Snow by the Dollar

Sunjeev Prasad

News Reporter

With the recent discussions surrounding the municipal budget one point was made clear as of today. The city has made plans to boost the snow removal budget by $1 million with a particular focus on the hardest hit routes in the city. The mayor is planning on employing private contractors to support city workers in order to compensate for the increased demand. The majority of the work will take place in residential areas that typically would not get service for at least 3 to 4 days after a snowstorm would hit. Critics of the mayor’s plan to increase the budget are pessimistic as to whether or not the third party contractors will be capable of responding in a timely fashion or have the appropriate equipment to complete the work. This may be considered a catch – 22 since citizens are looking for more snow removal to create safer driving conditions but they clearly do not want an increase in taxes. The mayor’s plan should make a difference in the quality of snow removal without putting too much of a dent in taxpayers’ pocketbooks.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Calgary+snow+removal+budget+boosted/2259367/story.html