Some Montreal borough mayors are not happy with the proposed snow removal changes

The City of Montreal is trying to change the way it handles snow removal.

On Tuesday, the Plante administration presented the municipal council with snow removal plans for the next 10 years. It includes larger areas than before, de-icing standards for sidewalks and less power to local neighborhoods.

“Snow removal professionals looked at everything and said, 'OK, how do you do snow removal and snow removal in this climate where we have to deal with more ice than snow?' Maya Vodanovich said. , member of the executive committee.

But the proposed changes did not sit well with some mayors of the Montreal ensemble.

“Snow has always been an issue for every community, and if we don't accept some of the changes proposed by the City of Montreal, they're blackmailing us and telling us: If you don't follow our lead, we're going to move forward and risk losing funding, and we're going to be on our own in a way that we never experienced before the amalgamation of the counties. to write,” said Dimitrios Jim Bays, the county's mayor. Pierrefonds-Roxborough.

Montreal neighborhoods are limited to one local clearing operation per year, rather than two, and have to pay for it and get permission from the city to start it.

“We know that these decisions should be made at the district level. Those who know our community well know how it's done for snow removal activities,” Bays said.