Cleanup is well underway in the Queen City after Wednesday night’s blizzard.
The strongest winter storm in quite some time left damage and debris in its wake.
Executive Director of Citizen Services Kim Onrait says crews have been working non-stop to clear snow and remove debris from major roadways, and that roadways should be clear soon.
“I would anticipate by end of day tomorrow (Friday), service will return, in terms of having roads cleared,” said Onrait. “We have moved a lot of our crews to isolated areas to ensure we’re getting intersections opened up.”
He said while most roads are somewhat safe to drive on, Courtney Street and Parliament Avenue are still rather troublesome as blowing snow continues to accumulate on the roadway.
He adds while weather events like this are hard to prepare for, they do provide valuable lessons as to how to be ready for the next one.
“I think the main thing is how to well prepared for an event like this,” said Onrait. “We’ve done a lot of work over the past two years in our Emergency Management Centre, bringing the right groups together, developing plans to ensure we are keeping the public safe.”
He says the city has received over 160 calls since the start of the storm. Those calls range from reporting felled trees, to trash bins being blown away.
Onrait says even though they’ve received a higher number of calls, people have been rather patient.
“I think the public response has been very good, for the most part, people understand that when you have a major event like this, we all need to have a bit of patience as we work through it,” said Onrait, “The majority of the calls that have come in, people have been very understanding.”
Onrait added while it is not yet known how much it will cost the city for repairs, he doesn’t expect it to be an issue in the upcoming budget.