Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 11, 2008
Sidewalk Shovelling Breeds
McHattie is hot on snow removal If you’ve had it up to here with shovelling snow, Councillor Brian McHattie has an easy-on-the-back solution.
The Ward 1 councillor is proposing hiring contractors to clear sidewalks outside people’s homes next winter.
If McHattie gets enough support from his west-end constituents, he’ll ask city council to approve adding the snow removal cost to property owners’ tax bills.
After discussing it with city staff, McHattie estimates it will cost Ward 1 residents $28 to $31 per household for the first year of service.
In the second year of a presumed five-year contract, the cost would fall to around $19 to $22 per year.
It would be more expensive the first year because the private contractor would likely have to buy specialized plows.
The work would be contracted out because the city apparently doesn’t have the resources to take on the job itself.
Right now, McHattie’s proposal is focused only on his own ward.
But he says there’s nothing stopping other councillors looking at the same service for their area. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)