Council received fresh information on possible solutions at its Dec. 4 standing committee meeting.
Under the current policy, priority 1 roads have to be open with ice control within 24 hours and plowed to the edge of the road within 72 hours. For priority 2 roads, the standard is open with ice control within 48 hours and plowed to the edge of the road within 72 hours. The current rules don’t account for plowing of on-street parking stalls because snow would be pushed onto the sidewalk. Street parking is only cleared to pavement when snow is hauled away from the roads
The estimated cost to implement the motion as written is $300,000 based on an average winter snowfall. This work would initially need to be contracted out due to equipment constraints.
Operational challenges mentioned in the report include the creation of low areas that could lead to problems with drainage and slipping hazards.
To ensure snow removal is efficient and effective, the width will have to be wider than one parking space, edges must be formed to reduce tripping hazards, and should a drainage issue arise, further clearing will be required to ensure drainage where necessary.
Alternatives are also suggested in the report. One is a modification of the snow and ice clearing policy to see snow loading and removal from all downtown on-road accessible parking spaces within 72 hours of snowfall. The report states this could be done for $220,000 per year and would initially need to be contracted out. Similar issues with tripping hazards and drainage were identified.
Another possibility broached in the report is increased enforcement targeting bylaw violations like placing materials, including snow, on public property. The report notes an extensive information campaign and a fine increase that have already been launched earlier this year. Council heard that since the snow fell this year, the city has received 21 complaints regarding snow and ice. Six tickets have been issued at $250 each. An education blitz dealing with the expectations for residents and businesses around the snow and ice was also mounted this fall.
There could also be the possibility of creating a new section of the policy that would require full snow removal and ice control of sidewalks and accessible parking spaces. The area could be the central business district already identified in the policy — the area bordered by Front Street, Elliott Street, 5th Avenue and Wood Street. It contains 33 of the city’s accessible parking spaces. It is suggested that the parking spaces would be cleared to the same standard as sidewalks in this area, which must be shovelled by 11 a.m. the day after a snowfall.
The report from city administration states that the cost to undertake this remains to be seen and would require more analysis. The work could be contracted out and costs recovered through taxes for all property taxpayers, or a local area tax for property taxpayers in the affected area. Council and city staff discussed responsibility for clearance of stalls and sidewalks adjacent to properties and possible taxation impacts.
Improvements to the design of the on-road accessible parking and the development of a community accessibility plan modelled after those undertaken by communities in British Columbia are also proposed. Mayor Laura Cabott asked how long it would be before the city could begin switching out the parking stalls for a more accessible design. Tracy Allen, the city’s director of infrastructure and operations, replied that an exact timeline is difficult to assess and each stall will have to be looked at individually. Allen added that some changes next summer would certainly be an option.
The discussion at the Dec. 4 meeting was informed by six delegates who all spoke about accessibility challenges to do with the snow and ice.
Ramesh Ferris, who has made multiple appearances in council chambers in recent weeks pressuring for improved snow and ice clearance, was back with additional photos and accounts showing the challenges for residents who use mobility aids.
Ferris suggested that bike paths, even in areas far from downtown, receive more reliable snow clearance than accessible parking spaces and highlighted the human rights implications of the impediments to accessibility. He also drew attention to non-snow-related issues with the parking such as bikes locked to posts obstructing accessible parking.
He said it is time for a solution, not to create another committee or “bury” the issue, and maintains that the city is not in financial hardship and has the resources to address the issue.
“It’s time to revise the City of Whitehorse’s snow and ice control policy, its operating budget and capital expenditure program. If all lives have equal value, this is your time in history in Yukon, in Whitehorse to demonstrate that. Thank you,” Ferris concluded.
Other delegates spoke about personal experience, or as advocates. They included Eva von Flotow, Marney Paradis, Sharon Shorty, Zakary Endress and Bria Lemoine. All echoed the deficiencies in the way snow and ice is cleared and its impacts on those with mobility challenges.
Emerging late last week, prior to the meeting, was a threat of legal action relating to the clearance of snow and ice. On Dec. 1, lawyer Vincent Larochelle sent a letter to city council. Local media including the News was forwarded copies of the letter. Writing about a tour of the city taken by one of his clients, a person with a physical disability, Larochelle states that “the views are grim, at times so tragic and disappointing that they border on the farcical.”
He goes on to wonder at how conditions could be so bad when the last significant snowfall was weeks before the writing of the letter.
The letter implores the city to stop “hiding behind layers of bureaucracy” and take responsibility for the state of the streets and sidewalks.
Larochelle writes that he has received instructions to begin work on a class-action lawsuit against the city on behalf of residents with disabilities. The letter claims that the city’s inaction on the clearance of snow and ice and the lack of barrier-free parking stalls is discriminatory and contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
A City of Whitehorse representative told the News that the city does not comment on threats of legal action.
The snow and ice clearing issue will be back before council next Monday.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
