Cambridge staff ‘definitely are listening’ to snow clearing concerns as council asks for thorough review | CBC News
Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
This winter has been “relentless” for crews tasked with clearing snow from Cambridge streets and sidewalks, but staff say they’re committed to fully reviewing the plethora of concerns that have been raised by residents.
Coun. Helen Shwery brought forward a motion asking staff to fully review winter maintenance for this most recent season given the high number of complaints to the city and councillors.
The motion was discussed Thursday night as part of a special council meeting.
“What I’ve heard from residents is this: Residential roads need to be properly plowed and salted. Some streets have been missed or barely cleaned. There’s been ambulances that were stuck, car accidents, plows have been seen driving with blades lifted, residents waiting for [personal support workers],” Shwery told the meeting.
City manager Rob Axiak told council staff already do reviews on an annual basis, but Shwery said she wanted to see a more in-depth report on what happened in particular this year.
“The operations team are experts, you know, listening to the residents, where the weaknesses are, where you failed, where you can do better. So like you said, you’re already doing it, but I’m encouraging you to maybe do more and then come back with options,” she said.
9 snow events in city this winter
Earlier this month, the E.D. Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo reported January saw twice the average amount of snow in Waterloo region. It was also the fourth highest snowfall accumulation in a January since 1998 with 89 cm of snow by the end of the month.
The amount of snow the region has seen since mid-November has been record-breaking, the weather station report said.
The city acknowledged in January that staff had received hundreds of complaints since snow started falling in November.
The city launched a social media campaign called the Lenny Awards featuring a moose named Lenny and a group of friends. It asked people to nominate neighbours who helped clear snow in their area of the city.
But the campaign used AI-created characters, which was criticized by some in the community, with one person commenting on the city’s Facebook post that it was “ridiculously immature.”
The city has declared nine snow events since November, with four of those being extended beyond the usual 24 hours:
- Nov. 28, extended to Nov. 30.
- Dec. 10.
- Dec. 28.
- Dec. 29, extended to Dec. 31.
- Jan. 5, extended to Jan. 9.
- Jan. 15, extended to Jan. 17.
- Jan. 22.
- Jan. 25.
- Feb. 25.
Councillors have heard ‘massive amounts of concerns’
On Thursday, councillors heard from a number of residents who are upset with snow clearing this winter, saying roads and sidewalks were not being cleared fast enough or taken down to the pavement, and this was impacting their ability to get around.
Coun. Sheri Roberts said she could relate to residents who were upset because, as a person in a wheelchair, “I have not left the house other than in a vehicle since December, except for one day, because I haven’t been able to.”
“If I wasn’t a fortunate person, I was able to get into a car and drive away, that might have meant just not leaving the house at all. And the impact that that has on the mental health of people is profound,” Roberts said. “I’m very thankful that staff is taking this seriously.”
Large amounts of snow this winter have made it difficult to move around, especially for those with accessibility needs. Devin Sisak, founder of Barrier-Free Cambridge, is working to raise awareness about accessibility, especially during the winter months. City councillors are set to vote on a motion to ensure increased and more timely snow removal, following a winter of ongoing concerns about road maintenance and sidewalk safety. If this passes, Sisak says he hopes it means the city will be more accessible for everyone.
Coun. Adam Cooper said in the more than three years he’s been on council, “I’ve never seen such a response in the public to an issue that they care so much about.”
He said that’s why he supported asking staff to do a more in-depth review of winter maintenance.
“It’s because of those massive amounts of concerns that we are OK with dedicating staff time, staff resources to this because they’ve asked for that,” he said.
Axiak said staff were aware of the concerns being raised by residents.
“All the feedback matters and we definitely are listening. Our front-line teams have been working very hard under these difficult conditions. This winter definitely has been relentless,” he said.
He also noted staff “continue to show up every day doing their best to serve the community. I do want to acknowledge and thank them for that dedication at this time.”
Shwery’s motion is asking staff to review this winter’s maintenance in more detail than they have in the past and that the report be ready before the 2026-27 winter season. The motion was passed unanimously.