Gatineau needs special snow-clearing committee, councillor urges
Committee should examine city's snow-clearing policies in light of difficult winter
During a winter that has pushed Gatineau's resources to the limit, a city councillor is calling for a committee to examine their snow removal policies.
Louise Boudrias, who represents Parc-de-la-Montagne-Saint-Raymond, said Tuesday that snow clearing is such a big topic, it warrants its own group of councillors to oversee.
"I wouldn't say today that everybody's not satisfied, but I do think that it's important to have a committee that will be able to make some recommendations to council," Boudrias said.
"In the next few days I will be meeting with the other councillors who agree with my proposal to see what exactly the mandate would be."
Boudrias said the new committee, if formed, would only affect next winter's snow-clearing efforts because any policy changes would need to be approved in a formal budget process.
"This is a decision council has to make. If we want more service, we'll have to pay for it," she said.
'Doing the best they can'
Snow removal is currently overseen by city council's executive committee.
One of its members, Hill-Wright Coun. Cédric Tessier, provided an update on the city's snow-clearing operations Tuesday ahead of the major storm that dumped dozens of centimetres of snow.
Tessier acknowledged the city has struggled to remove snowbanks from some side streets this winter, rendering them narrower than normal and frustrating residents.
"Our teams on the ground are doing the best they can with the resources we gave them," said Tessier.
"As for the budget, we'll have to evaluate that at the end of winter. City council will decide — do we want more employees, do we want more private contractors?"
In response to Boudrias's call for a special committee, Tessier said he's open to the idea as long as it's examining policies and not getting involved in day-to-day operations.
He added that nothing should be decided until the end of winter to give staff time to prepare an update on the snow-clearing budget and a summary of winter operations.