Snow Clearing Policy Prompts Concern
- kc dyer
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
Some streets may now be plowed only 'as resources permit'
With wildfire season still upon us, it seems an odd time to be thinking about icy streets and snowplows.
However a snow clearing policy approved by Council at the meeting on September 2 is prompting concern among local residents.
A new 'Snow and Ice' management policy was introduced by Director of Operations Karl Buhr, and can be found on page 36 of the evening's agenda.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell, the update in the policy is justified, in part, because the Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia "recommends that municipalities implement clearly defined, Council-approved policies to establish levels of service and resource allocation decisions, thereby enabling access to policy defence in the event of litigation."
Key features of the policy include establishing a criteria for initiating plowing and sanding/salting operations as well as defining priority routes for snow and ice control.
The new policy prioritizes snow clearing in the Village as follows:
Priority 1 (Highest Priority):
a. Municipal infrastructure (including but not limited to the Klatt Public Safety Building, the Smith Public Works Yard, municipal offices, water and wastewater treatment plant access roads)
b. Primary streets: Oceanview from Highway 99 to Crosscreek, Crosscreek, Centre,
Bayview from Centre to Mountain.
c. Major evacuation routes, bus routes and school access routes
Priority 2:
a. Secondary streets: Mountain, Upper Bayview, Oceanview, Lions Bay Ave., Kelvin Grove,
Tidewater, Brunswick Beach.
Priority 3 (As Resources Permit):
a. Tertiary streets: all remaining
b. Formal pedestrian sidewalks and transit stops
c. Municipal parking lots
Since last Tuesday's meeting, The Watershed has heard from a number of residents, many of whom live on streets now considered of tertiary importance for clearing, who have expressed concerns with the wording of the new policy.
One local resident asked: "Does 'as resources permit' mean there is now no obligation for the Village to clear 'tertiary streets' such as Sunset, Timbertop or any of the offshoot cul-de-sacs from the main streets?"
Another asks why the policy doesn't stipulate that the highest elevations be plowed first, because "the snow sticks at higher elevations first."
Timbertop resident Tamara Leger lauds local snow clearing efforts in years past.
"The Public Works crew has done an absolutely stellar job over the last few years. Why are we writing a policy that changes a system that's working so well? Why fix it if it's not broken?"
On Tuesday evening, Councillor Neville Abbott suggested changes to the policy.
"I think (this policy) is achieving the opposite aim to what we are setting out to do," he said.
"The Works Yard plow operator has used their discretion," he added. "And they do a really good job. Now we are telling them that they have to do things in a certain sequence, which includes clearing Lions Bay Avenue, a large part of which is flat, before they clear the upper streets in the Village."
Abbott agreed that the highest traffic areas should be given priority, but suggested the policy leave it at that. "I think we should allow the actual circumstances to dictate what order to clean the Village streets."
In the vote that followed, a motion to accept the new policy passed, with Abbott casting the sole opposing vote at the table.
Policies such as this one can be reconsidered, but only if brought back to the table by one of the Councillors who voted in support.
The Watershed welcomes your thoughts. Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca
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The snow clearing in the past 10 years has been amazing. The city is often shut down due to snow, but not Lions Bay. We have been blessed with a super competent works crew. We have never had an issue reaching the highway in the winter and my partner works at the hospital, so the commute is critical. I hope the service levels remain the same, because taxes sure haven’t.