St. John’s City Council has voted down a motion to inject more than a million dollars into the budget for improved sidewalk snow clearing this winter.

Councillors voted 7 to 2 this afternoon against the move, but that doesn’t mean extra money can’t still be found through the budget process in November.

Mayor Danny Breen says it should be dealt with then, with all other pressing issues on council’s plate.

He says he can’t support the allocation without doing it in the context of the city’s whole budget. They need to take a look at the total impact of increased funding for sidewalk snow clearing, he says, on top of everything else that must be addressed in the aftermath of COVID-19 and Snowmageddon.

The city has an accumulated deficit of about $20-million so far this year.

Residents Rally for Safe Sidewalks

About two dozen people marched and rallied for safer sidewalks in downtown St. John’s over the lunch hour.

The March and Rally for Accessible Sidewalks, organized by the newly formed Sidewalk Coalition, formed at Victoria Park before moving toward City Hall, taking up a lane of traffic along the way. Some walked with their children, another person was in a wheelchair and another made the trek with their guide dog to show the various types of people impacted by unmanageable sidewalks in the winter.

Some carried umbrellas on an otherwise dry day as a message for the city to dip deeper into its so-called rainy-day fund and find the money to beef up sidewalk snow clearing for the winter season ahead.