Edmonton council explores tax levy, other ways to raise snow-clearing budget
Posted April 26, 2022 10:14 am.
Last Updated April 26, 2022 10:19 am.
While Edmontonians are hoping they’ve seen the last of winter – for this year, at least – city council is discussing the cost and logistics of taking snow off the streets.
This comes after a report found the city’s snow removal strategy fell short as Edmonton keeps growing.
“Expectations have increased, but the resources required to maintain those service levels across a growing city just haven’t kept pace,” said Craig McKeown, the branch manager with Parks and Roads Services.
In the report, council heard there were 11,000 complaints about windrows – a line of piled-up snow on the side of a road created by snowplows – in city neighbourhoods in January and February of this year alone.
The city also received 10,000 complaints about snow and ice on sidewalks.
The same report contained a survey from EMS personnel suggesting nearly 20 per cent of their calls in the winter are related to snow and ice.
Council saw several different options for snow removal. The cost of getting the city down to bare pavement and getting rid of windrows after a snowfall is an estimated $12 million.
“It was estimated that would needed roughly four times per winter, at a cost of $47.6 million – so roughly $12 million per pick-up,” said McKeown. “And that would be all windrows, all residential streets.”
The city will need to figure out how to pay for it after seeing record snow fall this past winter.
On Monday, council discussed using a tax levy to fund needed enhancements. One option would see more people hired for snow removal.
“That $27 million, and adding people, would essentially see a roughly 45 per cent increase in service levels across all priorities of roads,” added McKeown.
