Yacht Haven Lane will remain a private street, meaning residents will have to find their own way of shoveling snow.
Its request to council to have its status changed to a public street was turned down after the city deemed it too expensive.
Deputy Commissioner Michael Hugenholtz worries if they change this street, they’ll have to change them all.
The additional upkeep of those streets would cost the city over $700,000 each year.
“We do have clearly now a line defined between what streets currently receive public services and what do not, and if we are to erase that line or adjust it, that will certainly bring a lot of questions,” he said.
Mayor Don Darling says developers knew what they were getting into, and residents agreed to shovel their own sidewalks prior to moving in.
“These issues were discussed very openly, and so much so that the homeowners themselves in their deeds take on the responsibility of that work on the private lane.”
He says he’s not sure there’s a middle ground to be found with the issue, as the city is not in a good enough place financially to take on the work.
“It’s unfortunate that the city is now being positioned as the bad guy because they won’t come and take on a scope of work that was never theirs in the first place,” said Darling.
