Homeowner on the hook for snow clearing costs despite attempts to clear sidewalk

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte speaks with a frustrated Kitchener homeowner who is on the hook for snow clearing costs.

A Kitchener, Ont. homeowner is upset because he must pay up after the city sent a snow removal crew to clear his sidewalk on Thursday.

He said that’s despite the fact that he uses his snowblower regularly and his neighbours’ sidewalks were in the same condition.

“I was kind of at a loss. I was like, ‘Well if you look around, why are you at my house specifically when my sidewalks actually look better than the road itself, which the city is responsible for?’” said Brian Sandau.

He claims that plows don’t come by to clear his street after multiple days of snowfall.

Sandau said after returning home from out of town earlier this month, the City of Kitchener gave him a warning.

“Everything seemed to be pretty good except for where the sidewalk connects to the road. There was a little four-inch bump there. So I got my chipper out and cleaned it up and thought that was good,” said Sandau.

Turns out it was not good, at least by the city’s standards. Sandau said it’s frustrating because he takes pride in keeping things clear.

“I come out here every day after work with a snowblower. I have nice clean edges,” said Sandau.

When CTV News contacted the City of Kitchener about sidewalk clearing standards, they provided information from their website indicating sidewalks around properties must be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours of snowfall and they must be maintained to bare pavement.

Trouble is, it’s been one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent memory, so removing snow completely is tricky.

“I put salt down but salt is only effective down to -9 Celsius, -10 Celsius. After that, it’s just a waste,” said Sandau. “Nothing has been down to the concrete or the pavement, including the city streets or their sidewalks,”

He wonders why the city is only going after certain properties.

“As you can see, this is the property line. This is what my sidewalk looked like, and that wasn’t sufficient,” said Sandau, showing the sidewalk beside his property, which is packed down with snow.

He does live on a corner lot and said he is mindful about ensuring there is pedestrian access to the road.

Despite being diligent, he fears what the bill for this work will be.

“This could easily be over $1,000 for something that I’ve been dealing with all winter,” said Sandau.