Hamilton is ticketing snow-shovelling scofflaws amid a storm of blocked-sidewalk complaints
Hamilton has started ticketing snow-shovelling scofflaws - and dumping cleanup fees on tax bills - amid a blizzard of blocked sidewalk complaints.
But two weeks after a record storm dropped half a metre of snow on parts of the city, Hamilton's bylaw department is still playing catch-up - with another dumping of the white stuff on the horizon.
An infuriated" Alvin Ward complained to bylaw last Friday after being forced into traffic on Upper Wellington Street by an icy mound of weeks-old snow that covered several metres of sidewalk beside a plaza and truck rental parking lot near Thayer Avenue.
Somebody has to clean it up - it's not going to get any safer on its own," he said, pointing to a forecast that calls for another potential snowfall of up to 30 centimetres later this week.
The city had not yet processed Ward's complaint as of Monday - but it was one of more than 950 and counting since the Jan. 17 storm, said Kelly Beaton, the service delivery manager for city bylaw. They're still coming in fast and furious," she said.
Those uncleared walkways are a sore point for residents who are expected to shovel their own sidewalk frontage within 24 hours of a snowfall under an increasingly contentious bylaw. Some residents are advocating for the city to take over all sidewalk clearing, arguing it is a safety and equity issue.
Every winter, some sidewalk stretches inevitably go uncleared - sometimes because of absentee landowners, disputes over responsibility or because homeowners are physically unable to wield a shovel.
The city will take over sidewalk clearing for many transit routes after a recent council vote - but not until next winter. Even then, many residential sidewalks will still be left up to homeowners to clear.
In the meantime, Beaton said bylaw officers have so far ordered 295 property owners to shovel snow-blocked sidewalks since Jan. 17. Contractors have recently been sent to clean up after 95 owners who refused to comply - and 52 of those have been ticketed.
A shovelling scofflaw can expect a $65 ticket - a penalty critics suggest many commercial building owners or absentee landlords will shrug off as the cost of doing business.
But Beaton said the price of penalties, bylaw inspection and cleanup can add up quickly.
For example, the city can charge inspection fees of up to $349 for a single uncleared sidewalk. Sending a contractor out for a simple cleanup can cost in the low hundreds of dollars - which is then dumped on the property tax bill.
But that price can climb by the hour if your snowy sidewalk has become three feet of pure ice," said Beaton.
Complaints don't always result in immediate cleanup, though.
Under Hamilton's bylaw, a property owner has 24 hours after the end of a snowfall to clear sidewalk frontage. But in the case of a bad storm, bylaw usually waits to crack down until the city manages to clear its own sidewalks around municipal properties.
Once someone complains about an impassible walkway, bylaw will visit and issue an order. But if it snows again in the meantime, the cleanup clock could reset.
Shovelling scofflaws: what could it cost you?
Bylaw ticket: $65
Inspection fees for noncompliance: up to $349
Basic contractor snow cleanup: $123 to $220*
Administrative fees for cleanup: $115
*Difficult cleanups can add extra per-hour costs
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com