Sidewalk snow clearing expectations outlined in Saskatoon – Saskatoon

As the chilly weather rolls back into Saskatchewan, many Saskatoon residents will be expected to clear their sidewalks as the snow falls.

Residential sidewalks are expected to be cleared by residents in Saskatoon within 48 hours after a snowfall.

The city of Saskatoon says snow needs to be thrown onto the property and not on the street.

Businesses in Saskatoon are expected to have sidewalks cleared within 24 hours after a snowfall, with the city adding that sidewalks should have at least 1.2 metres wide of clearance with minimal snow pack.

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Uncleared sidewalks can be reported to Bylaw Compliance at 306-657-8766, which will issue a bylaw notice if necessary that requires a sidewalk to be cleared within 48 hours. If that snow isn’t cleared, residents could be charged on their property tax notice.

Leanne DeLong, manager of Bylaw Compliance, said that they are looking for sidewalks to be clear enough and wide enough that a wheelchair could pass through.

When asked if there was support for people with disabilities or the elderly to get sidewalks cleared, DeLong said they rely heavily on community members.

“We really rely on community members and good neighbours to reach out to their neighbours to see if they need help, and help out a friend in need, become a snow angel,” DeLong said.

She couldn’t give an exact number, but said the city received thousands of calls last year about uncleared sidewalks.

DeLong said the intention of this bylaw is to create safe situations for anyone using the sidewalk.

The transportation and utilities department of Saskatoon issued a guideline for sidewalk snow clearing, giving examples of both compliant and non-compliant sidewalks.

“A ‘cleared sidewalk’ is one in which there is visible evidence that effort has been taken to clear the sidewalk subsequent to the most recent snow event and has a cleared path width of at least 1.2 metres,” the guideline said.

“Cleared sidewalks will be free of any loose snow or debris and must not present a hazard nor be a hindrance to pedestrian traffic regardless of their mobility. A packed surface is acceptable as long as the aforementioned conditions are met and the packed thickness does not exceed three centimetres.”

In case of a large windrow or snow pile caused by graders and plows overlapping onto the sidewalk, residents can call the city’s customer call centre at 306-975-2476 to arrange to have it removed by city crews.

The city said sidewalks next to city-owned facilities, pedestrian overpasses, bridge walkways and high-pedestrian sidewalks downtown with trees and landscaping will be cleared by the city when it snows more than five centimetres.

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