City council voted at its meeting Monday to approve $100,000 in funding to cover the city’s review of its Snow and Ice Control Policy later this year.

“While the Snow and Ice Control Policy has been amended over the past few years to reflect the addition of some new trails and roads through development, an in-depth review of the policy is required given the changing climate, population growth and changing community needs,” says the administrative report prepared for council.

“Since 2015, approximately 10 kilometres of roads, 10 km of sidewalks and 5 km of trails have been added through high-density developments such as Whistle Bend. These quantities will increase once additional phases are developed.”

The report says a draft copy of the review is expected early this fall.

It will identify the timeline and changes required to best align the policy with climate change and community needs, the report says.

Coun. Ted Laking told his council colleagues that the removal of snow is top-of-mind of many taxpayers.

“And that is why this issue is so important,” Laking said.

He said the removal of snow in the city affects every resident.

Despite the best effort by hardworking city crews, the city is falling behind in snow clearing, he said.

“If the amount of emails, Facebook messages, or even just people approaching me on the street to talk about snowplowing I have been receiving over the past several weeks is any indication – this is an issue that taxpayers are passionate about.”

Laking said it’s clear that with climate change, increased snowfalls will become a fact of life.

The report says the city received 93 millimetres between last Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, according to Environment Canada.

Records show it was a heavy snowfall last winter as well, with 88 mm falling in the same time period.

But in previous years, the snowfall has been much less.

In 2019-20, the city received 42 mm of snow between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31.

In 2018-19, the city was whitened by 45 mm.

In 2017-18, 57 mm fell between Nov.1 and Jan. 31, while 60 mm blanketed Whitehorse in the winter of 2016-17.

Laking said in the past several weeks, many residents and taxpayers have gotten stuck on their streets.

“In fact, this (Monday) morning, while driving one of my kids to school, a school bus was stuck on Fourth Avenue, blocking a lane of traffic,” the councillor said.

Michael Abbott, the acting manager of fleet and transportation services, told council the city crews have been working extra shifts for more than a month, and private contractors have been brought on to assist.

Abbott said the feedback from the community about the need for snow removal in certain areas is helpful.

The city has emphasized that removing vehicles parked on the street is also quite helpful so equipment operators don’t have to work around them.