The battle to get our sidewalks clear predates Wingham Free
Press. The People’s argument has been:
1. We have the equipment, all the taxpayers paid for it.
2. We have the manpower.
3. Everyone is entitled to fair and equal service.
4. It would make it safer for all Citizens in the winter to clear
sidewalks.
A petition was done, where over 95% of the people on Edward Street
were in favor of clearing the sidewalks. It was shot down by
the previous council.
Council has always stated that taxes would go up if they cleared the
sidewalks. This is despite the sidewalk guy driving right past
the blocked sidewalk, down the middle of the road. This has
been witnessed by dozens of Winghamites. How could it possibly
increase taxes if all the sidewalk guy had to do is move over 15
feet to the sidewalk, instead of driving on the road?
A recent conversation with Kelly Church (aka New Ralph), revealed
that council has never asked what it costs to clear a section of
sidewalk. How can council decide not to clear our sidewalks
with the excuse it will raise taxes, without getting any information
about the number of hours the sidewalk guy is deployed, or what it
costs to clear a section of sidewalk? Council simply doesn’t
care, and is terrified to confront anyone on town staff. If it
turns out it only costs 50 cents to clear one section of sidewalk,
then it would make sense to clear all sidewalks that the equipment
is capable of navigating. That 50 cents/section is based on
$60/hour for the man and machine, and 30 seconds per section.
WFP has video of a North Huron employee providing premium snow
removal service for a Town Staffer. This is being done with
equipment the taxpayers own. You will see the sidewalk guy
pass by blocked sidewalk by FE Madill to go and clear the snow for a
Town Staffer. That entire section of sidewalk could be done in
the time it takes sidewalk guy to repeatedly make passes, and to
clear snow out behind the car. Our children have to walk in
traffic to go to school because town staffers are getting
preferential treatment.
To make things worse, the section of sidewalk the Principals fought
to get clear, isn’t being cleared. Staff finally agreed to
clear the snow after countless meetings and letters when Neil
Vincent finally asked Kelly Church to clear the two sections of
sidewalk. Reeve Neil Vincent will make the public jump through
hoop after hoop, before he will spend the three seconds to command
current Director of Public Works Kelly Church to clear sidewalks by
the school. After all that, it is still not cleared, but a
Town Staffer gets premium snow removal.
Virtually all North-South sidewalks are not cleared, not even one
side of the street. Sidewalks are also ignored around the
Hospital, Medical Clinic, Library, Police Station, Baptist School,
FE Madill, and the community trail is blocked off.
Wingham Town Staff have been blocking our sidewalks by
dumping the snow from the road on them, making them
unusable. Apparently the law does not apply to town staff.
North Huron By-Law No. 39-2012
Part III – Depositing Snow On Highway Or Sidewalk
No person shall throw, deposit, or cause to be deposited any snow,
ice or mud as to interfere with the movement of pedestrian or
vehicular traffic.
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Principal Alice McDowell: “In regards to snow removal on
the John Street sidewalks running west from the extension the
practice has been to only plow one sidewalk one side of the
street. We are extremely concerned that this will cause
further safety issues in the winter and as such after discussion
with my secondary colleague