Letter: Fair minded treatment should be goal for all regarding snow removal

By Letter to the Editor on March 8, 2023.

Dear editor,

Before Monday, it had been nearly eight weeks since we had a sizeable snowfall, requiring clearance of our major roads by our dedicated and hard working city employees responsible for this task. While many will bemoan the snow for the inconveniences it causes, it is truly a blessing for many, such as those who earn a living clearing sidewalks, parking lots and roads, but especially those who make a living in the agriculture industry.

Speaking of snow removal, most years, there are fewer than 20 snowfalls each winter (arbitrarily stretching from Nov. 1 to Mar. 31, if you are a customer on a monthly contract that provides snow removal). Three years ago, there were only seven snowfalls the entire season.

My husband and I have a friend who, many years ago, switched over to paying an agreed upon price PER CLEARANCE. This worked out to approximately 20 per cent of the monthly charge. If it snows frequently (i.e. – six to seven times) in a month, he would be further ahead if he had a monthly contract.

Otherwise he generally saves some money each season paying a fee per clearance. Both he and his service provider consider this to be a fair and equitable arrangement.

In the alternative monthly contractual arrangement, there is always the possibility that one of the two parties will begrudge the arrangement, if it snows relatively infrequently (e.g. /= 20 snowfalls) in a season. As no one can confidently predict what Mother Nature has in store for us each winter, why not consider asking your snow removal contractor about what kind of fee they can offer PER CLEARANCE? Hopefully they are amenable to this type of arrangement and reasonable in their charges. Fair minded treatment should be the goal.

D. Williams

Medicine Hat

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