Now that the rains have returned, snow is melting and people are getting back to their daily routines, an assessment on how to better handle future winter storms has begun.
The topic of snow removal will be at the top of the agenda of the regional district transportation meeting on Jan. 12 at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public at the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) office.
"I hope it will be a non-blaming kind of conversation," said SCRD board chair Donna Shugar.
Shugar experienced blocked roads to her home in Roberts Creek and garbage pick-up mayhem. She had to abandon her car and hike from the ferry to a waiting car at a safe distance from the big hill. She also spent part of New Year's Eve day "waiting for a bus that never came."
"We will debrief the situation having all players there: area directors, transit, Capilano Highways . We need to look at it and evaluate it and make the system work better, the communication and the nitty gritty of it," she added.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons said he plans to attend the transportation meeting.
"This was an unusual event and it is appropriate to review the agreement between the provincial government and the private contractor," he said. "We did get schmucked like we've never been schmucked before. I know the plows were out there and they were trying hard."
Paul Fenwick, manager of community services for the regional district said the SCRD fielded many complaints from frustrated citizens who mistakenly thought the SCRD was responsible for road clearing.
"People are expressing their displeasure through electoral areas, but we are not responsible for the roads, or drainage either," he said.
Gibsons resident Frances Proctor is frustrated with recent events and was one of several residents who contacted Coast Reporter with her concerns. In a letter to the editor she said, "Hough Road has not seen a garbage truck since Dec. 11. Does the SCRD intend to reimburse residents for services not received?
Anger that the road to Dakota Ridge winter recreation area was cleared while many people were still stuck in their homes was misdirected, Fenwick said.
"We don't own a snow plow. The RD had an alternative approval process and grants to develop Dakota Ridge," Fenwick said, adding they used part of an approved budget to hire a contractor to clear the road to the recreation destination.
Steve Drummond from Capilano Highway Services Co. is responsible for clearing roads on the Sunshine Coast with the exception of the municipalities. He said the Ministry of Transportation gave Capilano Highways a lump sum of money for a 10-year contract.
"Our employees have sacrificed holiday time and gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep the roads open," Drummond said. "Some of them were calling it the 44-year winter because they haven't seen snow like this since 1964."
Drummond said his staff worked 24/7 for much of the last three weeks. He said former employees and retired employees were brought in or phoned him to offer help. Some transit drivers even offered their time and came in on days off to help with snow clearing.
Drummond's equipment for the recent storms included nine snowplows, about six sub-contractors, four loaders, two backhoes, extra equipment he brought down from Whistler when they weren't using it, and a grader.
Drummond said they follow a protocol when it comes to deciding where to plow first and that begins with the highway and bus routes to ensure that "supplies for commerce could get through to the gas station and grocery stores and so people can commute to work safely. The highway is critical."
Responding to a number of criticisms of his service, Drummond said he believes his company can handle the contract, one of the smallest of the province's 28 contracts, but he said people need to remember the storms over the last few weeks were out of the norm.
"With a storm like this, everyone has to band together. We're meeting the contract, but it takes some time," he said.
Drummond said people cannot expect roads to be completely bare in situations like the Coast just experienced, and they are not required by law to make them so. He stressed the importance of having appropriate tires on private vehicles and public transit buses.
Overall, Sunshine Coast RCMP was happy with people's behaviour. "Although the roads have been bad, the motoring public has been slowing down or staying at home. This has helped to keep accidents to a minimum of what we might expect," Sgt. Stuart Falebrinza said. Bylaw services in Sechelt and Gibsons reported several complaints about cars parked on streets and snow-covered walkways, but neither has given out any tickets, just reminders and phone calls to motivate people to follow through on snow removal.
Regional directors' phones have been ringing off the hook. Eric Graham in Area A (Pender Harbour/Egmont) said he had more than 50 calls from frustrated people blocked in by snow.
"I think highways have done the best they can with the money allotted to them, but it was a disaster, and it's a story that needs to be told," Graham said.
Lee Turnbull, director for Area F (West Howe Sound) said Langdale Heights still had no bus service on Jan. 5 and questioned whether the ferry terminal road was being cleared in time for motorists to make it safely to and from the ferry. "It was a disaster out here," said Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr. "They tried to do the job, but it wasn't adequate. People had to count on neighbours to get out."
In the municipalities, Paul Gipps, chief administrative officer for the Town of Gibsons, said, "We are mostly caught up. Arterials and connectors are fine, and we are widening smaller local roads. It was a hard go with lots and lots of overtime for our crew. We spent more than two times the budget in snow clearing in 2008."
Ken Tang, director of engineering for the District of Sechelt, also said they spent double the amount on snow clearing, but final numbers were yet to be tallied as crews continue working.
"They've been on shifts of 12 hours, mostly sanding and some clearing. They gave up their own family time [over the holidays] to provide safety to the community," Tang said. "We've had no complaints about garbage pick-up, but cars parked on the side of the road have made it harder for the grader to clear."
With heavy rains this week, road crews have been busy making sure catch basins are open and working to ensure flooding does not affect the community at large.
Sunshine Coast Transit manager Brian Sagman said people should phone 604-885-6899 for routine updates on bus service rather than checking their website. He also said he hopes to improve communication with the public and anticipate how service might be affected when weather systems are expected.
