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Chilliwack council looking at how to increase the snow removal budget

Citizens have been calling city hall and demanding changes to allow plowing of residential side streets
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City Hall has been inundated with calls and complaints about the lack of plowing in residential neighbourhoods and side streets.

Citizens have been calling City Hall for days demanding more snow clearing on residential side streets.

Council is about to look seriously at the possibility of increasing their snow removal resources, equipment and contractors to better meet the future demand, The Progress has learned.

"If this extreme snow event is any indication of long-term changes to our weather patterns, we will want to be ready with the resources necessary," said Mayor Sharon Gaetz.

"So we have asked staff to look at how we can do that."

The bulk of residents' complaints to city hall in the past few days have been about side streets not getting plowed.

They've been heard loud and clear and they'll be looking at how they do business of snow and ice removal at city hall, and what might be helpful in terms of future budgeting.

They had 78 people on snow removal duty, with two plowing/sanding crew shifts of 35 people each, as well as contractors and parks staff clearing park areas.

"So all hands were on deck," said the mayor.

It wasn't enough.

"We might need more hands and more equipment."

It's going to get a review by senior staff before coming to council.

"We don't want to see another year like this," Gaetz said.



Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering the arts, city hall, as well as Indigenous, and climate change stories.
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