2. WINTER OPERATIONS – WINDROW CLEARING

OPÉRATIONS D’HIVER – ÉLIMINATION DES RÉSIDUS EN BORDURE DE ROUTE

commITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council approve the following:

Whereas during City snowplowing operations windrows are left blocking residential driveways, causing significant inconvenience for residents;

Whereas this is of particular concern to our aging population, which is expected to reach 20% by the year 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that:

1. Staff prepare for Transportation Committee and Council a report outlining a pilot project to test various techniques to deal with windrows left by City plows on residential driveways, and that the funding for this pilot project be considered during the 2007 budget review.

2. That staff prepare for Transportation Committee and Council, for consideration for the 2007 Budget process, a report with a proposal to assist seniors and people with disabilities with snow clearing, based on Option 3:

(a) Whereby the City provides a subsidy to seniors and people with disabilities based upon either a flat rate or an application for subsidy based upon actual costs; and

(b) Whereby the City provides funding to Agency (s) from the tax base for the coordination of the supply and delivery of snow clearing services similar to the Snow-Go Program subsidized by the former City of Ottawa.

Recommandation DU COMITÉ

Que le Conseil approuve la résolution suivante :

Attendu qu’au cours des opérations de déneigement de la Ville, des amas de neige sont laissés devant les entrées de cour résidentielles et obstruent celles-ci, ce qui cause des inconvénients importants aux résidents;

Attendu que cette question préoccupe tout particulièrement nos aînés, dont le nombre atteindra 20 % en 2021;

Il est donc résolu que :

1. Le personnel prépare un rapport pour le Comité des transports et le Conseil. Ce rapport exposera les grandes lignes d’un projet pilote pour expérimenter diverses techniques pour régler la question des amas de neige laissés par les chasse-neige de la Ville devant les entrées de cour résidentielles et que le financement pour ce projet pilote soit pris en compte au cours de l’étude du budget 2007.

2. Le personnel prépare un rapport pour le Comité des transports et le Conseil, devant servir à l’étude du budget de 2007, lequel comporte une recommandation visant à accorder une aide au déneigement pour les aînés et les personnes handicapées, sur la base de l’Option 3 :

(a) par laquelle le Conseil accorde une aide financière aux aînés et aux personnes handicapées, sur la base d’un montant fixe ou d’une demande d’aide financière fondée sur les coûts réels;

(b) par laquelle la Ville offre une aide financière aux organismes à même le produit de la taxe générale pour la coordination des services de déneigement similaires à ceux du Programme Snow-Go de l’ancienne Ville d’Ottawa.

Documentation

1. Transportation Committee report dated 2 March 2006 (ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0002)

2. Extract of Minutes, 15 February 2006.

Report to / Rapport au :

Council / Conseil

2 March 2006 / le 2 mars 2006

Submitted by / Soumis par : Transportation Committee / Comité des transports

Contact / Personne-ressource : Anne-Marie Leung, Committee Coordinator /

Coordonnatrice du comité,

Transportation Committee / Comité des transports

580-2424, Ext. / poste : 21385, Anne-Marie.Leung@ottawa.ca

CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

Ref N°: ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0002

SUBJECT: WINTER OPERATIONS – WINDROW CLEARING

OBJET : OPÉRATIONS D’HIVER – ÉLIMINATION DES RÉSIDUS EN BORDURE DE ROUTE

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council approve the following resolution:

Whereas during City snowplowing operations windrows are left blocking residential driveways, causing significant inconvenience for residents;

Whereas this is of particular concern to our aging population, which is expected to reach 20% by the year 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that:

(a) Whereby the City provides a subsidy to seniors and people with disabilities based upon either a flat rate or an application for subsidy based upon actual costs; and

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Que le Conseil approuve la résolution suivante :

Attendu que cette question préoccupe tout particulièrement nos aînés, dont le nombre atteindra 20 % en 2021;

Il est donc résolu que :

BACKGROUND

At its meeting held on 15 February 2006, the Transportation Committee considered the following motion brought forward by Councillor Alex Cullen:

Whereas during City snowplowing operations windrows are left blocking residential driveways, causing significant inconvenience for residents;

Whereas this is of particular concern to our aging population, which is expected to reach 20% by the year 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that staff prepare for Transportation Committee and Council a report outlining a pilot project to test various techniques to deal with windrows left by City plows on residential driveways, and that the funding for this pilot project be considered during the 2007 budget review.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The Acting Deputy City Manager, Department of Public Works and Services, in his report back to Committee and Council would provide estimated costs for the pilot project and the proposed option to assist seniors and people with disabilities with snow clearing.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 PowerPoint Presentation provided by Staff to the Transportation Committee at its meeting held on 15 February 2006 (Previously distributed and on file with the City Clerk)

DISPOSITION

Following Council approval, the Acting Deputy City Manager, Public Works and Services to take appropriate action.

WINTER OPERATIONS - WINDROW CLEARING

OPÉRATIONS D'HIVER - ÉLIMINATION DES RÉSIDUS EN BORDURE DE ROUTE CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

Councillor Cullen introduced his motion, noting that windrows have been a problem for many years and complaints have been raised several times throughout the years, particularly by seniors. He noted that the recent changes to our weather, particularly the increased occurrence of freeze/thaw episodes, have resulted in windrows that are often formed of solid ice and are very difficult or impossible for seniors to navigate. He further pointed out that some cities are able to deal with the issue of windrows through a variety of techniques, and therefore his motion suggests that staff carry out a pilot project based on some of the best practices in other municipalities in order to find out the viable options for Ottawa and their associated costs. The Councillor went on to note the numerous correspondence that the Committee has received on this subject, all of which is listed below and is held on file with the City Clerk, and further pointed out that the following residents had attended this meeting with the intent to speak in support of the motion on the Agenda, but were unable to stay: Robert Taylor, Cyril Winter, and Barbara Lajeunesse.

The Committee received the following correspondence, a copy of which is on file with the City Clerk:

1. Email from Lloyd Adams sent 19 January 2006.

2. Email from Councillor Alex Cullen sent 10 February 2006.

3. Email from Bill and Agnes Davis sent 7 February 2006.

4. Email from Ray Drouin sent 21 January 2006.

5. Email from Hugh Elliott sent 26 January 2006.

6. Email from Linda Hoad, President, Hintonburg Community Association sent 9 February 2006.

7. Email from Bob Kingsbury sent 13 February 2006.

8. Email from Raun Kipp sent 19 January 2006.

9. Email from Albert Klein sent 11 February 2006.

10. Email from Glenn Langford dated 19 January 2006.

11. Email from Chris Leggett sent 19 January 2006.

12. Email from Anna Lenk sent 25 January 2006.

13. Email from Wilma A. Matchett sent 19 January 2006.

14. Email from Karen E McCallum sent 19 January 2006.

15. Emails from Hana McMahon sent 21 and 22 January 2006.

16. Email from Elizabeth Mundell sent 20 January 2006.

17. Email from E Reumiller sent 19 January 2006.

18. Email from Jason Smith sent 19 January 2006.

19. Email from Robert Taylor sent 7 February 2006.

20. Memorandum from Coordinator, Seniors Advisory Committee dated 13 February 2006.

Appearing before Committee to make a presentation on the issue was John Manconi, Director of Surface Operations, Public Works and Services (PWS). A copy of the PowerPoint Presentation provided by Mr. Manconi is held on file with the City Clerk. In summarizing, Mr. Manconi advised the following:

Ø There are no new equipment advances that can address driveway snow windrows;

Ø The findings of the Snow Gate Pilot of 2003 (reference ACS2003-TUP-SOP-0005-IPD) are still valid;

Ø Other cities have options that can address this issue;

Ø The following four Service Level Options exist, but should Transportation Committee choose to alter current service levels, the PWS Department would recommend Option 3 or 4 for 2007 / 2008 implementation:

1. Municipality clears ALL driveway windrows

2. Municipality clears windrows from driveways for seniors and those with disability

a) Tax supported city-wide; service provided to seniors and those with disability only;

b) Service provided to seniors and those with disability based upon Full Cost User Pay System

3. Municipality provides seniors and those with disability with financial assistance

a) Subsidy to seniors/disabled (flat rate or apply for subsidy based upon actual costs);

b) Snow Go Concept – City provides funding to Agency(s) from tax base for supply and delivery of service.

4. Municipality does not provide any form of windrow clearing.

The Committee then heard the following delegations:

Pierre Drouin, representing the Seniors Advisory Committee (SAC) noted that the following motion was approved by the SAC at its meeting of 1 February 2006:

“Whereas many seniors have difficulty clearing snow windrows left by City ploughs on their driveways;

And whereas there may be cost effective ways to reduce the size of windrows in driveways to help residents;

And whereas the Seniors Advisory committee supports the Snow Go Program as one potential program to direct assistance to seniors to deal with snow clearing and windrows;

Therefore the Seniors Advisory Committee endorses Councillor Cullen’s motion to the Transportation Committee to direct staff to develop a pilot project to test various techniques to eliminate snow windrows left by city ploughs.”

He provided written material in support of Councillor Cullen’s motion that touched on the following topics:

- Statistics regarding the substantial percentage of seniors in the City, their annual income, health related details and etcetera;

- The motion calls only for a pilot project, which means it would be affordable, as it is a temporary initiative, to be localized to specific areas and could be limited to certain techniques rather than all techniques used elsewhere. This would serve as a valid basis for future consideration of these measures.

- The project falls within the City’s priorities related to road and sidewalk maintenance;

- Snow windrows could be considered a barrier, and as such, the prevention and removal of windrows could be considered as further commitment on the part of the City of Ottawa towards the Municipal Accessibility Plan.

- Projects of this type are not new; this pilot could enhance the information that has already been obtained from similar projects.

- The information obtained from other municipalities may serve to reduce the cost of this pilot by giving an advanced look at what has worked for other areas, what would be viable given this City’s weather conditions, and some of the associated cost implications.

A copy of Mr. Drouin’s submission in its entirety is held on file with the City Clerk.

When asked by Councillor Cullen, Mr. Manconi advised that the Snow-Go Program had a cost of approximately $26,000, and the program worked with agencies such as The Good Companions Centre, the Olde Forge Community Resource Centre, and Ottawa Seniors Support, among others to match up people that were able to provide snow clearing service for those people who needed it and were unable to do it themselves.

Mr. Drouin, when asked by the Councillor, confirmed that the Snow-Go Program was quite important to many seniors as many of them depend on the ‘Meals-On-Wheels’ Program, which in turn often relied on the Snow-Go Program to clear the driveways of its clients so it could make the deliveries.

In response to questions from Councillor Bédard, Mr. Manconi recommended that the City should not spend time, energy and money on trying other technologies because there is nothing new out there. He felt that if the City implements a Windrow Clearing Program, adopting such practices as the Snow-Go Program, the private sector would respond positively. He suggested that, with the Snow-Go concept, Council has two issues to consider: 1.) If Council would prefer a citywide Snow-Go Program along the lines of the model previously used, or 2.) If Council would prefer a Snow-Go Program with a subsidy. Either way, staff was under the impression they would be reporting back on a citywide Snow-Go Program, but could provide information on costing as a subsidy program with eligibility criteria. He pointed out that the Committee would have to provide direction on the nature of the pilot project. When asked by the Councillor about the costs of snow clearing associated with a typical snowfall, Mr. Manconi advised that a 20-centimetre snowfall, with all activities in, costs approximately three and half million dollars to clear.

In response to questions from Councillor McRae, Mr. Manconi stated that his recommendation, with respect to the 4 service level options previously noted, would be that the Committee choose option 3(b), with the understanding that the Snow-Go Program would be citywide, involving all agencies willing to participate, and it would be Council’s discretion as to whether to attach a subsidy to the program. When asked by the Councillor about how the private sector would be brought in to this, Mr. Manconi responded that part of the process in preparing the report back to Committee would include dialogue with the private sector. He felt that the private sector either has the capacity now or will build the capacity to partake in this project and provide the service. He recommended that the Committee and Council give staff direction to include the private sector in this consultation, if they so desired.

Catherine Gardner was unsure why the City would want to spend the money to carry out a pilot project if it has already been done in other areas. She noted that she is a person with a disability and is responsible for clearing her own laneway or securing help to do it, but she pointed out that a major concern for her is not being able to use the sidewalks or get to a bus because of unclear, unsafe sidewalk conditions. She would like to see the areas around bus stops better cleared of snow and ice, and not just residential homes.

Mark MacKenzie, Chairman, Ottawa Snow Contractors Alliance (OSCA) explained that OSCA is comprised of a group of companies that are in the business of clearing residential laneways of snow, also noting that tens of thousands of windrows would be cleared by OSCA in one day. He noted the changes to the City’s snow clearing policies that have occurred over the years, not all of which he agrees with. In particular, he felt that the City is not sticking to its ‘7 cm’ policy with respect to the clearing of residential streets, and is actually ploughing more often than is necessary, leading to an increase in the number and/or size of snow dumps in those areas. With respect to the proposed motion, Mr. MacKenzie advised that there would be a serious impact on the businesses of private snow contractors if the City were to take on windrow removal, since windrow removal makes up a very substantial part of OSCA’s service. He advised that OSCA would like to work with City staff on an agreeable solution to both parties if such a project is implemented. He agreed with Mr. Manconi that the proper technology does not exist right now to plough snow without creating windrows, but he felt that the industry could make some small modifications with the technology that is being used now to make the process more efficient and beneficial to everyone. Mr. Mackenzie has put forth a proposal to TRC that would address laneway windrow removal by the private sector, a test that would be carried out by Appleseed Snowblowing, for whom he works, would concentrate on a specified area, using modified equipment, and would cost the City approximately $6,000. All of this information is explained in detail in the package Mr. Mackenzie provided Committee, a copy of which is held on file with the City Clerk.

When asked by Councillor Cullen, Mr. Mackenzie confirmed that the equipment used by Appleseed Snowblowing is a farm-type tractor with a reverse blower on the back, meaning the auger is facing the wheels. This allows the machine to pull the snow from the driveway being cleared towards the street and blow it onto the property. Likewise, to remove windrows, they are pulled further onto the street and are then blown back onto the driveway. The modification to these tractors would make that process more efficient. In response to the Councillor, Mr. Mackenzie advised that it takes less than a minute to clear a driveway and remove a windrow.

When asked by Councillor McRae, Mr. Mackenzie advised that he would support staff consultation with the business community to determine if a hybrid of service level 3 (a) and (b) would work, as he acknowledged that different solutions are required for the snow removal of the different areas of the City. When asked by the Councillor how OSCA could work with the City via the Snow-Go or Windrow Removal Program, Mr. Mackenzie stated that OSCA would very much like to work with the City, but noted that the cost per driveway clearing would be much lower and the process much simpler if every driveway were to be cleared rather than selected ones. He agreed with the Councillor that staff should conduct extensive consultation with the business community about these sorts of issues.

When asked by Councillor Bloess, Mr. Mackenzie advised that there is currently no communication between the City and private snow contractors with respect to advising each other of snow ploughing / removal times for specific areas. As such, a resident may have his/her lane cleared by the contractor, only to be left with a snow dump or windrow if the City comes through after the fact to plough the street. This additional call to the contractor to remove that snow may or may not be part of the contract between that resident and the contractor, although many contractors will perform the service free of charge for the sake of good public relations and customer service. The proposal that Appleseed Blowing has put forth would look for that coordination of schedules between the contractor and the City to avoid such problems.

The delegations having been heard, the Committee entered discussion and debate on the item.

Councillor Cullen was unsure if Committee would be willing to support his motion concerning the pilot project, but he felt strongly that a pilot should be conducted to see how many people, particularly seniors and the disabled would benefit from such a program and to thereby determine what the actual cost would be. Further, he noted that the Snow-Go Program had been a very beneficial and cost-efficient one, and he introduced the following motion, as a stand-alone motion, in addition to that already on the Agenda:

That staff prepare a report to Transportation Committee with a proposal to assist seniors and people with disabilities with snow clearing, based on Option 3 – investigating the option of subsidizing seniors/disabled, and/or the previous City of Ottawa Snow-Go Program, for consideration for the 2007 Budget process.

Councillor Bédard did not support the motion concerning the pilot project as he felt there was no point in it, since the City already has all of the information it needs, and he felt that the money could be better used elsewhere. He did, however, support the motion concerning the Snow-Go Program, noting that it was a very beneficial program when previously in operation and was relatively low cost.

Chair Stavinga asked for clarifications concerning the motions. Staff confirmed that the report on the pilot would look at Options 3 (a) and (b), and / or a combination of both. With respect to the Snow-Go Program, the Chair noted that she did not support the retention of the program during budget deliberations because of concerns with it not being provided citywide, and because some areas of the City were able to operate a similar type of program without City funding. Councillor Cullen pointed out that staff would build on the concept of the former Snow-Go Program. In response to the Chair’s concerns about costs, staff confirmed that the report back to Committee would include detailed information regarding costs and all other aspects of the program, which Committee and Council would have to vote on before staff would proceed further.

In response to questions from Councillor McRae, Councillor Cullen noted that is understood by the motion, and Mr. Manconi agreed, that the report regarding Option 3 would include consultation with the business community.

The Committee then considered the following motion:

Moved by Councillor A. Cullen:

That staff prepare a report to Transportation Committee and Council with a proposal to assist seniors and people with disabilities with snow clearing, based on Option 3 – investigating the option of subsidizing seniors/disabled, and/or the previous City of Ottawa Snow-Go Program, for consideration for the 2007 Budget process.

CARRIED

The Committee then considered the motion contained within the Agenda, as follows:

Moved by Councillor A. Cullen:

Whereas during City snowploughing operations windrows are left blocking residential driveways, causing significant inconvenience for residents;

Whereas this is of particular concern to our aging population, which is expected to reach 20% by the year 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that staff prepare for Transportation Committee and Council a report outlining a pilot project to test various techniques to deal with windrows left by City ploughs on residential driveways, and that the funding for this pilot project be considered during the 2007 budget review.

CARRIED

YEAS (4): Councillors R. Bloess, A. Cullen, C. Doucet, M. McRae

NAYS (2): Councillors G. Bédard, J. Stavinga

*Note: Following the meeting, the text of Councillor Cullen’s motions was slightly revised to provide further clarification. The following recommendation was forwarded to City Council for its consideration on 8 March 2006 in Report ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0002 dated 2 March 2006:

That Council approve the following resolution:

Whereas during City snowplowing operations windrows are left blocking residential driveways, causing significant inconvenience for residents;

Whereas this is of particular concern to our aging population, which is expected to reach 20% by the year 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that:

(a) Whereby the City provides a subsidy to seniors and people with disabilities based upon either a flat rate or an application for subsidy based upon actual costs; and

(b) Whereby the City provides funding to Agency (s) from the tax base for the coordination of the supply and delivery of snow clearing services similar to the Snow-Go Program subsidized by the former City of Ottawa.