Ice on Sidewalks

[MAPearce]

What about the salt in ....never mind.

I don't think I could tolerate reading the answer ...

[kadypeters]

What bothers me most is that 80% of the people posting on this topic agree that they should not have to shovel their sidewalk in front of their house. The city is paid to clean "city owned" streets and the public is responsible for cleaning their own property (IE: the sidewalk in front of their home).
I personally live in an apartment where the landlord/owner/who ever is in charge of clearing the parking lot does a crap @$$ job. I almost feel obligated to call it in to a bylaw officer and see what they have to say. We have young children living here, including mine and the whole parking lot is literally pure ice. It is ridiculous.....
So yes, I do think that people should get over their issue with "oh, I shouldn't have to shovel my sidewalk for you people who decide to walk on it... it should be your problem if you fall" Give me a break... and why don't you tell that to the next elderly person you see walking over your ice-patched walkway.

Edited to add: I really hope that you DO take this personally.. those of you who differ in opinion.
If my daughter were to fall on ice that you decided it was not worth your time to take the 5 minutes to shovel and salt, you can bet your @$$ I'd be suing you.

[kibbs]

Deleted by Trip DO NOT ALTER ANOTHER'S QUOTE/Re-read the rules.

[GoStumpy]

I have to add... these past few weeks have been abnormally icy... I deliver things all day and every single parking lot I went to today was dangerously icy... I even had a good hard spill, and I am very good on my feet normally. This is not normal winter conditions, this is snow, warming overnight, and then a sharp drop in temperature. Any snow or slush that remained is now completely solid ice.

Walk carefully.

[cv23]

I personally live in an apartment where the landlord/owner/who ever is in charge of clearing the parking lot does a crap @$$ job. I almost feel obligated to call it in to a bylaw officer and see what they have to say...

The bylaw officer will probably laugh at you harder than I am right now. Why would you think not clearing a private parking lot is in contradiction of some bylaw?

[kadypeters]

The bylaw officer will probably laugh at you harder than I am right now. Why would you think not clearing a private parking lot is in contradiction of some bylaw?

Is it possible that I may have made a mistake with the statement I made about speaking to a bylaw officer? I meant speaking to someone of higher authority. I'm sure most people reading my post understood my point....
Man, you seem to be so quick to jump on someone for a simple mistake.

Also, I believe that the parking lot is a lawsuit waiting to happen. That was the point that I was trying to make.

[Glacier]

What does the "science " say about salt runoff that ends up in rivers , lakes and streams ???

Science told you that fish LIVE in them .....

Right ??

Exactly right. The regular rock salt is actually illegal to use on sidewalks in some municipalities because it eats the concrete. Anyone dumping salt on the sidewalk should be fined by the municipality for the cost to replace the concrete and by DFO for killing fish.

Salt doesn't work when it's -10 outside like it has been lately, so there's really no use spreading it on the ice when it's cold out. All it does is end up in the storm drains, which isn't good for fish.

Use sand or man-up about ice.

[Libelle]

What bothers me most is that 80% of the people posting on this topic agree that they should not have to shovel their sidewalk in front of their house. The city is paid to clean "city owned" streets and the public is responsible for cleaning their own property (IE: the sidewalk in front of their home).
I personally live in an apartment where the landlord/owner/who ever is in charge of clearing the parking lot does a crap @$$ job. I almost feel obligated to call it in to a bylaw officer and see what they have to say. We have young children living here, including mine and the whole parking lot is literally pure ice. It is ridiculous.....
So yes, I do think that people should get over their issue with "oh, I shouldn't have to shovel my sidewalk for you people who decide to walk on it... it should be your problem if you fall" Give me a break... and why don't you tell that to the next elderly person you see walking over your ice-patched walkway.

Edited to add: I really hope that you DO take this personally.. those of you who differ in opinion.
If my daughter were to fall on ice that you decided it was not worth your time to take the 5 minutes to shovel and salt, you can bet your @$$ I'd be suing you.

You may want to remind your landlord of #6. And document everything, with photos. If your tenancy agreement states otherwise the regulation will prevail.


1. Landlord & Tenant – Responsibility for Residential Premises
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
1. The tenant must obtain the consent of the landlord prior to changing the landscaping on the residential property, including digging a garden, where no garden previously existed.
Page 1-7 Jan-04
2. Unless there is an agreement to the contrary, where the tenant has changed the landscaping, he or she must return the garden to its original condition when they vacate.
3. Generally the tenant who lives in a single-family dwelling is responsible for routine yard maintenance, which includes cutting grass, and clearing snow. The tenant is responsible for a reasonable amount of weeding the flower beds if the tenancy agreement requires a tenant to maintain the flower beds.
4. Generally the tenant living in a townhouse or multi-family dwelling who has exclusive use of the yard is responsible for routine yard maintenance, which includes cutting grass, clearing snow.
5. The landlord is generally responsible for major projects, such as tree cutting, pruning and insect control.
6. Thelandlordisresponsibleforcuttinggrass,shovellingsnowandweedingflower beds and gardens of multi-unit residential complexes and common areas of manufactured home parks.

http://www.rto.gov.bc.ca/documents/GL01.pdf

[kadypeters]

You may want to remind your landlord of #6. And document everything, with photos. If your tenancy agreement states otherwise the regulation will prevail.


1. Landlord & Tenant – Responsibility for Residential Premises
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
1. The tenant must obtain the consent of the landlord prior to changing the landscaping on the residential property, including digging a garden, where no garden previously existed.
Page 1-7 Jan-04
2. Unless there is an agreement to the contrary, where the tenant has changed the landscaping, he or she must return the garden to its original condition when they vacate.
3. Generally the tenant who lives in a single-family dwelling is responsible for routine yard maintenance, which includes cutting grass, and clearing snow. The tenant is responsible for a reasonable amount of weeding the flower beds if the tenancy agreement requires a tenant to maintain the flower beds.
4. Generally the tenant living in a townhouse or multi-family dwelling who has exclusive use of the yard is responsible for routine yard maintenance, which includes cutting grass, clearing snow.
5. The landlord is generally responsible for major projects, such as tree cutting, pruning and insect control.
6. Thelandlordisresponsibleforcuttinggrass,shovellingsnowandweedingflower beds and gardens of multi-unit residential complexes and common areas of manufactured home parks.

http://www.rto.gov.bc.ca/documents/GL01.pdf

Thanks, Libelle! I will be sending this to the owner to let him know of his duty to keep up with the maintenance around here.

[Libelle]

No problem! Glad I could help, and will do do any time.

[LoneWolf_53]

It is not just a courtesy for homeowners to shovel their walks it is also a law. The rest of your post is all fine and well but there are many people that hardly take the effort to shovel their sidewalks in the winter. That is their responsibility. I'm not sure what your getting at in your post. Should people not walk in winter? You can take as much care as possible when walking but when you encounter a part of the sidewalk that has not been shovelled and is a sheet of ice there is a chance you will go down and I think the homeowner should be fined or something for not performing their duty.

Sorry but reading your post and expectations, given the type of weather we've been having, along with the temps being all over the place, I think you should get a grip and accept that it's winter, and no one can guarantee you clean dry sidewalks to travel on.
If you are worried about it that much, stay inside, or move to a warmer climate if you can't deal with the conditions that accompany winter.

I have to travel all over the place during the work day, and I can assure you there are plenty of places that have been sheets of ice lately, many of them on city property, much of it on public roads. I deal with it, it's called winter, life goes on.

I wonder if you'd still be as demanding, if you had to cough up extra money to keep everything quite as tickety boo as you seem to expect it to be?

[Woodenhead]

I think you should get a grip and accept that it's winter, and no one can guarantee you clean dry sidewalks to travel on.
If you are worried about it that much, stay inside, or move to a warmer climate if you can't deal with the conditions that accompany winter.

I have to travel all over the place during the work day, and I can assure you there are plenty of places that have been sheets of ice lately, many of them on city property, much of it on public roads. I deal with it, it's called winter, life goes on.

Well said.

your ice-patched walkway.

Last place I owned with a sidewalk out front, the sidewalk belonged to the city. Not my problem. They owned it so they cleared it.

our blessed short winters

I wish - the snow is over my knees up here, and will probably be like that until late March! (I'm not complaining actually - love me some snow)

[Pookybear]

Sorry but reading your post and expectations, given the type of weather we've been having, along with the temps being all over the place, I think you should get a grip and accept that it's winter, and no one can guarantee you clean dry sidewalks to travel on.
If you are worried about it that much, stay inside, or move to a warmer climate if you can't deal with the conditions that accompany winter.

I have to travel all over the place during the work day, and I can assure you there are plenty of places that have been sheets of ice lately, many of them on city property, much of it on public roads. I deal with it, it's called winter, life goes on.

I wonder if you'd still be as demanding, if you had to cough up extra money to keep everything quite as tickety boo as you seem to expect it to be?

If one is too lazy to shovel their sidewalk then one should move to an apartment building. It is a homeowners responsibility to shovel the sidewalk in front of their homes. Sorry that a few of you might have to do a bit of work. Should older people and people with disabilities just stay inside too? There are a few people on here with crappy attitudes towards others and saying it's winter just suck it up is truly asinine. Quit being lazy and shovel your walks when it snows if you can't then I sure hope you are somehow fined or sued when someone hurts themselves because of your negligence.

[cv23]

Thanks, Libelle! I will be sending this to the owner to let him know of his duty to keep up with the maintenance around here.

You say the parking lot at your complex is "literally pure ice". So are many roads this time of year. The tenancy act says the landlord is responsible to shovel snow not chip away ice. When we get warm weather and then freezing cold like we have, and are forecast to receive this week http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pag ... ric_e.html , snow from a shoveled pile can melt and the water spreads before turning into ice on the frozen or cold ground or freezing rain occurs can occur. Is the weather your landlords fault or responsibility? You observe a hazard where you live and rather than avoid it or make any effort of your own to correct it you simply expect someone else to do that for you.
This is Canada and it is winter. If you are unprepared or unwilling to deal with the realities of winter in Kelowna maybe you should move to a location with a warmer climate? For your and your child's safety if nothing else.

[Fancy]

Canadian Tire sells contraptions to put on your boots for easier walking. I see a lot of high-heeled dress boots around that aren't made for this weather too.