Scarborough homeowner upset with repeated damage from sidewalk plows
A Scarborough homeowner is speaking out after he says that city sidewalk plows repeatedly damaged the landscaping around his property over the course of the winter.
Penaherrera Guido lives on Inniswood Drive in the Victoria Park and Lawrence avenues area.
He said that on at least three occasions this winter sidewalk plows contracted by the city have torn up grass and knocked over landscaping blocks along his property line.
Guido said that he has tried everything to get the damage to stop, from preventively clearing the sidewalk of snow himself to calling the city to complain.
But he said that the issue keeps reoccurring, with the full extent of the damage only becoming clear recently with the melting of the snow.
“Before this didn't happen,” he told CP24 this week. “It is absolutely ridiculous.”
Guido has lived on Inniswood Drive for more than a decade and told CP24 that in previous winters he had no issues with sidewalk plows ripping up grass and causing other damage.
But he said that since the city awarded new contracts for snow removal services last year, sidewalk plows appear to be “scraping everything in their paths,” leaving himself and his neighbours deeply frustrated.
He said that he has called 311 repeatedly but was told not to expect a response for at least two weeks.
“This equipment that they use to clean the sidewalk. I believe it's a little bit too wide for that purpose and now the neighbourhood looks ugly,” Guido said. “You know, we (his neighbours) try to care for everything, we clean, we broom the sidewalk so everything is clean and everything is nice. It is terrible.”
Guido provided numerous videos to CP24 showing the extent of the damage.
The videos show grass torn up on both sides of the sidewalk along a significant portion of the street.
In some areas tire tracks are also visible in the mud.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Toronto said that there have been no changes to sidewalk plow dimensions this winter.
The spokesperson, however, said that it is “common” to see a higher number of service requests during the first year of a new winter maintenance contract as the “contractor gets familiar with neighbourhoods and refines their operations.”
They also said that the “frequent warm and rainy weather” in recent months could be contributing to the “the volume and severity of sod damage this winter.”
The city previously told CTV News Toronto that it had received 1,844 boulevard/sidewalk damage service requests as of last week, as well as 571 roadside plow damage service requests.
“To avoid excessive damage to sod in future, staff are discussing with contractors what measures they can take to reduce the number of damages, particularly when sidewalk plows need to deviate from the sidewalk to avoid encroachments such as hedges, fences, driveway border curbs, etc,” the spokesperson said. “Staff have also requested that contractors review the damages reported to determine if there are any trends, such as a specific clearing route experiencing a higher volume of damages. These trends will then be addressed appropriately.”
The city says that repairs to sod damage resulting from winter operations will be completed in the late spring and summer.
Guido, however, told CP24 that he would prefer that the damage not happen in the first place.
“If somebody doesn't correct them, what is the point of fixing it and then the next year somebody comes and does the same thing?” he said. “I just don’t get it. You tell me.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.