In his last statement before the election on Friday, mayoral incumbent Charlie Clark says the City has been hiring as many contractors as possible to get all of the snow cleared after almost 40 centimetres fell on Sunday, which is more than double the largest snowfall last winter at 15 centimetres.
He notes that this is an example of how the City is using tax dollars – making sure the equipment, crews, and money is there when needed, which is why there needs to be sufficient funds in the operating budget.
He believes reducing the property tax increase to 1 per cent or lower as others have suggested, would be a risk for being able to respond adequately to both on-going and emergency work.
Clark says this storm emphasizes how critical it is to have the appropriate resources in place to address these kinds of emergencies.
If elected, Clark will call for a full review of the snow removal response to learn where responses could have been quicker or more efficient.