There’s no doubt that Squamish snow removal could always be better.
As soon as that first flake starts falling, it would be awesome to have hundreds of city workers scooping them up before they hit the ground.
Our winter tires would roll over nary a road that wasn’t clear of snow and sparkly with salt brine.
And all sidewalks would be cleared before our Blundstones leave the comfort of home.
But that would cost big city-level budgets, and — newsflash — Squamish doesn’t have that.
Edmonton’s 2021 snow and ice budget was $57.1 million, for example.
According to a City of Edmonton spokesperson, the bulk of snow clearing is done there with more than 100 tandem plows, sanders, and 20 graders.
District of Squamish crews did a darn good job during this most recent storm clearing snow from what is and should be high-priority routes with its limited resources — three snow plow trucks and a snow-clearing machine used for commuter trails, sidewalks and safe routes to school.
Top priorities for crews are arterial roads, major collector roads, bus routes, the police station, fire halls, ambulance stations, hills and safe routes to school.
Would you rather your street took precedence over those priorities?
According to the District, a night shift crew of three staff work from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Last week, there were two additional staff to support snow-clearing efforts during the storm. In addition, two staff began at 4 a.m. on the trail machines to clear sidewalks, trails and school paths.
This is not to trivialize the pain in the butt it is if you are trying to navigate town with mobility issues after a major snow event. That is tough and sucks.
And seniors should be able to leave their homes to get groceries without fear of slipping to be sure.
If your driveway is filled with snow by crews, that is also annoying. (This sometimes happens when they clear storm drains to prevent flooding.)
But, for the amount of snow we get each year, is it worth spending more to do better?
According to Squamish meteorologist Jason Ross, on average, it snows (with 0.2 cm or more) 13.3 days per year here. The average snowfall per year has been 87 cm since records began in the early 1980s. Last year, it snowed for about 10 days, using the climate data from the Squamish airport.
In 2022 so far, $444,400 has been spent on snow removal ($150,104 on snow clearing and $294,296 on ice control. The amount for ice control includes the cost of salt, which in 2022 accounts for close to $170,000.)
In 2021, $112,005 was spent on snow removal, and $232,168 was spent on ice control.
While the 2023 budget has yet to be approved, it is proposed to be equal to the 2022 budget.
Perhaps, rather than spending more for the limited impact snow has overall, more of us who are able, could spend a bit more time lending a hand to those who are in a bad spot in town.
No community can have it all. We have choices to make.
