Winnipeg citizens are being encouraged to report property damage claims to their insurers as a business zone in the city of Winnipeg raises concerns about the damage caused by contractors handling snow removal in the area.
Purportedly, the contractors’ haphazard snowplowing caused damages of over $10,000 in the St. James business zone alone.
Learn more about snow removal insurance here.
St. James Village BIZ executive director Jennifer Mathieson told
CBC News that each winter business owners anticipate and plan for a little damage. This year, however, was different.
“We do plan for that. You do kind of expect that, but this is massive. This is nothing we’ve ever seen before, and I work with a number of the BIZ zones in Winnipeg … I can’t recall the last time it was this bad,” Mathieson said.
Mathieson added that there is not a single strip in the St. James business zone that does not have some sort of damage from the snow clearing procedures, estimating the total cost of the damages to be more than $10,000. She also noted that the business association has insurance, allowing the city to cover the costs of the damage.
Mathieson additionally confirmed that the business association submits plans for all of their street improvements when they apply to the city for permits, but wonders why the city is not preparing accordingly despite documentation.
“My question is, why aren’t people looking at this? Why aren’t you preparing yourself and your crews to know what’s out on the streets before they start removing snow that might be covering something of value?”
According to Mathieson, the association is still waiting for an insurance claim for damage from last year worth about $5,000.
A spokesperson for the city of Winnipeg said 311 received a report regarding the damage. The city, however, cannot speak to the specific claim, as it is being investigated.
“For damage involving snow clearing operations, citizens are encouraged to report all vehicle claims to MPI and property damage claims to their property insurers to ascertain whether there is insurance coverage available to them,” the spokesperson told
CBC News.
The spokesperson also confirmed that, to date, it has received 79 damage claims related to snow-clearing for this year. Last year, it had received 327 such claims.
Related stories:
Snow removal crew is causing more harm than good - Councillor
Ice dams can cause significant damage to homes: SGI
.jpg)
