This is an automated transcription (OCR) of the captured
official document — minor recognition errors are possible; the source
document governs.
Snapshot cf7cf590d519 · verified 2026-06-05 ·
original document ·
archived snapshot ·
unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
## ARTICLE 1: Title
1. (1) This Policy shall be known as the Sidewalk Maintenance Policy.
## ARTICLE 2: Authority
- 2 (1) This Policy is made pursuant to Sections 47(4), 312(1), and 312(3) of the Municipal Government Act, SNS 1998, c 18, as amended.
## ARTICLE 3: Definitions
- 3 (1) In this Policy, the following words shall have the following meanings:
- (a) "CAO" means the Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipality or an employee of the Municipality delegated any responsibilities or powers of the CAO pursuant to Section 29(b) of the Municipal Government Act, as amended;
- (b) "Council" means the Council of the Municipality of the County of Inverness;
- (c) "Councillor" means a Councillor of the Municipality of the County of Inverness;
- (d) "Municipality" means the Municipality of the County of Inverness; and
- (e) "Policy" means this Sidewalk Maintenance Policy, as amended from time to time.
## SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE POLICY MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF INVERNESS
| Policy Number: | 2021-03-04 |
|-------------------------|--------------|
| Date of Last Amendment: | 2021-11-04 |
## ARTICLE 4: Purpose of this Policy
- 4 (1) The purpose of this Policy is to establish a reasonable level of service at an affordable cost for the clearing of snow from sidewalks and fire hydrants under the responsibility of the Municipality, having regard to the financial, economic and other constraints on the Municipality from time to time.
## ARTICLE 5: Application and Scope of this Policy
- 5 (1) This Policy applies only to sidewalks and fire hydrants that are located within the Municipality and under the responsibility of the Municipality.
- 5 (2) This Policy applies only during the winter.
## ARTICLE 6: Performance Standards
- 6 (1) Where snow and/or freezing rain is forecasted reasonably in advance, the Municipality will take reasonable steps to apply salt and/or sand to sidewalks before the snow or freezing rain begins.
- 6 (2) The Municipality shall have snow cleared from sidewalks no later than 24 hours after the completion of a storm event. The Municipality shall attempt to clear the full width of the sidewalks.
- 6 (3) The Municipality shall have snow cleared from fire hydrants no later than 72 hours after the completion of a storm event. The fire hydrants must be cleared free of snow so that they are easily accessible and ready for use.
- 6 (4) Where a marked crosswalk intersects with a paved sidewalk, the Municipality shall have snow cleared from the access between the marked crosswalk and the paved sidewalk no later than 24 hours after the completion of a storm event.
- 6 (5) The Municipality shall salt and/or sand the areas identified in Sections 6(2), 6(3), and 6(4) of this Policy as required.
- 6(6) The snow clearing timelines set out in this Article 6 apply at all times, including weekends and holidays.
- 6 (7) The Municipality may exceed the clearing timelines set out in this Article 6 during exceptional weather conditions to ensure the safety of its staff.
- 6(8) The Municipality shall ensure there are clear and updated schedules for staff responsible for snow clearing operations of sidewalks and fire hydrants.
- 6(9) The Municipality shall keep updated and accurate records of its snow clearing operations of sidewalks and fire hydrants.
- 6 (10) In the event of an infrastructure emergency (including, but not limited to, a water service disruption), then the Municipality may prioritize the infrastructure emergency over the snow clearing operations, dependent upon the circumstances.
## ARTICLE 7: Initiation of Snow Clearing
- (1) The CAO shall designate a member or members of municipal staff to be responsible to decide when to initiate snow clearing operations for sidewalks and fire hydrants.
2. 7 (2) The Municipality has chosen not to set a minimum snowfall parameter to establish when to initiate snow clearing operations, as the decision to begin snow clearing depends on many factors, including but not limited to, wind, drifting, snow conditions, the weather forecast and safety considerations. The decision to initiate snow clearing operations for sidewalks and fire hydrants will be based upon these considerations.
## ARTICLE 8: Inspections
- 8 (1) Each year, the Municipality shall inspect sidewalks for any issues that could cause a safety issue when clearing snow at the following times:
- (a) Once before the winter season begins; and
- (b) Once at the end of the winter season.
- 8 (2) Nothing in this Policy creates a duty upon the Municipality to inspect or become aware of hazardous conditions of sidewalks.
## ARTICLE 9: Third-Party Contractors
- 9 (1) The Municipality may enter into an agreement with a third-party contractor to provide snow clearing services to the Municipality or to some areas within the Municipality, and the services provided by the third-party contractor must meet the minimum standards set out in this Policy.
## ARTICLE 10: No Liability
- (1) The Municipality will not be responsible for removing snow that accumulates on private driveways or entrances to driveways as a result of snow clearing of a sidewalk or fire hydrant.
2. 10 (2) it is the sole responsibility of residents to keep their driveways, entrances, and doorways clear from snow.
## ARTICLE 11: Policy Review
- 11 (1) This Policy must be reviewed every four (4) years.
| Date of Original Notice to Council: | April 7, 2008 |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| Date of Council Resolution Approving Original Policy: | May 5, 2008 |
| Date of Notice to Council of First Amended Version: | March 4, 2021 |
| Date of Council Resolution approving First Amended Version: | April 1, 2021 |
| Amendment #2: - Deleting "24 hours" from section 6(3) and replacing it with "72 hours" Notice of Motion: Approval by Council Resolution: | October 21, 2021 November 4, 2021 |
Approval:
This is to certify that the above Policy was last amended by Council
Kne
Keith MacDonald, Chief Administrative Officer hyste
<!-- image -->