Cartmell town hall fields questions, frustrations with Edmonton's snow removal strategy
Cartmell town hall fields questions, frustrations with Edmonton's snow removal strategy
A city councillor says he's heard Edmontonians' concerns about this year's snow removal "loud and clear," especially when it comes to improving communication about neighbourhood blading.
On Wednesday evening, Tim Cartmell hosted an online town hall to gather feedback about snow and ice control. He plans to bring that information to city administration in a meeting Thursday.
"I want to hear all of the concerns that people may have," he told CTV News Edmonton before the event.
"I want to understand all of these specific anecdotes that become generalized problems," Cartmell added, who represents Ward pihêsiwin. "There's absolutely a lot of room for improvement. We absolutely don't want people wrongly ticketed."
Dozens attended the approximately two-hour event and voiced frustrations ranging from the city not putting up signs that plows were coming into their neighbourhoods to the frequency that streets are cleared.
This year, the city implemented a new notification system to better inform residents by text or email when neighbourhood snow removal was starting. Several people expressed concerns that despite signing up for the service, they never received notice once the parking ban was declared.
"My advice to administration is going to be that we need to be very, very clear about the fact that bans are in place," Cartmell said. "And be very, very clear about what form of notifications people can expect and, just frankly, how reliable those forms of communication are going to be."
One Edmontonian shared that they enrolled to receive text messages for their home but were ticketed after they parked in front of a friend's place across the city during the parking ban.
"That is a tough one," Cartmell said in response.
"If you are not in your home neighbourhood and you have no idea if this neighbourhood is about to be plowed or isn't, how do we allow you to be informed about that," he mused.
Another person asked Cartmell if the city would implement a "grace" period for those who received tickets, given the number of issues with parking ban notifications.
"The last thing — and I am sure my council colleagues would agree with this — we want to see is for a lot of people to get tickets," Cartmell responded, adding that he doubted the city would waive tickets.
"What we really want to see is for cars to be out of the way so that the plows can do the job quickly, carefully and correctly, and then once that work is done, people can go back to parking on the street and not have to wait for a full 10- or 12-day ban to expire."
Coun. Tim Cartmell speaks with CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (CTV News Edmonton/Matt Marshall).
A town hall attendee proposed the idea of city crews stacking snow cleared from residential roads in stormwater ponds to save on the cost of carting it to distant snow storage yards.
Cartmell acknowledged he asked that same question at a recent committee meeting with Epcor and city officials, saying that could go against environmental regulations.
"I am going to dig into that hard," Cartmell said. "Because I feel like we are way over-engineering this thing and way over-analyzing this thing."
Another person questioned the councillor on why St. Albert can clear roadways to near-bare pavement without creating massive windrows.
Cartmell said the neighbouring community's wider boulevards save it money by not having to move the cleared snow away.
Someone else asked if any city crews visit a neighbourhood before plows move through to assess if blading is even required.
"I don't think they do," the city councillor said. "I think we pull the trigger on plowing every road in Edmonton, and then we go and plow every road in Edmonton, whether it needs it or not, and I don't think that's right."
U.S. President Joe Biden has made it to Canada, as part of his first official visit since taking office. Alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden will be meeting with top officials and addressing Parliament in an effort to reaffirm the strength of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
Canada's restaurant industry is bracing for the biggest jump in the country's alcohol excise duty in more than 40 years, spurring warnings the tax hike could force some bars and restaurants out of business.
Pride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ2S+ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season.
The idea of using firing squads is making a comeback in the U.S. Idaho lawmakers passed a bill this week seeking to add the state to the list of those authorizing firing squads, currently Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
With Calgary Board of Education students set to kick off spring break once the final bell rings Friday afternoon, some Calgarians are eager to leave the country in pursuit of warmer weather with their families.
U.S. President Joe Biden has made it to Canada, as part of his first official visit since taking office. Alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden will be meeting with top officials and addressing Parliament in an effort to reaffirm the strength of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
An alleged victim of a former staff member of Legacy Christian Academy can now be identified after she successfully petitioned in court to have a publication ban lifted.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s provincial budget, school divisions in Saskatchewan were expecting funding levels to increase, with the province repeatedly touting its $1 billion surplus.
A recent report from the province’s privacy commissioner says the Métis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan Inc. (MACSI) failed to take appropriate steps after patient treatment files were discovered in a recycling bin.
The Tim Houston PC government remains firm in their promise they'll fix the health-care system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous government before.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Toronto Coun. Josh Matlow broke council’s code of conduct by criticizing two public employees on Twitter before retaliating against one of them after she filed a complaint, the city’s integrity commissioner has found.
With fares set to increase in a matter of days, a new report has found that Torontonians are already paying more than residents in most other cities for transit when compared to average incomes.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
For the first time, the owner of a building in Old Montreal has responded to questions about the fire — through his lawyer — addressing allegations that the building was unsafe.
Montreal police say they don't think they'll find more than seven bodies in the rubble of an Old Montreal building that caught fire eight days ago. Police told reporters today they don't have reports of more people missing, adding that it's "improbable" there are more than seven victims.
Ottawa residents are being told to expect road closures, transit delays and heightened security in the downtown core today, as U.S. President Joe Biden continues his visit to the capital. Here's what you need to know about Biden's second day in Ottawa.
U.S. President Joe Biden has made it to Canada, as part of his first official visit since taking office. Alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden will be meeting with top officials and addressing Parliament in an effort to reaffirm the strength of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
The ‘Catch the Ace’ jackpot is still up for grabs in Hagersville. There was no winner Thursday night so the total prize money is now an estimated $1,526,067.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
Manitoba First Nation police have arrested a man connected with a shooting on March 19 on Long Plain First Nation that resulted in the community going on lockdown.
U.S. President Joe Biden has made it to Canada, as part of his first official visit since taking office. Alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden will be meeting with top officials and addressing Parliament in an effort to reaffirm the strength of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
A series of ancient landslides have been “reawakened” in British Columbia's Cariboo region, costing hundreds of millions in federal disaster assistance funds and prompting warnings that logging is connected to the problem.
A first-of-its kind study in British Columbia suggests salmon hatcheries could improve survival rates by optimizing the weight of the juvenile fish and the timing of their release.
A Victoria man’s life of crime has turned into one of survival, hope and advocacy amid ongoing conversations in the community about how best to tackle public safety matters.
Coun. Tim Cartmell speaks with CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (CTV News Edmonton/Matt Marshall).
