Clearing the snow off sidewalks is a city responsibility. Citizens eases her walker right outside city hall.

By Pepper Parr

February 14, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON

While city council meeting as a Standing Committee, was listening to delegations on everything from culture, to economic develop and the removal of snow – older people who need walkers, pushed their devices through slush and snow on the sidewalk outside city hall.

Sidewalk clearing outside city hall a little on the patchy side. Sidewalk across the street, outside a commercial location didn’t have as much as as snowflake on the ground.

While at the same time, on the other side of the street, directly across from city hall, outside a commercial establishment there wasn’t as much as a snow flake on the sidewalk.

The yakety, yak, yak, yak puts pay cheques in the bank account of the more than 25 city hall bureaucrats who were in council chambers – but for some reason no one was able to find or direct even one of the 1000+ employees to get a shovel and clear the side-walk.

This citizen isn’t smiling. Was she one of the hundreds that were basically locked in their homes during the five days of heavy winter weather because streets were not cleared?

It would be nice to say that words are cheap – they actually cost us quite a bit.  The action was so easy but you see most of the senior bureaucrats, and the politicians for that matter go out a different door, the back door and they don`t see the state of Brant Street  because their cars are parked right outside the building.  The bureaucrats have to walk across the road to the indoor parking lot.

We heard during the delegations that clearing of the sidewalks is a city responsibility.  Yeah right!