The City of Winnipeg said it could take weeks for all residential street and sidewalks to be cleared after Sunday’s deluge of the white stuff.
According to Ken Allen with the city’s public works department, crews are currently focused on clearing snow from main streets and the sidewalks adjacent to them. The city has over 2,800 kilometers of sidewalks it has to keep clear after each winter snowfall.
"We are working on it,” he said. “We are working as quickly as we can and because of the heavy accumulation of snow, it will take a bit of time," Allen said.
Another problem facing many pedestrians and drivers are giant mounds of snow piled up on many street corners.
For decades, Lylah Swan has left her South Osborne home every day for a morning walk.
“This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Swan said, pointing to a tall mound of snow gathered at the corner of her street and the entrance to her back lane.
The snow blocks both her view and that of oncoming traffic.
"It’s hard to see if a car is coming or not," she added.
The city said right now, there's just nowhere else to put the snow.
"Sometimes when we are plowing the street, some of that snow spills over to the sidewalk, and then we need to send the sidewalk snow blowers through again to open it up," Allen said.
Currently, Winnipeg is the only major city in western Canada that clears residential sidewalks.
In Calgary, Edmonton and Regina it's the responsibility of property owners. In those cities, not clearing your sidewalks can lead to a fine.
Allen explained the city does recommend those who need their sidewalks cleared immediately take action and at least clear a path for themselves.
“Until we can come down and do a nice, complete job,” he added.
