Your Tax Dollars at Work
Update below!
For those of you who don’t live around here, we received more than 30 cm of snow this week. It always amazes me how poorly we cope with snow in the city.
Today I needed to take Cakes a couple of blocks to Queen Street, to our music in motion class. I had to take the stroller because I had a few errands to do after class. Thirty-six hours after the snowfall, almost half of the people between my house and Queen Street had not shovelled their fucking walks. Several culprits were businesses, a few of which occupy a large stretch of real estate. The snow was so deep I had to actually pick up Cakes’ stroller with 35 pounds of toddler in it. Not fun.
By the time I made it to Queen Street, passing through a large stretch of hell, I was pissed, so I went in to the business and complained. We went to our class, and then we did our errands. Knowing I would have to carry a stroller, a toddler, plus all of our purchases half the way home, I had to choose carefully, and could only accomplish a portion of what I’d hoped.
We shlepped our way home--the place I’d complained to had started shovelling. Hooray! But the rest of the walk was pure hell. By the time we got to our door, I was cursing and complaining to other pedestrians (I actually met a new neighbour with a baby!) As soon as we got in the door I got on the City’s website and requested the phone number for by-law enforcement. I also emailed Councillor Fletcher’s office (have yet to hear back from them. They haven’t done so well in the past--I’ll let you know how long it takes them to respond this time. I hope they use google alerts and see me bitching about them). A short time later, to my surprise, the city sent the number to call. I dialled the digits, and holy fuck, someone answered. He took the information and said he’d send someone!
So, I’m hoping a little hit to the pocketbook will smarten these assholes up. And! Even more exciting, as I type this, the sidewalk plough is driving by!!! I’ve never seen it on my street before. I want to run out there and kiss the guy.
You know what they say about squeaky wheels.
If you have assholes in your neighbourhood, write down their addresses and call Right-of-Way Management By-law Enforcement at 416-392-7768.
Oh, and the real reason I’m so pissy about this? When I was shopping today, I had to make the horrific decision between picking up my library books and buying wine. What do you think I chose?
Update: I thought you guys knew me better than this...I chose the books people! Hence the pissy mood.
Luckily my friend Jana guessed right, and when she came for a visit Saturday she brought me a nice bottle of red. Bless her dear soul.
Labels: Toronto the Good
posted by metro mama @ 9:41 PM
17 Comments:
I love it when you get a bee in your bonnet.
It better have been wine.
You enjoying the wine?
I too complain (loudly, keeping the door open the whole time so it gets cold inside) to businesses that do not shovel. Though I gotta say, our new stroller glides through this crap like butta.
But we shovelled 5 times in the past 48 hours. You'd think these arses could manage the once. Grr.
Oh, I so hate people who don't shovel. It's awful with a stroller (I've started using a sled), but imagine the people with wheelchairs and walkers and scooters and broken legs and such, too. It pisses me off so much, I keep contemplating leaving nasty note in the mailboxes of people who can't be fucking bother. Or the corner lots who think they only have to shovel the short front stretch. Nice try, buddy.
And was it good wine, metro?
Thanks for the phone number. Our neighbourhood is pretty good. My husband walks to the subway in the morning, and there are a few houses who don't bother to shovel. One of them happens to be the parents of one of our son's friends (we carpool to school, too), and they NEVER shovel, driveway, sidewalk, steps. It's REALLY annoying!
Good for you to call.
Definitely the wine.
I end up walking on the road, our sidewalks are so crap. Or, the sidewalk might be ok but then you have a huge snowbank at the curb to get over. I hate thist ime of year. In my area it's not people not shovelling it's the snowplow doing a crapass job.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I would love to call the city on some of these @#$@ people. Good for you for doing something.
I certainly hope you chose the wine.
Cakes weighs 35 POUNDS? My GOSH, The Baby is puny.
Yeah, poor old Toronto has a rough time with snow, doesn't it? It's like city council is surprised that it's winter again EVERY YEAR.
Ugh. Sounds miserable.
Wine. Please say it was the wine.
Why do people always say you can't fight city hall?
Thanks for that number. I haven't gone out in days because I can't get the stroller out.
I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt that you considered the books. You probably had some wine at home already.
The wine is easier to carry than a pile of books, isn't it? Thanks for the number!
By the way, JJ is obsessed with the snow and Frosty the Snowman...
I may have to change my mind about moving to Florida.
Now we have to deal with sidewalks that are ice rinks because most people didn't shovel, arrgh, thanks for the phone number. I also have a couple of neighbours who don't shovel and it's awful, not to mention dangerous. I almost fell a few times on my short walk to the subway.
I hope you chose the wine.... But, having lived the academic life before, I'm guessing library books....
Awesome! Thanks for the number. It is crazy out there. Especially for those of us without garages who rely on street parking. Half the spots are snow piles, you end up having to settle for a spot blocks away from your doorstep and then walk on icy, unshoveled sidewalks with baby, groceries, diaper bag et al., in arms. Argh. Did I say thanks for that number?
Oh, and I'm guessing wine. Sounds liek you needed a drink after an outing like that.
And congrats on the new gig - that's great.
Whoa, there. Hold on--I'm particularly good at clearing my walk, but, living on a corner, I have 160 feet of walk to shovel. Still, I'm diligent. I clear my walks. I was away last week and arranged for someone else to shovel and they did not. Now I'm stuck with seriously packed down snow/ice that can't be removed.
Okay, that was a bit of a rant, but I have been taking a lot of crap from neighbours about my sidewalks. It's really not fair this time.
I would have chosen the wine.
That would be a tough decision. Wine? Books? I can reread my favorites. But do I have a bottle of wine in the cupboard? My neighbors have been great about helping shovel us out when my husband works late. They know I have back trouble, and I am so grateful for such nice neighbors! I should bring THEM the wine.
I've been in Sacramento for the past week, but when I came back my street was as unplowed and dangerous/annoying than ever. I don't know if I can call the number on the assholes, but if I get out today and can barely walk, I might just do it.
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