Plow to the middle!

It started innocently enough with a Boxing Day 10km run I thought would be decent enough given the time elapsed since the December 23 storm. I’d gone out the day before for a jolly 6km, and the sidewalks then were very messy. Surely one extra day would be enough to clear at least the ones in priority areas, like on Carling in front of the hospital, right? 

Wrong. The sidewalks were still messy. And they weren’t better either the next day, December 27, when I did another 10km, twisting my ankles half a dozen times at least. Some of that, admittedly, happened on the Farm, which is not salted (or plowed throughout). It’s easy to get blinded by the snow and not see the parts that are uneven and give yourself a fine sprain by stepping into a soft spot.

It’s annoying not to be able to run the way I’m used to four days past a storm that, while serious especially because of the winds that knocked out power in many places, was not otherwise remarkable. We regularly get dumps of over 20cm in these parts. But, I reminded myself as I executed yet another dance move after slipping over frozen slush that was hidden by slightly thawed slush, this isn’t about me and my ridiculous fitness regimen. Imagine what it’s like for anyone with mobility or balance issues, pushing a stroller or trying to get to Shoppers in a wheelchair. 

It’s not OK to turn our town into an accessibility nightmare every single time it snows. We are the capital city of a G7 country, we are famous around the world for Winterlude, I refuse to believe the way we deal with snow is the best it can be. I wrote a slightly peeved screed about that, and included a suggestion that has led to a very rewarding discussion on Twitter. 

I know, right? What are the odds of that? 

Happy new year, y’all.