City of Vernon defends snow clearance over Christmas break

The City of Vernon is defending its record in snow clearing over the Christmas break saying that crews did a satisfactory job.

While many grumbled about the ice and snow that appeared to never really disappear from the roads over the Christmas holiday, the City says its staff either "met or exceeded" response times set by Council.

"Extreme cold temperatures during this same period presented significant challenges for snow clearing, including quick hardening snowpack and the inability for some products to be effective in such conditions," a City spokesperson told iNFOnews.ca in an email.

While the City says it maintained the roads correctly — according to its own standards — it did admit that it received 60 snow and ice-related complaints during the holiday period.

That's five complaints a day over the 12 days of Christmas.

In the period between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, the City said crews responded to four snow and ice events.

And the City did come in on budget for its snow and ice control in 2021.

The City spent $720,000 of its $730,000 budget, which also includes a portion of last winter, and has a few bills pending.

Crews use sand for traction across the city and a liquid deicer and sand are used on main roads. Salt is used only in the downtown core area.

"Salt products are used responsibly due to the high cost and significant environmental impacts of using these products," the City said. "It’s important to note that salt loses effectiveness once temperatures drop below -10 Celsius and it becomes completely ineffective when temperatures hit -18 C."

The City said as temperatures have now started to return to normal the snowpack has loosened up and crews will continue to clear roads on a priority basis, as well as dealing with new snow.

"Operations is also looking at all parts of the City to determine what additional steps may need to be taken, such as potential snow removal in areas like the downtown core. Snow removal (as compared to snow plowing) is very costly and is done when and where appropriate," the City said.

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