'You couldn't shovel it out': Some Edmontonians turning to private contractors for windrow clearing

Complaints about the windrows left behind after city crews completed residential blading have given some local contractors a boost in business.

Darren Chambers, a Bobcat operator who does snow removal in the winter and landscaping in the summer, says he usually gets about 20 calls to remove windrows in a season.

This year, he's getting that number every week.

"People need parking, and the city wasn't providing it, so they're calling private contractors," Chambers told CTV News Edmonton.

He charges $50 for two or more houses to simply push and pile windrows off the road and sidewalk onto a front lawn, or $75 to haul them away.

Chambers says it takes merely 10 to 15 minutes to clear a windrow away for the majority of calls.

"The works there and the city didn't want to remove (them)," he said. "So we're out there doing it for them, and we're getting paid.

"It doesn't take long to do."

Anibal Silva ended up contracting Chambers to clear a massive windrow that extended over his sidewalk.

"I left it to see if I could clear it out myself, but it got too hard," Silva said.

Silva said the windrows around his home took away needed street parking and that they were causing water to pool on his sidewalk, which would turn to ice overnight.

"You couldn't shovel it out," he added. "It was all ice clumps."

For him, paying Chambers to clear the windrow was a small price for ease of mind.

"It was awesome," Silva said. "Without him, I see it all over the place, and what are you going to do? You need a Bobcat to do it, so there's no other choice, or wait for summer or springtime to thaw it away."