The steady snowfall that Airdrie experienced earlier this week has tapered off along with the extreme cold. This means that Airdrie residents will have 24 hours after the snow has stopped to clear the sidewalks in front and alongside their property.

Sgt. Maury Karch of Airdrie's Municipal Enforcement says that thus far this year no tickets have been issued under The Community Standards Bylaw that pertains to snow removal, partly because there haven't been many heavy snow events this winter. 

"We tend to not write [tickets]; we give warnings to get it cleared up and then once if they don't clear it up, we get it cleared. It's the discretion of the officer to write a ticket or not. It's the repeat offenders that tend to get a ticket."

The City is reminding residents that when they are clearing their sidewalks, snow and ice must be mounded on their property, not on city roads or public property.

"Piles of snow or ice deposited on roadways are a safety concern for both pedestrians and drivers as they attempt to navigate residential streets. If you are using equipment such as a snow blower, please remember that noise control hours are in effect Monday to Saturday from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and Sunday, including all Statutory Holidays, from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m."

But what of tickets for parking violations? Sgt. Karch also noted that the city's municipal enforcement officers do not actively seek out cars to ticket, especially in alleyways. He said that many of the calls that municipal enforcement deals with a complaint-driven.

"We have to respond when someone calls in with a complaint about vehicles parking in the alley," he said. "The most common reason is that people can't get out of their garage. Almost all the time, it is complaint-driven."

However, he said that if municipal enforcement does happen upon an alleyway in which three other vehicles are also parked incorrectly or otherwise blocking someone's garage, all of the owners will receive warnings.

"We don't write tickets right away and if you continue to do it and we get a call, then you're going to go get a ticket."

Sgt. Karch was also asked if there had been an uptick in calls regarding people who appeared to be in distress due to the cold. 

"The library was open 24/7 for people to stay overnight. I worked later [hours] last week, patrolling the city looking for spots where there may be people in need. we had stuff to provide to them, but we did not get any more calls with regards to people in need meeting help." 

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