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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Bill Burles may soon be able to use city sidewalks during the winter.

At a priority and planning meeting on Monday afternoon, city councillors received unanimous support for a proposed bylaw change requiring residents and businesses occupying properties adjacent to sidewalks to clear them within 24 hours of a five-centimetre or larger snowfall.

Bill Burles does not use city sidewalks in the winter because the roads are usually in better shape. If a proposed bylaw passes - requiring residents and businesses to clear sidewalks adjacent to their property within 24 hours of a five-centimetre snowfall - Burles may soon take his wheels off the road. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

Presently, the bylaw only requires businesses and residents from the downtown core to 57 street on Franklin Avenue to clear their sidewalks of snow.

Burles, a lifelong Yellowknifer who is confined to a wheelchair, said he pushes himself down roads in the winter because sidewalk conditions from lot to lot vary drastically.

He said this November - when Yellowknife received a record amount of snow - he was "basically house-bound" because there was so much snow on sidewalks that he couldn't get through.

"The few times that I did venture out it was with someone's vehicle and getting from the vehicle to any building would lay me out for days because my shoulders and my chest were killing me," he said.

Eight residents were at the meeting to offer support for changing the bylaw.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the city also received several emails from residents who supported the amended bylaw.

The amended bylaw will have to undergo some retooling to address concerns raised by councillors and citizens before council votes on it.

Heather Clarke, representing the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities, said those with physical disabilities would have trouble removing snow for themselves and wondered what the city was planning to do to help them.

Coun. Paul Falvo said the city could possibly perform the work for seniors or people with disabilities. He also floated an idea from Hay River that could work in Yellowknife with inmates from the correctional centre shovelling sidewalks for community service.

Coun. David Wind said he saw the bylaw as an "opportunity to promote neighbourliness," suggesting neighbours could take care of the sidewalks of elderly persons and people with disabilities.

"I think it's a crying shame that we have to legislate neighbourliness," said Coun. Lydia Bardak.

Couns. Kevin Kennedy and Dave McCann both said the exemption provisions in the bylaw needed to be clear before it could go ahead. Kennedy said people unable to clear their sidewalks could file an application with the city to receive an exemption.

Bardak wondered if the 24-hour removal period was too short. She had concerns that if the city couldn't clear sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall, it would be tough to ask Yellowknifers to do the same.

The bylaw would be enforced by both patrols from municipal enforcement and through complaints made by citizens.

Discussion on the matter lasted over an hour. Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, said residents and businesses are usually given one or two warnings to clear their sidewalks after a snowfall and then typically allowed a 24-hour period to do the work.

"Usually by that time, you always have compliance," said Marchiori. He said if the sidewalks were still covered in snow, the city would have the area cleared by a contractor or city staff and the costs would be billed to the resident or business.

Doug Gillard, manager of municipal enforcement, said residents are fined $50 and businesses $100 if they do not have their sidewalks cleared within 24 hours of a snowfall.

Implementation of the bylaw is slated for Oct. 1, 2009. City administrator Max Hall said the proposed bylaw would go back before city council for approval on Jan. 26.