With the latest dump of snow, it’s become apparent that some Lake Cowichan business owners have been negligent in their responsibilities around snow removal.
The Town of Lake Cowichan has a bylaw that states that business owners are responsible for the sidewalk in front of their business, and must shovel snow off of it.
“I think most people are good, but there’s always the odd one,” the town’s chief administrative officer Joseph Fernandez said.
“People are generally pretty quick to respond.”
The main offenders seem to be the owners of properties that have closed down operations.
Despite this, even in cases where the property owner lives out-of-town, they are responsible for the upkeep of their stretch of sidewalk.
The penalty for not adhering to this bylaw is $50 per incident, which could translate into $50 per day.
Fernandez said that he doesn’t believe the town has ever fined a business, as the they tend to encourage voluntary compliance.