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Letter: Coquitlam homeowners have to clean up the city's snow mess

Some of us older property owners have reached the stage where we cannot remove the stuff from the sidewalk and our driveway, the Coquitlam resident writes in a letter to the editor.
snow
A city truck removed snow from the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam last Thursday (Jan. 6, 2022).

The Editor:

It is presumed that snow for this season has ended and the city knows there will be time for review of practices before next season.

Everyone has been stressed for the past year over COVID-19, major floods in the B.C. Interior and forest fires.

Supplies have been very slow with major routes being closed and local suppliers have been devastated. Many have closed.

Unfortunately, we have been challenged by the city whereby city snow plows on our street see fit to remove the snow including ice, ice melt and other items onto the sidewalk and our lawns and driveways.

We reside on the upper side of Lansdowne Drive, where there should be no parking when snow removal is to take place. The other side of the street is not impacted by this.

We have resided here since 1980 and can say this service has been completely ignoring the property owners: the taxpayers!

Some of us older property owners have reached the stage where we cannot remove the stuff from the sidewalk and our driveway.

The deposits on the sidewalk from the road are up to three feet high and completely covered. The deposits on our driveway reach as much as 10 feet of snow down toward our garage.

We know that the city will not change their policy here; however, there is a need to take more responsibility to not infringe on the taxpayers to do city work.

The city should have more sidewalk plows but it seems the city does have the means for supplying these sidewalk units for snow removal. The walk around the pool on Lansdowne Drive has been cleared by one unit — stopped well before the school, which remains slippery. 

Mayor Richard Stewart, it was nice to learn you have a snow blower and used it to assist staff on cleaning some walks. Good outing!

- Elwin Mowry, Coquitlam