Pedestrians in the Halifax area are expressing concerns about messy sidewalks still covered in snow and ice, two days after a major storm swept through the region.
The Halifax Regional Municipality has taken on the responsibility of clearing sidewalks this year, but many sidewalks are still a sheet of ice.
Darrin Natolino of HRM Winter Works says the nature of the storm made it difficult for crews to tackle the sidewalks.
“The conditions that were encountered were certainly challenging and continue to be a challenge,” he says.
Coun. Linda Mosher tabled the motion to have sidewalks cleared by HRM and it passed, by a vote of nine-to-eight.
“I agree it’s a safety issue but it’s not an issue because we started to add sidewalks,” says Mosher.
“It’s an issue because of rapid freeze and the amount of time our crews had to clear it and it was a perfect combination of the worst-case scenario that we could have.”
Coun. Jennifer Watts says she was against the idea of HRM taking over sidewalk clearing from the beginning.
“I personally believe that residents can do a much better job at clearing their sidewalks because there are a lot more of them,” says Watts.
“They have a smaller piece to take care of and there’s a certain amount of pride and ownership in that.”
The icy sidewalks are making it difficult for pedestrians to reach their destinations and some are landing in the emergency room.
Mark Beaver spent Tuesday morning in the hospital after slipping on ice, resulting in soft tissue damage.
“I took a turn right here and I slipped at the bottom right there,” says Beaver.
Halifax hospitals are reporting an unusually high number of falls related to slipping on ice.
“Obviously, when you can’t get the sidewalks cleared on time, you can expect an increased number of injuries,” says Dr. Jason Emsley.
“Common ones we’re seeing are wrist injuries when people fall on an outstretched hand. We’re also seeing shoulder dislocation, injuries to the knee, we saw someone with a head injury, for example.”
The city says it will continue to clean up what the first storm left behind, while preparing for more snow overnight.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand
