MOOSE JAW — It has become difficult for vehicles to pass each other on some streets because of how much snow has fallen this winter, which has caused some concern for one city councillor.
Coun. Dawn Luhning inquired about city hall’s snow removal efforts during the Jan. 13 regular city council meeting, pointing out that the community has received “unprecedented snow this year” that has made some streets “narrower and narrower.”
She then wondered what city administration was doing to clear some roads and whether announcements about hauling on priority 2 routes were connected to those concerns.
City crews sanded and hauled snow during the first week of January in anticipation of more snowfall but returned to plowing priority streets once more precipitation occurred, said Bevan Harlton, director of operations.
Crews will return to hauling snow later this week once they have finished plowing the four priority routes, while they will address certain streets that have narrowed considerably once priority 2 routes are completed, he added.
Downtown bathrooms
Coun. Heather Eby — who introduced the motion during that fall meeting — inquired during the Jan. 13 meeting about the status of that project, saying she didn’t see it in the 2025 budget document and hadn’t heard anything further about its status.
City manager Maryse Carmichael replied that administration is working on the report but didn’t have anything ready for the 2025 budget discussions because the original motion didn’t ask for it at that time. Yet, directors are looking to present it to council soon.
Winter maintenance policy
Council re-voted on a recommendation from its December executive committee meeting about the city’s winter maintenance policy after administration provided Coun. Chris Warren — who introduced the initial motion — with more information about those efforts.
Specifically, city hall is working to create key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure how well it is meeting its snow clearance goals.
The initial recommendations council approved were:
- No. 1: Adopting an improved communications plan and adding Thunderbird Viaduct, Fourth Avenue Southwest from Lillooet Street to Home Street, and the north end of First Avenue Northwest as priority 2 snow clearing and hauling routes
- No. 2: Rejecting all other changes that city administration suggested
- No. 3: Having administration establish and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs) for all priorities outlined in the winter maintenance policy
- No. 4: Ordering administration to take immediate actions to meet the commitments in the policy
- No. 5: Having administration report on the results of the 2024-25 winter maintenance priorities and KPIs to executive committee in September 2025
- No. 6: Ordering administration to report to the executive committee in September 2025 on options to implement an enhanced winter maintenance policy, with some options including prioritizing roads, considering environmental conditions and snow accumulations that would trigger clearing activities, plowing roads, plowing sidewalks, plowing alleys, applying ice control on roads, removing snow on roads and from around schools, timelines for activity completions, flood mitigation measures during snow melting periods, and developing KPIs for all priorities
Council initially voted on each recommendation separately and adopted them all unanimously, except for No. 2, as Luhning was opposed to that recommendation.
During the January meeting, council unanimously re-approved motions 1, 2 and 4, while it unanimously defeated motions 3, 5 and 6.
Council also re-voted on another December motion to purchase an asphalt recycler machine for $102,890 as part of a sole-source contract and an infrared heater for $30,000 that administration would acquire through requests for quotes.
The initial motion contained a clause that administration must establish and communicate KPIs for pothole and excavation repairs by May 1 and must report the results of those indicators and efforts to recycle asphalt by Q4 2025.
During the January meeting, council unanimously re-approved the decision to purchase the two machines but dropped the KPI clause.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Jan. 27.
