Dismissive, condescending, tone-deaf. These words – and others too harsh to be spoken in polite company – have been used to describe the City of Vancouver's response to the great freeze-over of the past month.
To be clear, this is far from an all-out emergency. I'm not suggesting that it is. But for thousands of seniors, people with disabilities, drivers, cyclists, and people who are perhaps just not as sure on their feet as they used to be, the iced-over sidewalks and side streets have left them legitimately fearful – in some cases so much so that they refuse to leave their homes.
Visits to hospital emergency rooms, according to B.C. Health Services, are up, partly the result of the icy conditions. The most common injuries reported are fractures and concussions.
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Through it all, the city has sounded as unapologetic as it has unsympathetic. Officials keep telling us what a great job they're doing. We've heard again and again the number of salt trucks and brining trucks on the road, how city staff have been redeployed, and how, nearly a month after this all began, the city has made salt available for citizens who are trying to do the right thing, and who happen to have the time to line up outside fire halls for hours in the middle of a work day. One bucket only, please.
The problem, we hear from the city's chief engineer, Jerry Dobrovolny, is largely with us. We don't have the right tires. We're not wearing appropriate clothing or footwear. We haven't been clearing our own sidewalks. We all should have been stockpiling salt when it was readily available, and purchasing snow tires and spikes for our shoes. We all should have been far more prepared for this. And do we even know about the app?
The tone of the city's message is what has struck me most – the propensity to blame citizens who, for the most part I think, have been dutifully trying to keep their sidewalks clear and navigate the hazards.
Yes, 300 city workers were pulled off their regular duties to help deal with the snow and ice, but 75 more have been reassigned to focus on writing tickets and warnings to property owners who haven't cleared their sidewalks.
It's true that everyone has a responsibility to do so, but homeowners and property managers are dealing with the same epoxy-like frozen slush that coats the side streets. For people who have been away over the holidays the task of removing it is virtually impossible.
What Mr. Dobrovolny is asking citizens to do, is exactly what the city and other public bodies have failed to do in many areas.
Sidewalks around parks, schools, and some transit stations have been some of the slipperiest locations.
I understand that this is an unusual event. Mr. Dobrovolny is right when he says that usually the snow melts within a few days. The city simply doesn't have the capacity to clear the more than 1,600 kilometres of local streets and lanes. To its credit, it has done a pretty good job of keeping the major routes clear.
I also understand that Mr. Dobrovolny is the messenger – a long-time city staffer who has been answering questions probably best directed to politicians.
The mayor, who would usually be the politician answering those questions, is unfortunately out of town – a detail that has not gone unnoticed.
I spoke with acting mayor Raymond Louie in his stead earlier this week after NPA city councillor George Affleck criticized how the city has handled snow and ice removal. Mr. Affleck is calling for an independent, third-party review of the city's procedures. The city conducted its own reviews after snowfalls in 2008 and 2012.
Councillor Louie echoed Mr. Dobrovolny's point that these are particularly unusual circumstances and that clearing side streets and lanes is beyond the city's capacity.
No one is expecting miracles. No one is expecting the city to amass a battalion of snow- and ice-clearing equipment that would sit idle most years. Taxpayers would likely balk at the cost.
But local politicians and city officials have sounded hopelessly out of touch. While they may live in the city, they appear to be unable or unwilling to put themselves into the place of an average citizen.
Someone who's been navigating frozen streets and sidewalks for the better part of a month. Someone who's been afraid to step outside for fear of falling. Someone who's been trying to keep the sidewalk around their home clear under difficult circumstances.
If this is what it comes to after a month of snow and ice, I dread the thought of what might happen in the event of an actual emergency.
Stephen Quinn is the host of On the Coast on CBC Radio One, 690 AM and 88.1 FM in Vancouver.
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