I was appalled when I read that the St. Albert RCMP fined Dr. Jon Cooper for clearing snow with his quad.
Our city has always been known for having caring citizens, our volunteers and Good Samaritans. We state that we are a city with the heart of a small town. This was demonstrated by one of the pillars of our community, Dr. Cooper.
I understand that operating a quad on the sidewalk is illegal. There is no question about it. However, this was not a pleasure ride. He was clearing the 30-plus centimetres of snow.
How is clearing the snow with a quad different than clearing the snow with a shovel or a snowblower? The final outcome is the same. The only difference I can see is using a snowblower and shovel would have taken a lot more time and energy. May I remind you, according to the Edmonton Sun, Dr. Cooper is 62.
Will I get fined if I try to help pull someone out of the snowbank when they get stuck? It seems to me that no good deed will go unpunished.
We need to have common sense dictate our actions. Fining a Good Samaritan for clearing snow will only discourage people from helping others in the future. In my opinion, the officer should have assisted Dr. Cooper’s efforts by turning on his lights to reduce the hazard to other drivers. Once the quad was back to clearing snow and Dr. Cooper’s son’s vehicle was off the road, the officer could have turned off his lights and been on his way. All parties included would have left this situation with a positive outcome.
In the future, I would like to see headlines stating “Community pulls together after massive snow dump,” showing pictures of citizens digging out their neighbours with whatever means they have, whether it be a shovel, quad, snowblower or truck mounted with a blade. This would accurately represent the citizens of St Albert. We join together to help each other out, we have strong community spirit, so why are we being punished for it with fines if we don’t use the tools or machinery deemed acceptable?
Michaela Pfluemer, St. Albert
