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Workers say they are getting the cold shoulder

Lack of snow removal along highway leaves workers fearing for their lives, they say, while city officials say their hands are tied

Nobody should fear for their life when travelling to their workplace, but that is the reality they face, say employees of The Beer Store in South Porcupine.

Due to non-existent snow removal in the area, young workers say they are taking big risks before and after each shift.

“I feel unsafe. I feel like I'm risking my life just to go to work. If you walk on the hill, you risk slipping and falling into traffic. If you walk on the highway, you risk getting hit because a lot of the time people don't move over and its a busy highway, there are transports and there's logging trucks,” said Vanessa Fairn.

Throughout her four years working at this location, one thing has remained steady, the lack of snow removal in the area.

The area in question is on Highway 101 east, near its intersection with Legion Drive. An approximately 50-metre stretch separates the busy retail location from the clearing on Legion.

The stretch, near a busy commercial establishment paying city taxes, is nearly five feet deep of built-up slush and snow.

There is nowhere to walk for able-bodied people, let alone senior citizens or the disabled.

“Once a year they cut it down. That's it. We really love when that happens, but the next day it's full of snow again and we are either walking on the hill and risking falling into traffic, or we're walking on the highway,” she said.

Fairn also has a young daughter who she worries about while heading to work.

“My daughter kind of needs me to be safe. I'm just trying to get to work and a lot of the times, people are beeping at me, I'm walking to work with a coffee and keys in my hand. They have to see that I'm going to somewhere, I'm not just playing on the highway,” she said.

A number of grievances have been brought to The Beer Store staff.

“Customers complain all the time. Anyone who normally walks here complains. We have one lady in particular who is very vocal about her dislike of that whole situation she is on foot all the time, she has had to jump into the snowbank and she is 50 years old,” said Fairn.

With the obvious danger of walking on a busy highway, Fairn said she often makes the treacherous trek across the top of the slush pile.

“If its hard packed then I will, if not I walk on the road. Because if its soft then you take the risk of sliding into traffic.”

“Its been an issue for the last four years I've worked here. Weekly close calls. Especially with the transports,” said Fairn.

David Cramer is another employee of The Beer Store who walks to work.

“I find it really dangerous because you always have to walk on the road. Then when you are walking on the road, people go by and they honk their horn at you and tell you to get out of the way, but you can't really get out of the way because there is nowhere to walk,” he said.

Cramer said he tries to get rides when he can because of the constant danger, and says he has little faith that city officials will do anything to rectify the situation.

“It's not going to change until somebody gets killed,” he said.

This is not a new issue. TimminsToday reported on the lack of snow removal in this area in December of 2014.

All city councillors and relevant department heads were contacted and shown photos of the area.

The only response received on the issue in late 2014, was from Director of Public Works and Engineering Luc Duval, who stated:

“We recognize that walking along the highway in summer can be performed safely. Not so, in the winter. Ideally, we hope that residents who must attend to business in South Porcupine call a friend or call a local taxi service for this commute.”

Fairn does not feel that is an appropriate stance for the city to take.

“If they want to pay my cabs to and from work everyday, then gladly, don't plow it then, but there's three of us here who walk. I work six days a week, so that's about $120 in cabs per week if I were to do that,” said Fairn.

“In the winter, I often take cabs, but it gets expensive. They are coming from Timmins to drive me a few blocks. It affects the locations numbers in the winter as well because of the situation."

Fairn estimates there are still around twenty weekly customers who make the dangerous trek along the road.

Snow buildup on the other side of the highway, near the O.P.P. station is also to the point where the outer lane line is buried under snow.

This affects the ability for motorists to pull over safely.

Mayor Steve Black says city machinery used for sidewalk clearing cannot access these areas.

“As such we wouldn't plow the sidewalk as it doesn't exist. So the issue would have to turn to should a sidewalk be installed and if so should it be maintained in the winter. A much larger issue and budget decision than just plowing an existing sidewalk.”

He said he feels the complaints from workers are becoming more and more common.

“This would not be an isolated concern however. There are many areas along the highway with workplaces with no sidewalk access. Walmart, Giant Tiger in west end, any business past the mall, Ski Runners and more,” said Black.

Public Works Manager Ken Krcel says his hands are tied.

“The urban section of the highway ends at Legion Drive. That is where the sidewalk ends. There are no sidewalks east of Legion Drive. That is the design of the highway that was downloaded to the City of Timmins by the province and it has been like that ever since,” he said.

Krcel says that a snow plowing operation known as 'benching' is performed in the area a few times each winter.

This does nothing to help pedestrians however.

“When we do snow removal on Harold Avenue, we try to remove extra snow to the west of the Beer Store to allow for more storage and open sight lines for vehicular traffic,” he said.

“Unfortunately with the current design there is not much Public Works can do for the pedestrian traffic to The Beer Store, as there is no sidewalk for us to plow. Public works does not build infrastructure, rather we just maintain the existing,” said Krcel.

Krcel says snow removal on Harold Avenue in South Porcupine is currently scheduled for March 7.