Dear City Councillors,
While it may be only September, can we talk about winter walking? 2024 will be remembered for the winter that wasn’t! Yet, with the kinder winter weather this year in Ottawa, the Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) volunteer Snow Moles were out again in full force across the city in Kinburn, Kanata, Centretown, and Orleans reporting on snow and ice hazards and barriers and City infrastructure issues. This is the seventh year of the age-friendly Snow Mole Campaign, and we have been patient and persistent to see real change to safe and accessible winter walking as a city-wide priority!
Can winter walking in Ottawa be safe and accessible for all? The Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) believes that it can make it better when the City
- Prioritizing pedestrians first in the City’s snow-clearing policies and practices for sidewalks, paths, and roads without sidewalks (COA 2024 Snow Mole Report).
- Releasing, approving, funding, and implementing the City’s new draft Winter Maintenance Quality Standards (COA Municipal Engagement Strategy 2023-2026).
Can we do better? Ottawa is a beautiful winter city, yet for many older adults, winter walking on roads, sidewalks, and pathways, is unsafe and inaccessible for them. In fact, Snow Moles, reported
- walking on streets due to too much snow on sidewalks (80%)
- falling, with 2 of the 5 Snow Moles reporting going to the emergency room
- high snowbanks making walking difficult (57%)
- fear of falling sometimes keeps them for going out for a walk
Are Snow Moles making mountains out of molehills? Despite these concerns, the COA has noted real progress and support from the City to make winter walking safe and accessible for all, such as
- plowing major residential streets to bare pavement in 2020 and was observed by the Snow Moles
- Fast tracking the review of the 2003 Winter Maintenance Quality Standards engaging with residents in 2021
- Promoting and participating in snow mole audits by City Councillors and Road Operations staff
- Training for snowplow operators using the Snow Mole Reports with pictures of the good, the bad, and the ugly for the last several years
- Piloting the clearing of the Flora and Corkstown foot bridge stairs in 2024
- City staff regular attending and advising the COA Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Sub-Committee
- Committing to clearing to snow from all 15 designated Para Transpo for winter 2025
Why now? The findings and recommendations of the 2024 Snow Mole Campaign along with the increasing number of older adults in Ottawa suggests there is an urgent need to become more sensitive to the impacts of extreme winter weather and climate change have on the health and wellbeing of Ottawa’s older adults.
What is the COA asking of the City? To create an equal, inclusive, and diverse City, the COA is asking to prioritize pedestrians first in snow-clearing policies and practices by releasing, approving, funding, and implementing the City’s new draft Winter Maintenance Quality Standards. There are three engagement opportunities to consider these recommendations in the 2025 Budget as well as the update of the City’s Older Adult Plan and Municipal Accessibility Plan.
Together, we can advance the wellbeing of Ottawa’s older adults!
Sincerely
Trèva Cousineau, President, Board of Directors
Mary Haller and Sandra Stec, Co-Chairs, Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Committee
