Anger over the so-called “quadgate” that dumped a flurry of criticism on city hall and the local RCMP over a local chiropractor’s snowplowing good deed gone awry has long since melted. Perhaps that explains city council’s watered-down response to ‘mitigate’ future controversy, erring on the side of bureaucrats who’ll always pick legislation and risk management over common sense. Rather than give citizens the freedom to be a good neighbour of their own accord, council naturally wants to see if a government-sanctioned program is the best solution.
The anger over quadgate was as fierce as a January storm that gave rise to the controversy, caused after Dr. Jon Cooper received a hefty fine for his efforts clearing snow from a sidewalk next to a seniors’ residence. The chiropractor made the mistake of using an ATV outfitted with a plow to clear the snow near his Bellerose Drive office but became stuck. Coopers’ son Dan was called in to free it with a pickup and a tow rope, but ended up getting arrested in the process and faces charges of obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest.
When the story made headlines across the country, the public outcry was nothing short of chilly as most criticized what smacked of an overreaction. The case had yet to play out in the courts but city councillors promised a review of rules that ban off-highway vehicles like ATVs. As Mayor Nolan Crouse noted at the time: “You can’t have a bylaw that stops people from helping people.” As winter melted into spring the appetite for change appears to have melted. Council on Monday rejected a plan that would have allowed residents to apply for special permits to use ATVs to clear snow. A tie vote saw Len Bracko, Wes Brodhead and Malcolm Parker side with the bureaucrats who view ATVs as too great a risk to city infrastructure like sidewalks and fire hydrants and, potentially, public safety. Instead, council wants to examine whether the city should run a ‘snow angel’ program similar to ones in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie, which encourage Good Samaritans to shovel sidewalks and driveways of residents who are physically unable to do so.
While snow angel programs and similar, less formal efforts that already exist in St. Albert do foster volunteerism, council’s refusal to loosen the reins on ATV use is a case of government overthinking and over-legislating. Where’s the harm in allowing a few ATVs to patrol local sidewalks in the name of neighbours helping neighbours? As Coun. Cam MacKay pointed out Monday, the city routinely employs motorized vehicles on sidewalks to clear snow and ice. True, the average quad-owning resident probably doesn’t go through the hours of rigorous safety training we trust (ahem) are required of qualified public works staff before clearing sidewalks, but that hardly constitutes a significant risk to public safety or property. We’re talking about a small group of individuals, over 18 with a class 5 licence who are caring and courteous enough to apply for a special permit. These are hardly the type to run amok on city sidewalks causing damage to property, and even if an accident happened it’s a character trait of good, decent people to own up to mistakes.
But why use common sense when a bylaw or inflexible rule will do? That’s why we have rules that attempt to legislate public behaviour like the unenforceable idling bylaw. We’ve seen it with land-use planning in business parks where development gives St. Albert a pass because parcels are too small or the rules too rigid. We’ve seen it with the backlog and red tape required to get development permits, delays that cause companies to sit on projects for weeks or months before they’ve jumped through enough hurdles for city hall’s satisfaction.
It’s hard enough to get neighbours to help neighbours without legislation getting in the way. Too many of us live in subdivisions, not neighbourhoods, insulated from those around us. While most might be prone to nodding at a neighbour, how many actually engage in conversation, or heaven forbid, lend a helping hand without prompting or payback? That’s what neighbours do. It shouldn’t take a government program to kick-start it, just as no government should stand in the way when it happens.
