Chapter 0513 - Snow - Ice - Removal - Sidewalks - Streets

Woodstock, Ontario

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Page 1 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 Highway - Street Chapter 0513 Snow - Ice - Removal Sidewalks Chapter Index Article 1 - Short Title 513.1.1 Citation Article 2 - Interpretation 513.2.1 City - defined 513.2.2 Closed - defined 513.2.3 Consecutive Winter Storm Event - defined 513.2.4 Director of Public Works - defined 513.2.4.1 Driveway - defined 513.2.5 Enforcement Officer - defined 513.2.6 Engineer - defined 513.2.7 Ice - defined 513.2.8 Owner - defined 513.2.9 Person - defined 513.2.10 Property - defined 513.2.11 Roof - defined 513.2.12 Sidewalk - defined 513.2.13 Significant Weather Event - defined 513.2.14 Snow - defined 513.2.15 Street - defined 513.2.16 Winter Storm Event - defined Article 3 - Snow-Ice-Removal 513.3.1 Sidewalks - clearing - required - areas - within city limits and outside of Schedule 'A' 513.3.2 Downtown Sidewalks - clearing - required - areas - Schedule 'A' 513.3.3 Sidewalks - clearing - exemption 513.3.4 Sidewalks - clearing - removal 513.3.5 Deposit -from private property - to street -prohibited 513.3.6 Deposit -from public property - to street - prohibited 513.3.7 Accumulation - on roof - posing danger - removed 513.3.8 Removal -from roof - precautions - warnings 513.3.9 Sidewalk damage 513.3.10 Sidewalk - closed 513.3.11 Deposit - to driveway - prohibited Page 2 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 Article 4 - Enforcement 513.4.1 Fine - for contravention 513.4.2 Separate offence - daily 513.4.3 Authorized Persons 513.4.4 Non-compliance - remedied by City - owner's expense 513.4.5 Removal by City - expense - recovery - action - Treasurer Article 5 - Repeal - Enactment 513.5.1 By-law -previous 513.5.2 Effective date Schedule Schedule 'A' - Sidewalk clearing - streets designated Schedule 'B' - Closed Sidewalks Article 1 - Short Title 513.1.1 Citation This Chapter may be cited and known as the "Sidewalk Snow Removal By-law". Article 2 - Interpretation 513.2.1 City - defined "City" means The Corporation of the City of Woodstock. 513.2.2 Closed - defined "closed" refers to any public sidewalk that is not maintained or expected to be maintained during the winter months. 513.2.3 Consecutive Winter Storm Events - defined "consecutive winter storm event" refers to any precipitation and/or accumulation of snow or ice from the beginning of the initial winter storm event, and any subsequent winter storm events occurring within a 24 hour period of the cessation of the previous winter storm event. 513.2.4 Director of Public Works - defined "Director of Public Works" means the Director of Public Works of the City as may be appointed from time to time or his/her duly authorized representative. Page 3 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 513.2.4.1 Driveway - defined "driveway" means an area that is paved or surfaced with asphalt, paving stone, concrete or gravel, which is regularly used for the passage of vehicles in an area other than a street. By-law 9390-20, August 13, 2020. 513.2.5 Enforcement Officer - defined "Enforcement Officer" means a Bylaw Enforcement Officer appointed by the Council of the City, or any other person appointed by the Council of the City for the enforcement of this Bylaw. 513.2.6 Engineer - defined "Engineer" means the Engineer of the City as may be appointed from time to time or his/her duly authorized representative. 513.2.7 Ice -defined "ice" means the solid form of water, produced by freezing. 513.2.8 Owner - defined "owner" means the person(s) shown by the records in the Land Registry or Titles Office to be the owner in fee simple of the property either occupied or unoccupied. 513.2.9 Person - defined "person" means an individual or group of individuals, unincorporated association, sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation including a firm. 513.2.10 Property - defined "property" means land that may or may not have a building (occupied or unoccupied) on it. 513.2.11 Roof - defined "roof" means the external upper covering of a building. 513.2.12 Sidewalk - defined "sidewalk" means the part of the highway specifically set aside or commonly understood to be for pedestrian use, typically consisting of a paved surface but does not include crosswalks, medians, boulevards and shoulders or any part of the sidewalk where cleared snow has been deposited by operators of snow removal equipment vehicles or apparatus owned and operated by the Works Department of the City outside of the area in Schedule A. 513.2.13 Significant Weather Event - defined "Significant Weather Event" means and shall be deemed to occur between the time period in which the City declares a Significant Weather Event to have commenced to the time a Significant Weather Event ends. The City may, at the discretion of the Director of Public Works' Office, declare a Significant Weather Event when an alert or weather warning is declared by Environment Canada for Page 4 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 the City of Woodstock or County of Oxford area and said declaration shall take effect upon notice being placed on the City's web page. The Significant Weather Event shall end when the City declares it to be at an end, at the discretion of the Director of Public Works' Office taking into consideration the status of Environment Canada's alert or weather warning, and said declaration shall take effect upon notice being placed on the City's web page. In addition to publication on the City's web page, the City may, but is not obligated to, also utilize radio media or social media platforms to publicize the commencement or end of a Significant Weather Event. 513.2.14 Snow - defined "snow" includes precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapour in the air. 513.2.15 Street - defined "street" means any public highway, street, part of a street, lane or alley or any other public place used by the general public for the passage of vehicles and includes the area between the lateral property lines thereof, which is under the jurisdiction of the City or County. 513.2.16 Winter Storm Event - defined "winter storm event" refers to any precipitation and/or accumulation of snow or ice. Article 3 - Snow - Ice - Removal 513.3.1 Sidewalks - clearing- required- areas- within city limits and outside of Schedule 'A' Every owner of a property within the municipal limits of the City of Woodstock (except for a property adjacent to the streets specified in Schedule 'A' unless used exclusively as an owner-occupied residence), shall within 24 hours of the cessation of a winter storm event or Significant Weather Event or within 24 hours of the cessation of a series of consecutive winter storm events, remove and clean all snow and ice from sidewalks abutting the highway in front of, or alongside, or at the rear of such owner's property. 513.3.2 Downtown Sidewalks - clearing - required - areas - Schedule 'A' Every owner of a property that is adjacent to a street listed in Schedule 'A' shall remove, or cause to be removed, accumulations of snow and ice from the sidewalk(s) on the street(s) adjacent to their property between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. everyday, except Sundays and statutory holidays. Page 5 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 513.3.3 Sidewalks - clearing - exemption The provisions of Section 513.3.2 shall not apply to any property used exclusively as an owner-occupied residence. 513.3.4 Sidewalks - clearing- removal If ice or hard-packed snow cannot be removed without damage to the sidewalk, the owner shall spread or cause to be spread a material or combination of material such as sand, salt or other suitable material on the sidewalk(s) to melt the snow and ice and make it safe for pedestrian travel. 513.3.5 Deposit - from private property - to street - prohibited No person shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, any snow or ice from any private driveway or other private property owned by any person on or into any sidewalk or street in any area within the municipal limits of the City. (See Set Fine) 513.3.6 Deposit - from public property - to street - prohibited No person shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, any snow or ice from any public property on or into the travelled portions of any sidewalk or street with the exception of the operators of snow removal equipment vehicles or apparatus owned and operated by the Works Department of the City and further excepting an owner, or the owner's agent, to which Section 513.3.2 applies and who is acting in the course of complying with section 513.3.2. (See Set Fine) 513.3.7 Accumulation - on roof - posing danger - removed Any occupant, any owner, and any person having charge, care or control of any house or other building within the City of Woodstock abutting on or situated within ten (10) feet of any public street, thoroughfare, sidewalk or pavement whenever snow or ice shall accumulate on the roof of any such house or other building to an extent which shall constitute a danger to persons passing, shall cause the same to be removed forthwith therefrom. 513.3.8 Removal - from roof - precautions - warnings Every person removing the snow or ice from a roof pursuant to Section 513.3.7 shall take due care and precaution for the warning of persons passing or being on such street, thoroughfare, sidewalk or pavement. 513.3.9 Sidewalk - damage No person shall remove snow or ice in a manner (such as, but not limited to, cutting or hammering) which would damage any sidewalk or curb resulting in creation of a void, surface distortion, crack or other imperfection. 513.3.10 Sidewalk - closed The City may close a sidewalk(s) from November 1 to March 30 of each year by installing signage stating that it is closed. All public sidewalks as shown in Schedule 'B' not maintained, shall be deemed closed from November 1 to March Page 6 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 30 of each year. During this period, closed sidewalks may not be maintained and will not be open for use by the public and any unauthorized use shall be at the public's own risk. 513.3.11 Deposit - to driveway - prohibited No person shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, any snow or ice on or into a driveway with the exception of the operators of snow removal equipment vehicles or apparatus owned and operated by the City of Woodstock. (See Set Fine) By-law 9390-20, August 13, 2020. Article 4 - Enforcement 513.4.1 Fine - for contravention Every person who contravenes any of the provisions of this Chapter is guilty of an offence and upon conviction is liable to a fine or penalty as provided in the Provincial Offences Act. 513.4.2 Separate offence - daily Each day a violation of this Chapter continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offence under this Chapter. 513.4.3 Authorized Persons Any Police Officer, Municipal Law Enforcement Officer or employee of the City designated by the City Engineer for the purpose of this Section is authorized to inform any person of the provision of this By-Law and to request compliance therewith. 513.4.4 Non-compliance - remedied by City - owner's expense If any person who is required by Section 513.3.1 or 513.3.2 of this Chapter fails to complete the work in the manner and time as prescribed in section 513.3.1 and 513.3.2 as applicable, the Engineer may, without notice to such person, cause such snow or ice to be removed and cleared away at the expense of any such person. 513.4.5 Removal by City - expense - recovery - action - Treasurer Such expense incurred pursuant to Section 513.4.4 may be recovered from any such person by action or by adding the costs to the tax roll and collecting it in the same manner as municipal taxes, with interest, as provided by Section 398 of the Municipal Act, R.S.O. 2001, and the taking of any such action or imposition of any such special assessment shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer of the City of Woodstock. Page 7 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 Article 5 - Repeal Enactment 513.5.1 By-law previous All previous by-laws relating to this Chapter shall be repealed on the effective date of this Chapter. 513.5.2 Effective date This Chapter shall come into force and effect on the day of the passing of the enabling by-law. By-law 9342-19, December 12, 2019. Page 8 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 Schedule 'A' - Sidewalk clearing - streets designated List of Streets Dundas Street from Vansittart Avenue to Chapel Street Vansittart Avenue from Dundas Street to Hunter Street Light Street from Dundas Street to Hunter Street Graham Street from Dundas Street to Hunter Street Riddle Street from Dundas Street to Hunter Street Wellington Street from Peel Street to Princess Street Adelaide Street from Riddle Street to Victoria Street Victoria Street from Peel Street to Adelaide Street Brock Street from Dundas Street to Simcoe Street Perry Street from Dundas Street to Simcoe Street Finkle Street from Dundas Street to Simcoe Street Market Square from Reeve Street to Finkle Street Reeve Street from Dundas Street to Peel Street Simcoe Street from Brock Street to Finkle Street Peel Street from Finkle Street to Victoria Street Hunter Street from Vansittart Avenue to Riddle Street Page 9 of 9 Chapter 513 August 13, 2020 Schedule 'B' - Closed Sidewalks