Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A contractor has been hired to supply sand for city streets during winter, and not a moment too soon.

Wednesday caught commuters and pedestrians off guard when they woke up to ice covered streets, but city crews are preparing for the long winter season, says Mayor Gord Van Tighem. - Sara Wilson/NNSL photo

The city closed it's tender request for 4,000 cubic metres of aggregate Wednesday, hiring local gravel experts ACE Enterprises Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. The sand is covered under the city's $996,000 snow and ice removal budget. The sand will begin covering the roads in a matter of weeks.

"We're just beginning to order the sand, we would have some stockpiled from last year so if this slippery stuff were to continue then they would be out there," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

"There's some carryover from year-to-year if you do get something before then you would normally be ready for it."

Wednesday morning saw the first serious occurrence of ice-coated roads, which made for a slick commute to work.

"I think (the ice) on Wednesday for all intensive purposes was a surprise to most people," said Van Tighem.

While there weren't any crews out sanding on the streets, the mayor said the city is ready with reserves in place to tackle any unexpected precipitation.

"We have departments that are extremely experienced in doing the snow removal," Van Tighem said.

"There's a prioritizing of street cleaning, so the major traffic arteries, and bus routes are first, then the secondary routes are approached and finally residential areas. Historically we don't get a lot of snow, because this is semi-arid desert, we get a lot of ice."

Residents and business owners are being reminded of their responsibilities in keeping the sidewalks safe for everyone.

"People are responsible for the sidewalk adjacent to their business and their home," Van Tighem said.

"In the downtown core if they aren't maintaining their sidewalks they can be fined. In the residential area, it is not a formalized but it's the owners responsibility to look after it."

The use of sand over salt on city streets was a decision made by the city to minimize another looming issue involving some four-legged animals moving closer to the city.

"The use of sand here has been very uncommon until maybe eight years ago," Van Tighem said.

"When we had a mild fall ... the (GNWT) department of highways used salt out on the highway and the bison licked their way up the highway so we've got them close to town now."

Instead of using salt to melt ice, the city applies a more "environmentally-friendly" and non-corrosive chemical called Ice Erase, which is made out of potassium acetate and triethanolamine.

According to Environment Canada, the forecast over the next few days is for cooler temperatures, with average lows expected to hover around the -8 C mark.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.