Vancouver, like much of eastern Canada, is in the grips of winter’s worst. Snow and ice and frigid temperatures are an annual event in much of Canada. But the west-coast city is not accustomed to having to deal with this kind of weather for lengthy stretches.
Large areas of the city have not been cleared or salted almost a month following the first of several snowfalls. Sidewalks and streets are dangerous to both pedestrians and drivers.
On Tuesday this week, Jerry Dobrovolny, general manager of engineering services, took action. “We’ve essentially shut down all our non-emergency construction work and redeployed those crews into priority areas” he told CBC News.
While the city was handing out salt to residents, there are now reports of shortages, and talk of buckets of the ice-melting agent going for as much as $50 on an emerging black market.
Thousands of the city’s soccer players are awaiting a change in the weather as well. The youth leagues have not been able to get back onto the snow-covered fields since the Christmas holidays.
And tonight more snow is forecast.
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