Here's How Much You Can Get Fined In Vancouver If You Decide To Not Shovel This Morning
Keep the sidewalk outside your home clear, or else!
Someone shovelling a driveway. Right: Snow on a street in Vancouver.
If you're in Vancouver, you probably woke up to some snow outside your home, and if you're not careful, you might get hit by a minimum $250 fine.
In Vancouver, you need to shovel the sidewalk in front of your property before 10 a.m. following a snowfall, or you might face a hefty fine. So, beware of sleeping in!
It typically doesn't snow that much in the West Coast city, but this year has been chilly, since Vancouver has seen a snow-filled forecast.
According to the city website, it's not just snow you have to get rid of.
"Vancouver property owners and occupants are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the full width of sidewalks in front of and, if on a corner lot, alongside their property by 10 a.m. the morning following a snowfall or freezing temperatures," it said.
You don't have to keep your own driveway clear, but you do need to make sure all the snow and ice are shovelled onto your property, leaving the sidewalk clear.
You're also responsible for clearing "storm drains of leaves and snow to prevent flooding."
If you can't clear your sidewalk or you're planning a vacation, you can get a "Snow Angel" volunteer to help. You can also volunteer to be a Snow Angel and help people keep their sidewalks clear!
If you don't manage to get your sidewalk cleared of snow and ice, you might be facing tickets or fines, or both.
According to the City of Vancouver Street and Traffic Bylaw, "except where any special penalty is provided for, every person who commits an offence against this bylaw is liable to a fine and penalty not less than $250.00 and not exceeding $2,000.00."
Do you have to shovel your sidewalk Vancouver?
You do have to shovel your sidewalk in Vancouver before 10 a.m., after a snowfall or freezing temperatures.
How much you get fined could depend on if the city has to get someone else to remove the snow.
"If an owner or occupier of any parcel of real property fails to remove snow and ice, as required by section 76, the City Engineer may authorize the removal by another person and the costs of such removal shall be at the expense of the owner or occupier as the case may be, and the city may recover such expense by action in a court of competent jurisdiction," the bylaw said.
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