With winter less than a month away, Halifax is promising to do things differently this year.

Winter arrived late in 2015, but it packed a powerful punch once it arrived, leaving a lasting impression on Paul Vienneau, an outspoken critic of how the city handled last year’s cleanup.

“I had a shovel tattooed on my arm as a reminder of last winter,” says Vienneau, who called 311 for help to clear a crosswalk so he could safely cross the street in his wheelchair.

But no one showed up, so Vienneau grabbed a shovel and started chipping away at the snow and ice from his wheelchair.

“Six hours later I finished the job, sitting in the street, doing the lower part of the crosswalk entrance,” he says.

Last winter was among the worst in decades, with above-average snowfall, colder-than-normal temperatures and flash-freezing. Drivers are already preparing for the upcoming season, from buying winter tires to finding parking before the winter parking ban returns.

“Typically we see a lot of interest, but not usually until the first snowfall, then everyone is panicking,” says Corey Busby. “This year we’re seeing more people preparing ahead.”

But it wasn’t just the weather that left people frozen in their tracks; after the snow melted and ice thawed, a review of cleanup efforts gave the city a failing grade.

The city says things will be different this year, including improvements to the 311 feedback line.

“We have a designated call centre agent this year that’s going to be just for snow and ice issues that’s going to streamline those inquiries so there’s not such a delay,” says Trevor Harvey, HRM’s acting snow removal superintendent.

For the first time in HRM, all city vehicles will have tracking devices that indicate which crew is closest to respond.

Vienneau says he is already impressed by the new acting superintendent, who visited him in August to find out what it’s like to navigate city streets in the winter.

“The city has a moral and ethical responsibility to deliver these services in a better way,” he says.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Marie Adsett