Editor:
On Saturday I walked up the highway in Gibsons around 3 p.m. By then no more snow was falling, and my neighbours and I had cleared our driveways and, where applicable, our sidewalks. By the time I got to Gibsons Park Plaza, I was ready to share my experience publicly, so I borrowed a pen and began making notes as I walked back down the road. I had a “nice” list, which, thankfully, was quite long, and a “naughty” list that should have been empty.
My nice list’s sidewalks were properly cleared, even though one property was an empty lot and another was a vacant business.
In front of the properties on my naughty list, I met parents trying to push strollers through the mess on the sidewalks and others holding tight to the hands of small children. There is no valid excuse for what I experienced.
Whatever steps the Town takes to “encourage” businesses to clear their sidewalks, I can tell you, it is not working. Last year I noticed that the same establishments took no care to clear sidewalks, so this is not a one-off. The rest of us should not be held hostage in our homes while we wait for the sun to melt several inches of snow.
I appreciate those who either grabbed a shovel themselves or paid someone to make sure those of us on foot could get around. To those who did nothing, I suggest you put someone on retainer to clear your sidewalks. It will cost you much less than the lawsuit I will slap you with if I fall due to your negligence and hopefully less than what the Town will bill you when the Town starts taking its responsibility here seriously, which I hope it will do immediately.
Audrey Owen, Gibsons
