Valérie Plante argued Monday that it was necessary to reform snow removal in Montreal to prioritize the clearing of sidewalks, while the opposition was worried about the impact of these changes on the speed of clearing of the entire territory.
These days, the municipal administration is presenting to the municipal council the mode of operation that it proposes to adopt for the next 10 years in terms of snow removal. On the agenda: larger territories than before, tighter sidewalk de-icing standards and less power to local districts.
“Not only do we want to ensure the quality of snow removal and loading, but above all to enhance the quality of the pedestrian experience,” explained Valérie Plante, Monday morning at a press briefing. “Climate change, and we see it with the very changing winters, has a major impact on our sidewalks. »
“Pedestrian safety, we don’t want to skimp on that,” she continued. “This is the first criterion, even before fluidity, the sacrosanct fluidity of before. »
Its snow removal manager, Maja Vodanović, assured that the City of Montreal would continue to respect its clearing objectives, which provide that a snow loading operation must take 4.3 days. Currently, it is completed in 3.1 days, according to a municipal document. “It’s a bonus,” assured the elected official.
“A loss of service”
At the beginning of April, the leader of the opposition, Aref Salem, criticized the project.
“They are coming with a snow removal reform which will reduce services for Montrealers,” he argued at a press conference. “Snow removal is at the heart of our lives and must be a priority for a northern metropolis like Montreal. »
“If the City wants to save money, it must look elsewhere and not reduce basic services that are part of its real mission, such as snow removal and emptying,” argued Mr. Salem.
The opposition also criticized the proposal to remove the possibility for local districts to trigger loading operations themselves. “However, the conditions can be different from one district to another. There may be more snow in Montreal North than in Verdun,” observes Christine Black, mayor of Montreal North and member of the opposition.
Jean-François Parenteau, responsible for snow removal within the Plante administration from 2017 to 2021, also takes a harsh look at snow removal reform.
“It’s clear that it’s a loss of service,” argued Mr. Parenteau, in a telephone interview with The Press, affirming that this reform seemed motivated by the desire to save money. The increase in the size of snow removal territories, which would increase from 30 km2 40 km away2will create delays, he predicted: “what took 3-4 days will take 4-5 days”.
reference: www.lapresse.ca